Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Chapeco

For one person, living is cheaper in Chapeco: $980 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Chapeco
Learn more

Chapeco Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Chapeco

🇧🇷 Brazil

$980

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $980 in Chapeco.

Mexico City $1,548
Chapeco $980

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $1,454 in Chapeco.

Mexico City $2,436
Chapeco $1,454

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $1,927 in Chapeco.

Mexico City $3,323
Chapeco $1,927

Living in Mexico City is roughly 58% more expensive than in Chapeco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Chapeco is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$5.53 R$28.05

99.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$35.46 R$180

37.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$8.92 R$45.20

22.20%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$1.92 R$9.76

91.67%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$0.75 R$3.80

117.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.59 R$2.98

111.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$1.45 R$7.33

124.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$2.31 R$11.73

139.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$0.90 R$4.56

88.89%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.14 R$5.78

164.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$2.14 R$10.85

-10.28%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$1.86 R$9.44

46.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$8.24 R$41.75

42.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$7.53 R$38.20

26.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$10.95 R$55.5

31.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.34 R$11.88

29.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$0.99 R$5.02

90.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$0.53 R$2.68

275.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$0.70 R$3.54

212.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$0.53 R$2.70

262.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$0.53 R$2.70

252.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.95 R$4.83

51.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.70 R$3.53

81.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$2.32 R$11.75

125.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$9.31 R$47.19

73.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$0.88 R$4.48

115.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$1.48 R$7.49

185.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$0.97 R$4.94

-64.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$36.44 R$185

-46.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$1.28 R$6.50

56.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.17 R$5.93

29.91%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$22.9K R$116.0K

-3.49%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$30.5K R$154.6K

-19.65%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$172 R$873

-64.52%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$10.47 R$53.1

172.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$18.84 R$95.5

82.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$26.24 R$133

114.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$33.45 R$170

-25.62%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$6.68 R$33.86

-0.30%

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

$427 MX$7,891

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$26.98 R$137

151.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$18.26 R$92.6

184.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$36.87 R$187

187.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$53.6 R$272

110.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$415 R$2,103

147.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$329 R$1,668

98.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$851 R$4,313

171.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$536 R$2,718

131.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$1,509 R$7,649

139.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$987 R$5,005

96.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$414 R$2,097

133.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chapeco: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Chapeco

$329 33.6% 49.7% $325

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Chapeco

$196 20% 38.5% $122

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Chapeco

$111 11.4% 45.4% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Chapeco

$61 6.2% 59.9% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Chapeco

$201 20.6% 62.3% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Chapeco

$40 4% 43.2% $30

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Chapeco

$42 * 4.3% 62.4% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $415 in Chapeco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 133% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $35.00 in Chapeco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $196 per month, with Chapeco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇷 Chapeco

🕒 Local time

19:23 7:23 PM

22:23 10:23 PM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

243,477

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Chapeco 7,200 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Chapeco

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 Chapeco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chapeco wins on cost – living expenses run 58% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chapeco the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 133% higher in Mexico City, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $415 in Chapeco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 63% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,548 per month in Mexico City versus $980 in Chapeco – a 58% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $980 in Chapeco versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chapeco but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Chapeco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Chapeco delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $980 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chapeco hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Chapeco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.