Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Guarda

For one person, living is cheaper in Guarda: $1,271 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Guarda
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Guarda Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Guarda

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,271

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $1,271 in Guarda, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Guarda $1,271

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,978 in Guarda, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Guarda $1,978

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $2,684 in Guarda, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Guarda $2,684

Mexico City costs about 27% more than Guarda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Guarda is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$13.05 €11.70

-18.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$44.16 €39.57

9.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$11.33 €10.15

-8.65%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$1.65 €1.48

123.64%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$1.92 €1.72

-13.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$1.70 €1.52

-25.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$2.30 €2.06

38.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$3.87 €3.47

37.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.02 €0.92

68.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.61 €1.44

88.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.53 €1.37

26.80%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$3.66 €3.28

-21.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$11.06 €9.91

-0.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$11.73 €10.51

-21.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$23.89 €21.41

-36.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$2.36 €2.11

29.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.69 €1.51

14.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$2.13 €1.91

-4.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$2.36 €2.11

-2.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$2.31 €2.07

-11.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$2.30 €2.06

-21.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$0.98 €0.88

51.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$1.11 €0.99

14.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$6.91 €6.19

-23.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$5.09 €4.56

216.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$1.66 €1.48

19.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$2.45 €2.19

73.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$1.70 €1.53

-81.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$5.01 €4.49

-63.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$16.78 €15.04

-68.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$2.20 €1.97

-31.36%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$32.7K €29.3K

-33.54%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$38.1K €34.2K

-37.09%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$188 €169

-66.59%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$16.66 €14.93

64.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$51.2 €45.91

-30.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$56.8 €50.9

3.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$6.90 €6.18

-7.25%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$428 €384

0.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$13.5K €12.1K

-15.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$34.06 €30.52

100.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$21.99 €19.70

141.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$132 €118

-18.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$165 €148

-28.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$395 €354

181.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$276 €248

157.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$723 €648

257.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$552 €495

154.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$1,366 €1,224

165.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

3.27

247.09%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Guarda: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Guarda

$276 21.8% 61.1% $434

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Guarda

$305 24% 4.6% $15

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Guarda

$192 15.1% 3.4% $6.7

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Guarda

$159 12.5% 1.8% $2.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Guarda

$256 20.2% 103% $130

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Guarda

$71 5.6% 1.6% $1.1

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Guarda

$12 * 0.9% 53.6% $14

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 $395 in Guarda. 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 $44 in Guarda. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $305 – making Guarda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇹 Guarda

🕒 Local time

21:59 9:59 PM

03:59 3:59 AM

6 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

40,126

💱 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 Guarda 8,770 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Guarda

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 Guarda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City costs about 27% more than Guarda, 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 $1,906 in Guarda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guarda, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $395 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,271 in Guarda. That makes Guarda about 21% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $432 per month in Mexico City and $428 in Guarda. 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 $1,271 in Guarda. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,271 in Guarda to $1,608 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.