Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Cartago Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Cartago

😐 Solo nomad: Mexico City is 90% more expensive than Cartago without rent, and 80.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Mexico City is 52.8% more expensive than Cartago without rent, and 96.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Cartago
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.12 MX$235
$3.70 COP 14.0K
254.59%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$53.8 MX$963
$28.90 COP 109.4K
86.19%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.40 MX$168
$7.42 COP 28.1K
26.68%
Cappuccino
$3.56 MX$63.8
$1.55 COP 5,878
129.68%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 MX$28.69
$0.87 COP 3,311
83.91%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.15 MX$20.67
$0.55 COP 2,100
109.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.16 MX$56.5
$1.04 COP 3,951
203.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.85 MX$86.7
$2.47 COP 9,351
96.36%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Cartago
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.63 MX$29.25
$1.23 COP 4,644
32.52%
White Bread (500g)
$2.73 MX$48.94
$1.46 COP 5,533
86.99%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.63
$1.21 COP 4,580
55.37%
Eggs
$2.63 MX$47.10
$2.48 COP 9,385
6.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.89 MX$177
$4.19 COP 15.9K
136.04%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.40 MX$150
$5.45 COP 20.7K
54.13%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.63 MX$208
$7.41 COP 28.1K
56.95%
Apples (1kg)
$2.97 MX$53.2
$2.40 COP 9,080
23.75%
Banana (1kg)
$1.78 MX$31.94
$0.98 COP 3,722
81.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.06 MX$36.79
$1.20 COP 4,547
71.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 MX$35.35
$1.27 COP 4,805
55.12%
Potato (1kg)
$2.09 MX$37.34
$0.83 COP 3,128
151.81%
Onion (1kg)
$2.26 MX$40.44
$1.11 COP 4,185
103.60%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 MX$26.10
$0.76 COP 2,870
92.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$19.51
$0.65 COP 2,478
67.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.34 MX$77.7
$2.89 COP 11.0K
50.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.62 MX$244
$10.83 COP 41.0K
25.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.67 MX$29.96
$1.11 COP 4,211
50.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.54 MX$63.4
$1.85 COP 7,008
91.35%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Cartago
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.36 MX$6.44
$0.69 COP 2,605
-47.83%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.96 MX$339
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.32 MX$23.69
$1.54 COP 5,815
-14.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.30 MX$5.39
$1.96 COP 7,410
-84.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.49 MX$98.2
$9.96 COP 37.7K
-44.88%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.34 MX$23.93
$0.95 COP 3,592
41.05%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.1K MX$342.2K
$21.7K COP 82.3M
-12.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$425.4K
$29.7K COP 112.6M
-20.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Cartago
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$41.11 MX$736
$83.0 COP 314.4K
-50.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.78 MX$497
$8.88 COP 33.6K
212.84%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.00 MX$537
$24.19 COP 91.6K
24.02%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Cartago
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.5 MX$958
$23.62 COP 89.4K
126.63%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.13 MX$468
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.28 MX$112
$4.94 COP 18.7K
27.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Cartago
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$439 MX$7,865
$228 COP 864.1K
92.50%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.7K MX$192.3K
$5,962 COP 22.6M
80.15%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Cartago
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.1 MX$1,022
$63.8 COP 241.5K
-10.44%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.30 MX$811
$44.68 COP 169.2K
1.39%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 MX$1,866
$76.4 COP 289.2K
36.48%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 MX$1,938
$91.0 COP 344.4K
18.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Cartago
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$996 MX$17.8K
$288 COP 1.1M
245.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$624 MX$11.2K
$243 COP 919.4K
156.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,106 MX$37.7K
$537 COP 2.0M
292.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,218 MX$21.8K
$426 COP 1.6M
186.14%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,799 MX$68.0K
$1,495 COP 5.7M
154.04%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,230 MX$39.9K
$1,363 COP 5.2M
63.60%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Cartago
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,096 MX$19.6K
$310 COP 1.2M
254.23%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.34
11.58
-2.07%

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

Last update for Mexico City: March 1, 2026

Last update for Cartago: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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