Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Fajardo

For one person, living is cheaper in Fajardo: $1,241 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mexico City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Fajardo
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Fajardo Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Fajardo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,241

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,241 in Fajardo.

Mexico City $1,608
Fajardo $1,241

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,954 in Fajardo.

Mexico City $2,549
Fajardo $1,954

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,667 in Fajardo.

Mexico City $3,490
Fajardo $2,667

Living in Mexico City is roughly 30% more expensive than in Fajardo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Fajardo is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$9.80 $9.80

8.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$907

$82.1 $82.1

-41.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$9.44 $9.44

9.64%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.2

$3.66 $3.66

0.82%

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

$1.67 MX$31.25

$1.93 $1.93

-13.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.73

$1.51 $1.51

-15.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$2.97 $2.97

7.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.5

$5.11 $5.11

3.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.34

$2.11 $2.11

-18.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.0

$3.69 $3.69

-17.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.40

$2.45 $2.45

-20.82%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.1

$7.46 $7.46

-61.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$12.35 $12.35

-11.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$9.45 $9.45

-2.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$13.26 $13.26

14.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$5.09 $5.09

-40.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.40

$2.58 $2.58

-24.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.98

$4.75 $4.75

-57.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.40

$4.70 $4.70

-50.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.16

$3.71 $3.71

-45.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.75

$3.91 $3.91

-53.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.74

$3.40 $3.40

-56.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.77

$1.61 $1.61

-21.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$11.33 $11.33

-53.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$15.50 $15.50

3.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.19

$3.09 $3.09

-35.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.7

$4.04 $4.04

5.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.72

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$370

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.45

$2.47 $2.47

-25.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.00

$1.52 $1.52

-65.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.3

$41.58 $41.58

-87.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.32

$1.24 $1.24

21.77%

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

$21.8K MX$407.9K

$34.6K $34.6K

-37.12%

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

$24.0K MX$449.7K

$28.3K $28.3K

-15.23%

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

$63.0 MX$1,181

$316 $316

-80.08%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$70.6 $70.6

-61.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$669

$70.0 $70.0

-49.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,105

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$10.47 $10.47

-38.87%

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

$432 MX$8,092

$835 $835

-48.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.2K

$12.6K $12.6K

-9.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,279

$55.5 $55.5

22.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$996

$61.8 $61.8

-13.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,021

$107 $107

0.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,199

$115 $115

2.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$1,007 $1,007

10.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

6.55

73.28%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Fajardo: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Fajardo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Fajardo

$412 33.2% 28.8% $92

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Fajardo

$189 15.3% 4.6% $9.1

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Fajardo

$152 12.3% 2.2% $3.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Fajardo

$457 36.8% 262% $331

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Fajardo

$21 * 1.7% 70.8% $51

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Fajardo

$10 * 0.8% 60.5% $15

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 $1,113 in Mexico City and $1,007 in Fajardo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $82 in Fajardo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $412 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇷 Fajardo

🕒 Local time

10:09 10:09 AM

12:09 12:09 PM

2 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

11,647

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.75 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.92 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Fajardo 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Fajardo

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 Fajardo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fajardo wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Fajardo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $1,862 in Fajardo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $1,007 in Fajardo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Mexico City pay roughly 22% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $1,241 in Fajardo – Fajardo is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Fajardo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.