Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and the Galapagos Islands

For one person, living is cheaper in the Galapagos Islands: $884 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in the Galapagos Islands
Learn more

Galapagos Islands Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Galapagos Islands

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$884

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in the Galapagos Islands

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 the Galapagos Islands actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $884 in the Galapagos Islands, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Galapagos Islands $884

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,336 in the Galapagos Islands, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Galapagos Islands $1,336

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $1,789 in the Galapagos Islands, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Galapagos Islands $1,789

Mexico City costs about 82% more than the Galapagos Islands, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Galapagos Islands is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$3.54 $3.54

200.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$27.52 $27.52

75.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$7.27 $7.27

42.37%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$2.50 $2.50

47.60%

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

$1.67 MX$31.05

$0.85 $0.85

96.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.58

$0.66 $0.66

92.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$2.04 $2.04

56.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$3.54 $3.54

50.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$1.09 $1.09

57.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$1.62 $1.62

87.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.57 $1.57

23.57%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$2.17 $2.17

33.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$5.42 $5.42

102.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$5.55 $5.55

66.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$6.21 $6.21

143.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.02 $2.02

50.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.16 $1.16

67.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.73

$1.08 $1.08

87.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.12

$1.07 $1.07

115.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.91

$1.45 $1.45

40.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.53

$1.03 $1.03

74.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.56

$0.51 $0.51

190.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.62

$0.99 $0.99

28.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.8

$5.86 $5.86

-9.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$9.92 $9.92

62.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.95

$1.51 $1.51

31.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$2.53 $2.53

67.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

$0.37 $0.37

-16.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$24.14 $24.14

-18.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$1.48 $1.48

24.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$1.01 $1.01

-47.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$9.92 $9.92

-46.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.14

$0.66 $0.66

128.79%

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

$21.8K MX$405.3K

$25.3K $25.3K

-13.98%

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

$24.0K MX$446.9K

$28.4K $28.4K

-15.51%

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

$63.0 MX$1,173

$39.48 $39.48

59.52%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$13.57 $13.57

101.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$31.19 $31.19

14.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

$29.46 $29.46

100.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$14.80 $14.80

59.73%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$7.18 $7.18

-10.86%

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

$432 MX$8,041

$253 $253

70.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.8K

$5,750 $5,750

98.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,271

$55.7 $55.7

22.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$43.02 $43.02

23.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,008

$98.0 $98.0

9.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,185

$75.9 $75.9

54.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$340 $340

227.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$314 $314

126.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$633 $633

309.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$499 $499

181.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

$1,218 $1,218

198.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$998 $998

114.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

13.50%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for the Galapagos Islands: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Galapagos Islands

$314 35.5% 55.9% $397

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Galapagos Islands

$184 20.9% 42.3% $135

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Galapagos Islands

$103 11.7% 48% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Galapagos Islands

$123 13.9% 21.3% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Galapagos Islands

$84 9.5% 33.2% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Galapagos Islands

$44 5% 38.9% $28

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Galapagos Islands

$32 3.6% 26.3% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $340 in the Galapagos Islands. 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 $28 in the Galapagos Islands. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $184 – making Galapagos Islands the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇪🇨 Galapagos Islands

🕒 Local time

00:29 12:29 AM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

32,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 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 = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Mexico City Galapagos Islands 2,440 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Galapagos Islands

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 Galapagos Islands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City, $884 in the Galapagos Islands – Galapagos Islands comes out roughly 45% 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 $1,326 in the Galapagos Islands. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in the Galapagos Islands, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $340 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Groceries cost about 73% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City and $28 in the Galapagos Islands. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in the Galapagos Islands, where all-in costs run around $884, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Galapagos Islands it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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