Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Guarulhos

For one person, living is cheaper in Guarulhos: $964 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Guarulhos
Learn more

Guarulhos Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Guarulhos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$964

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,548 per month in Mexico City vs $964 in Guarulhos, rent included.

Mexico City $1,548
Guarulhos $964

A couple spends around $2,436 per month in Mexico City vs $1,764 in Guarulhos, rent included.

Mexico City $2,436
Guarulhos $1,764

A family of three spends $3,323 per month in Mexico City vs $2,565 in Guarulhos, rent included.

Mexico City $3,323
Guarulhos $2,565

Mexico City costs about 61% more than Guarulhos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 14% above the global median, while Guarulhos is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$8.69 R$44.06

26.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$40.01 R$203

21.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$9.00 R$45.61

21.11%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.46 R$12.50

49.59%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.35 R$6.82

20.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.86 R$4.37

45.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$2.44 R$12.39

33.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$3.88 R$19.65

42.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.05 R$5.32

61.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.88 R$9.52

60.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.33 R$6.76

44.36%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.46 R$12.47

10.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$12.61 R$63.9

-6.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$4.79 R$24.27

98.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$10.70 R$54.3

34.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.38 R$12.07

26.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.72 R$8.71

9.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$1.53 R$7.74

30.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.53 R$7.76

43.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.26 R$6.40

52.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.18 R$6.00

58.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.98 R$4.97

46.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.85 R$4.32

49.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$2.49 R$12.65

109.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$9.88 R$50.1

63.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.50 R$7.62

26.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.49 R$12.64

69.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$1.24 R$6.30

-72.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$105 R$532

-81.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$1.17 R$5.94

70.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$0.72 R$3.64

-27.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$8.49 R$43.03

-37.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.28 R$6.50

18.75%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$23.6K R$119.5K

-6.39%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$34.2K R$173.5K

-28.37%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$91.6 R$465

-33.36%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$14.98 R$75.9

90.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$22.33 R$113

54.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$28.22 R$143

99.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$10.05 R$50.9

-33.73%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$429 R$2,173

-0.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$11.0K R$56.0K

5.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$65.1 R$330

4.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$57.1 R$289

-8.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$92.2 R$467

15.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$79.5 R$403

41.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$349 R$1,770

193.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$158 R$801

314.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$995 R$5,042

132.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$768 R$3,895

61.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$1,944 R$9,855

85.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$1,480 R$7,502

30.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$378 R$1,914

155.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

11.25

0.44%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Guarulhos: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Guarulhos

$158 16.4% 75.9% $496

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Guarulhos

$227 23.5% 28.7% $91

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Guarulhos

$155 16.1% 24% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Guarulhos

$132 13.7% 13.2% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Guarulhos

$129 13.4% 3.9% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Guarulhos

$48 5% 30.7% $21

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Guarulhos

$115 11.9% 347% $89

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,025 in Mexico City versus $349 in Guarulhos. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 155% higher in Mexico City, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Mexico City versus $40.00 in Guarulhos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $318 vs $227 – making Guarulhos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇷 Guarulhos

🕒 Local time

10:12 10:12 AM

13:12 1:12 PM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,291,771

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Guarulhos 7,440 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Guarulhos

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 Guarulhos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City costs about 61% more than Guarulhos, 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 $2,322 per month in Mexico City and $1,446 in Guarulhos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guarulhos, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Mexico City and $40.00 in Guarulhos. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,548 in Mexico City and $964 in Guarulhos. That's a gap of about 61%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Guarulhos, where all-in costs run around $964, than in Mexico City at $1,548. In Guarulhos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Guarulhos costs $964 versus $1,548 in Mexico City. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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