Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Desamparados

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,697 in Desamparados, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Desamparados despite lower rent and utilities.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Desamparados
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Desamparados Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Desamparados

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,697

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $1,697 in Desamparados, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Desamparados $1,697

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $2,731 in Desamparados, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Desamparados $2,731

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $3,765 in Desamparados, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Desamparados $3,765

Mexico City is about 5% cheaper than Desamparados, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mexico City and Desamparados sit above the global median – Mexico City by 18%, Desamparados by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$12.16 ₡5,489

-12.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$53.7 ₡24.3K

-10.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$11.05 ₡4,990

-6.33%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$3.79 ₡1,710

-2.64%

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

$1.67 MX$31.05

$2.79 ₡1,259

-40.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.58

$1.70 ₡768

-25.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$2.81 ₡1,269

13.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$3.92 ₡1,771

35.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$2.22 ₡1,003

-22.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$2.81 ₡1,270

8.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$2.44 ₡1,101

-20.49%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$3.60 ₡1,624

-19.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$10.27 ₡4,636

6.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$9.98 ₡4,505

-7.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$13.22 ₡5,969

14.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$5.05 ₡2,280

-39.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.56 ₡703

24.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.73

$3.52 ₡1,590

-42.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.12

$3.09 ₡1,395

-25.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.91

$2.82 ₡1,274

-27.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.53

$2.89 ₡1,304

-37.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.56

$1.13 ₡508

30.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.62

$2.64 ₡1,190

-51.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.8

$5.78 ₡2,611

-8.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$18.33 ₡8,273

-12.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.95

$2.56 ₡1,156

-22.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$2.99 ₡1,352

42.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

$1.29 ₡583

-75.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$2.18 ₡986

-15.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$1.82 ₡822

-70.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$8.93 ₡4,033

-40.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.14

$1.52 ₡686

-0.66%

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

$21.8K MX$405.3K

$33.6K ₡15.2M

-35.29%

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

$24.0K MX$446.9K

$36.6K ₡16.5M

-34.38%

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

$63.0 MX$1,173

$83.8 ₡37.8K

-24.85%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$26.77 ₡12.1K

2.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$66.8 ₡30.2K

-46.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

$63.1 ₡28.5K

-6.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$7.25 ₡3,273

-11.72%

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

$432 MX$8,041

$846 ₡382.0K

-48.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.8K

$17.2K ₡7.8M

-33.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,271

$76.4 ₡34.5K

-10.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$58.1 ₡26.2K

-8.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,008

$121 ₡54.6K

-10.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,185

$141 ₡63.5K

-16.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$824 ₡372.0K

35.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$667 ₡301.1K

6.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$1,711 ₡772.6K

51.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$1,449 ₡654.1K

-2.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

8.62

31.67%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Desamparados: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Desamparados

$667 39.3% 6.1% $43

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Desamparados

$365 21.5% 14.2% $45

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Desamparados

$216 12.7% 8.6% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Desamparados

$178 10.5% 14.4% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Desamparados

$177 10.5% 40.7% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Desamparados

$78 4.6% 8.2% $5.9

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Desamparados

$16 * 1% 35.4% $9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $824 in Desamparados. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $54 in Desamparados. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $365 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇷 Desamparados

🕒 Local time

04:23 4:23 AM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

38,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Desamparados 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Desamparados

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 Desamparados: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City, $1,697 in Desamparados – Mexico City comes out roughly 5% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $2,546 in Desamparados. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Desamparados, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $824 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City and $54 in Desamparados. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Desamparados, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,697 in Desamparados, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,608 in Mexico City to $1,697 in Desamparados. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.