Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Chaves

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaves: $1,050 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Chaves
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Chaves Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Chaves

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,050

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $1,050 in Chaves, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Chaves $1,050

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,604 in Chaves, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Chaves $1,604

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $2,159 in Chaves, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Chaves $2,159

Mexico City costs about 53% more than Chaves, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Chaves is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$7.85 €7.04

35.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$22.39 €20.06

115.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$7.81 €6.99

32.52%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$1.57 €1.41

135.03%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$1.45 €1.30

15.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$0.58 €0.52

118.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$2.20 €1.97

45.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$2.69 €2.41

97.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.00 €0.90

72.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.10 €0.98

176.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.13 €1.01

71.68%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$3.05 €2.74

-5.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$6.17 €5.53

77.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$6.37 €5.71

45.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$10.54 €9.44

43.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$1.09 €0.98

179.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.09 €0.98

77.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$1.10 €0.98

84.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$1.11 €0.99

108.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$2.03 €1.82

0.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$1.09 €0.98

65.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$1.38 €1.23

7.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.86 €0.77

47.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$5.95 €5.33

-10.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$3.82 €3.42

321.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$1.13 €1.01

75.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$1.09 €0.98

289.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.87 €0.78

-64.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$28.11 €25.19

-29.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$3.81 €3.41

-51.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$0.64 €0.57

-17.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$19.59 €17.55

-72.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$2.02 €1.81

-25.25%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$33.8K €30.3K

-35.66%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$37.9K €33.9K

-36.65%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$135 €121

-53.19%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$17.73 €15.89

54.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$30.95 €27.73

15.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$24.86 €22.27

137.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$5.52 €4.94

328.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$7.07 €6.34

-9.48%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$220 €197

96.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$3,547 €3,178

222.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$71.1 €63.7

-4.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$22.77 €20.40

133.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$62.4 €55.9

72.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$89.9 €80.5

30.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$478 €428

133.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$368 €330

93.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$937 €840

176.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$752 €674

86.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$1,876 €1,681

93.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$1,438 €1,288

48.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$994 €890

-4.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

278.33%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chaves: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Chaves

$368 35% 48.2% $343

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Chaves

$181 17.3% 43.3% $138

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Chaves

$130 12.3% 34.7% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Chaves

$111 10.6% 29% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Chaves

$183 17.5% 45.4% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Chaves

$39 3.7% 45.6% $33

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Chaves

$39 3.7% 51.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $478 in Chaves. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 5% higher in Chaves, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $22 in Chaves. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $181 – making Chaves the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇹 Chaves

🕒 Local time

22:47 10:47 PM

04:47 4:47 AM

6 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

37,592

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 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 Chaves 8,720 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Chaves

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 Chaves: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City costs about 53% more than Chaves, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $1,575 in Chaves. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chaves, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $478 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Public transport costs about 30% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $432 per month in Mexico City and $220 in Chaves. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,050 in Chaves. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chaves – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.