Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Cerro de Pasco

For one person, living is cheaper in Cerro de Pasco: $547 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Cerro de Pasco
Learn more

Cerro de Pasco Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Cerro de Pasco

🇵🇪 Peru

$547

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Cerro de Pasco

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 Cerro de Pasco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $547 in Cerro de Pasco, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Cerro de Pasco $547

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $883 in Cerro de Pasco, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Cerro de Pasco $883

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $1,218 in Cerro de Pasco, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Cerro de Pasco $1,218

Mexico City costs about 194% more than Cerro de Pasco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Cerro de Pasco is 60% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$2.84 PEN 9.80

273.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$904

$29.57 PEN 102

63.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$7.04 PEN 24.27

47.02%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.0

$1.99 PEN 6.86

85.43%

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

$1.67 MX$31.14

$0.71 PEN 2.44

135.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.65

$0.45 PEN 1.57

182.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.7

$2.68 PEN 9.24

19.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.2

$4.38 PEN 15.09

21.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.23

$1.47 PEN 5.08

17.01%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.8

$2.34 PEN 8.07

29.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.27

$1.26 PEN 4.34

53.97%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.0

$2.38 PEN 8.20

21.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$9.22 PEN 31.77

18.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$5.81 PEN 20.02

59.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$8.02 PEN 27.64

88.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.0

$1.96 PEN 6.76

55.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.27

$0.75 PEN 2.59

158.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.85

$0.45 PEN 1.57

351.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.25

$1.15 PEN 3.95

100.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.03

$0.76 PEN 2.61

168.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.63

$0.51 PEN 1.74

252.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.64

$0.90 PEN 3.11

64.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.69

$0.88 PEN 3.04

44.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.1

$5.83 PEN 20.10

-9.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$301

$7.07 PEN 24.37

127.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.06

$1.92 PEN 6.62

3.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.5

$2.60 PEN 8.95

63.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.70

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$369

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.34

$3.42 PEN 11.80

-46.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.97

$1.99 PEN 6.84

-73.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.0

$7.65 PEN 26.37

-30.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.23

$1.71 PEN 5.91

-11.70%

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

$21.8K MX$406.5K

$21.6K PEN 74.5K

0.70%

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

$24.0K MX$448.2K

$28.4K PEN 98.0K

-15.63%

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

$63.0 MX$1,177

$68.2 PEN 235

-7.63%

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

$27.39 MX$512

$15.73 PEN 54.2

74.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$666

$26.89 PEN 92.7

32.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,101

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$442

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$7.33 PEN 25.28

-12.69%

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

$432 MX$8,065

$306 PEN 1,056

40.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$213.5K

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

-12.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,275

$52.3 PEN 180

30.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$993

$35.37 PEN 122

50.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,014

$84.4 PEN 291

27.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,191

$77.8 PEN 268

50.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.4K

$405 PEN 1,396

539.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

$463 PEN 1,597

104.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

8.78

29.27%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cerro de Pasco: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Cerro de Pasco

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Cerro de Pasco

$202 36.8% 36.9% $118

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Cerro de Pasco

$95 17.3% 52.4% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Cerro de Pasco

$112 20.5% 27.9% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Cerro de Pasco

$111 20.2% 12.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Cerro de Pasco

$15 * 2.7% 79.6% $57

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Cerro de Pasco

$13 * 2.4% 47.6% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Mexico City are about 2 times higher, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $30 in Cerro de Pasco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $202 – making Cerro de Pasco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇪 Cerro de Pasco

🕒 Local time

12:06 12:06 PM

13:06 1:06 PM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

58,899

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.261 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.45 PEN (1 PEN = 0.29 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.261 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Cerro de Pasco 4,180 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Cerro de Pasco

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 Cerro de Pasco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 194%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $821 in Cerro de Pasco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City and $30 in Cerro de Pasco. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 58% more in Mexico City, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cerro de Pasco, where all-in costs run around $547, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Cerro de Pasco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $547 in Cerro de Pasco to $1,608 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Cerro de Pasco. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mexico City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.