Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Contagem

For one person, living is cheaper in Contagem: $724 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Contagem
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Contagem Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Contagem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$724

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,674 per month in Mexico City vs $724 in Contagem, rent included.

Mexico City $1,674
Contagem $724

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Mexico City vs $1,164 in Contagem, rent included.

Mexico City $2,606
Contagem $1,164

A family of three spends $3,537 per month in Mexico City vs $1,605 in Contagem, rent included.

Mexico City $3,537
Contagem $1,605

Mexico City costs about 131% more than Contagem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 24% above the global median, while Contagem is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$5.54 R$30.39

91.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$978

$27.69 R$152

87.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$202

$6.65 R$36.51

61.35%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.4

$1.63 R$8.94

133.13%

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

$1.61 MX$30.35

$1.28 R$7.00

25.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.81

$0.58 R$3.16

108.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.8

$1.22 R$6.68

160.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$2.28 R$12.51

138.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$0.88 R$4.80

95.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.8

$1.61 R$8.85

84.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.24

$1.28 R$7.02

50.78%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.2

$1.87 R$10.28

48.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$220

$8.96 R$49.16

30.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$3.14 R$17.25

201.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$7.17 R$39.36

114.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.4

$1.82 R$9.98

70.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.90

$1.15 R$6.29

70.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.30

$0.90 R$4.92

120.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.95

$1.51 R$8.30

54.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.08

$1.04 R$5.71

94.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.34

$0.99 R$5.42

83.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.06

$0.74 R$4.07

108.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.70

$0.72 R$3.93

81.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$101

$1.48 R$8.13

261.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$305

$5.47 R$30.05

195.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.87

$0.90 R$4.94

117.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.9

$1.32 R$7.27

229.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.74

$1.38 R$7.59

-78.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$367

$72.7 R$399

-73.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.08

$1.04 R$5.70

84.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.90

$0.82 R$4.48

-42.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$5.82 R$31.92

-7.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.92

$1.16 R$6.37

27.59%

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

$21.4K MX$402.2K

$21.8K R$119.7K

-1.98%

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

$23.8K MX$447.1K

$29.5K R$162.2K

-19.60%

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

$62.0 MX$1,167

$70.5 R$387

-12.10%

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

$28.47 MX$536

$9.22 R$50.6

208.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$642

$17.33 R$95.1

96.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,099

$24.57 R$135

137.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$461

$22.42 R$123

9.28%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$6.80 R$37.31

-3.09%

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

$434 MX$8,172

$136 R$744

220.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$264.1K

$2,460 R$13.5K

470.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,286

$55.4 R$304

23.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,031

$44.74 R$246

22.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,086

$62.5 R$343

77.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,183

$44.16 R$242

162.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.2K

$208 R$1,139

468.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$147 R$804

426.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.4K

$433 R$2,375

493.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

$305 R$1,673

365.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.5K

$1,863 R$10.2K

92.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

$922 R$5,059

123.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.9K

$237 R$1,300

323.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

10.67

6.37%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Contagem: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Contagem

$147 20.3% 81% $624

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Contagem

$163 22.6% 49.5% $160

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Contagem

$102 14.1% 49.2% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Contagem

$93 12.9% 40.9% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Contagem

$97 13.4% 22.1% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Contagem

$38 5.3% 46.7% $33

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Contagem

$83 11.5% 234% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,179 in Mexico City versus $208 in Contagem. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Mexico City are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Mexico City versus $28 in Contagem. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $163 – making Contagem the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇷 Contagem

🕒 Local time

00:42 12:42 AM

03:42 3:42 AM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

621,863

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Mexico City Contagem 7,420 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Contagem

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 Contagem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 131%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,510 per month in Mexico City and $1,085 in Contagem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Contagem, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $208 there versus $1,179 in Mexico City.

Public transport costs about 73% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $434 per month in Mexico City and $136 in Contagem. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Contagem, where all-in costs run around $724, than in Mexico City at $1,674. In Contagem it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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