Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Castelo Branco

For one person, living is cheaper in Castelo Branco: $1,100 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Castelo Branco
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Castelo Branco Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Castelo Branco

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,100

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Castelo Branco

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 Castelo Branco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $1,100 in Castelo Branco.

Mexico City $1,567
Castelo Branco $1,100

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $1,666 in Castelo Branco.

Mexico City $2,450
Castelo Branco $1,666

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $2,233 in Castelo Branco.

Mexico City $3,333
Castelo Branco $2,233

Living in Mexico City is roughly 42% more expensive than in Castelo Branco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 16% above, Castelo Branco is 19% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$11.29 €10.05

-4.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$39.12 €34.80

28.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$9.62 €8.56

15.38%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$1.25 €1.11

194.40%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$1.41 €1.25

17.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$1.26 €1.12

3.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$1.09 €0.97

204.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$2.20 €1.96

151.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.17 €1.04

51.28%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$1.30 €1.16

134.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$1.45 €1.29

38.62%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$3.87 €3.44

-28.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$8.76 €7.79

35.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$5.80 €5.16

60.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$8.58 €7.63

75.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$2.11 €1.88

45.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$1.31 €1.17

48.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$1.75 €1.56

16.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$2.30 €2.05

-3.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$1.65 €1.47

22.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$1.45 €1.29

25.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.14 €1.02

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$0.81 €0.72

58.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$5.97 €5.31

-11.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$3.39 €3.01

375.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$1.17 €1.04

66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$1.95 €1.73

117.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$1.25 €1.11

-75.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$22.20 €19.75

-10.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$2.25 €2.00

-11.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$0.74 €0.66

-28.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$16.67 €14.83

-66.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$2.04 €1.82

-25.49%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$33.5K €29.8K

-37.23%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$40.5K €36.0K

-37.80%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$120 €106

-47.77%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$19.03 €16.92

51.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$31.99 €28.45

7.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$39.32 €34.97

45.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$6.70 €5.96

-0.45%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$678 €603

-36.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$16.9K €15.1K

-30.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$78.7 €70.0

-10.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$44.71 €39.77

15.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$82.1 €73.0

32.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$67.6 €60.2

66.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$458 €407

129.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$363 €323

83.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$796 €708

194.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$605 €538

102.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$1,574 €1,400

125.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$1,322 €1,176

49.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$1,617 €1,438

-39.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

3.85

193.51%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Castelo Branco: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Castelo Branco

$363 33% 45.4% $302

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Castelo Branco

$203 18.4% 37.2% $120

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Castelo Branco

$155 14.1% 23.8% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Castelo Branco

$123 11.2% 20.5% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Castelo Branco

$171 15.5% 35.8% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Castelo Branco

$53 4.8% 25.2% $18

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Castelo Branco

$33 3% 28.7% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,051 in Mexico City and $458 in Castelo Branco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Castelo Branco pays 66% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $39.00 in Castelo Branco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $203 per month, with Castelo Branco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇹 Castelo Branco

🕒 Local time

08:05 8:05 AM

15:05 3:05 PM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

52,291

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Mexico City Castelo Branco 8,770 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Castelo Branco

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 Castelo Branco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Castelo Branco is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 42% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 66% lower in Castelo Branco. 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: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $458 in Castelo Branco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,567 per month in Mexico City versus $1,100 in Castelo Branco – a 42% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Castelo Branco runs roughly 12% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,100 in Castelo Branco versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Castelo Branco but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Castelo Branco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Castelo Branco is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Mexico City, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Castelo Branco are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Castelo Branco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.