Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Cartagena, Spain

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,425 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Cartagena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,425

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Cartagena

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mexico City and in Cartagena actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,425 in Cartagena.

Mexico City $1,608
Cartagena $1,425

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,101 in Cartagena.

Mexico City $2,549
Cartagena $2,101

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,778 in Cartagena.

Mexico City $3,490
Cartagena $2,778

Living in Mexico City is roughly 13% more expensive than in Cartagena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Cartagena 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$13.84 €12.40

-23.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$56.2 €50.3

-13.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$7.95 €7.12

30.19%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$2.47 €2.21

49.39%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 MX$31.29

$2.56 €2.30

-34.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$1.82 €1.63

-30.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$3.42 €3.06

-6.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$3.86 €3.46

37.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$1.22 €1.09

40.98%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.19 €1.06

155.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$2.63 €2.35

-26.24%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$3.96 €3.54

-27.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$12.82 €11.48

-14.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$6.71 €6.01

37.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$18.75 €16.79

-19.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$2.37 €2.12

28.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$2.45 €2.19

-20.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$1.58 €1.42

28.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$3.20 €2.87

-27.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$1.28 €1.14

59.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$1.26 €1.13

42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$1.53 €1.37

-3.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$0.69 €0.62

84.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$5.71 €5.11

-7.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$6.30 €5.64

155.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$1.21 €1.08

63.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$1.17 €1.05

263.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$1.48 €1.32

-79.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$11.08 €9.93

78.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$5.65 €5.06

-67.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$2.23 €2.00

-76.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$27.72 €24.83

-80.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$1.77 €1.59

-14.69%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$34.6K €30.9K

-37.05%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$29.9K €26.7K

-19.66%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$63.0 MX$1,182

$211 €189

-70.16%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$27.39 MX$514

$19.43 €17.40

40.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$29.27 €26.21

21.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$41.23 €36.92

42.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$12.81 €11.47

84.54%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$7.72 €6.91

-17.10%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$432 MX$8,103

$406 €364

6.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$2,651 €2,374

330.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$46.46 €41.61

46.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$34.88 €31.24

52.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$60.6 €54.2

78.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$101 €90.5

16.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$596 €534

86.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$490 €439

45.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$872 €781

196.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$720 €644

95.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$1,737 €1,556

108.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$1,427 €1,278

49.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$1,704 €1,526

-44.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

4.06

179.56%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cartagena: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Cartagena

$490 34.4% 31.1% $221

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Cartagena

$269 18.9% 15.8% $50

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Cartagena

$207 14.5% 4% $7.9

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Cartagena

$109 7.7% 29.9% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Cartagena

$260 18.2% 106% $134

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Cartagena

$57 4% 21% $15

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Cartagena

$34 2.4% 32.7% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $596 in Cartagena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cartagena pays 80% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $56 in Cartagena. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $269, with Cartagena cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇪🇸 Cartagena

🕒 Local time

09:53 9:53 AM

16:53 4:53 PM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

218,050

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Cartagena 9,390 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Cartagena

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Mexico City vs Cartagena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cartagena wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cartagena the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 44% lower in Mexico City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $596 in Cartagena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $48 versus $56 in Cartagena. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $1,425 in Cartagena – Cartagena is about 11% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cartagena is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.