Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Imperatriz

For one person, living is cheaper in Imperatriz: $854 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Imperatriz
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Imperatriz Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Imperatriz

🇧🇷 Brazil

$854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $854 in Imperatriz.

Mexico City $1,674
Imperatriz $854

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,356 in Imperatriz.

Mexico City $2,606
Imperatriz $1,356

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $1,859 in Imperatriz.

Mexico City $3,537
Imperatriz $1,859

Living in Mexico City is roughly 96% more expensive than in Imperatriz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Imperatriz is 37% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$5.59 R$30.67

89.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$32.30 R$177

60.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$7.75 R$42.55

38.45%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.7

$1.85 R$10.13

105.41%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$1.35 R$7.42

19.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$0.45 R$2.46

168.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$2.01 R$11.05

58.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$3.03 R$16.63

79.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$1.14 R$6.27

50.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$1.44 R$7.92

106.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$1.27 R$6.95

51.97%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$2.32 R$12.71

19.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$7.41 R$40.65

57.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$3.52 R$19.33

169.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$8.81 R$48.34

74.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$2.30 R$12.60

34.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$1.21 R$6.66

61.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$0.93 R$5.09

112.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$1.42 R$7.79

64.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$1.11 R$6.12

81.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$1.14 R$6.28

59.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$0.76 R$4.18

102.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$0.72 R$3.98

81.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$1.96 R$10.78

172.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$6.48 R$35.56

149.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$1.08 R$5.90

81.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$1.90 R$10.44

128.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$0.83 R$4.54

-63.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

$43.87 R$241

-55.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$1.23 R$6.75

56.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$0.74 R$4.08

-36.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$7.59 R$41.67

-28.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.14 R$6.26

29.82%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$22.8K R$125.3K

-6.35%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$30.2K R$165.7K

-21.34%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$65.1 R$357

-4.72%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$12.79 R$70.2

122.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$19.61 R$108

73.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$23.65 R$130

146.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

$24.82 R$136

-1.29%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$6.04 R$33.17

9.11%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$266 R$1,460

63.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$5,987 R$32.9K

134.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$45.69 R$251

49.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$46.81 R$257

17.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$88.5 R$486

25.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,159

$68.6 R$376

69.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$288 R$1,583

308.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$268 R$1,468

188.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$612 R$3,358

320.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$505 R$2,771

181.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

$1,613 R$8,855

122.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

$1,168 R$6,412

76.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

3.18%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Imperatriz: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Imperatriz

$268 31.3% 65.3% $503

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Imperatriz

$176 20.6% 45.8% $148

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Imperatriz

$113 13.3% 43.4% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Imperatriz

$112 13.2% 28.7% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Imperatriz

$97 11.4% 21.8% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Imperatriz

$36 4.2% 50.1% $36

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Imperatriz

$52 6.1% 109% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $288 in Imperatriz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $32 in Imperatriz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $176 per month, with Imperatriz cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇷 Imperatriz

🕒 Local time

08:05 8:05 AM

11:05 11:05 AM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

273,110

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Imperatriz 6,300 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Imperatriz

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 Imperatriz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Imperatriz is about 49% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,510 in Mexico City and $1,281 in Imperatriz 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: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $288 in Imperatriz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 84% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Imperatriz – a meal for two runs $32 versus $52 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $854 in Imperatriz versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Imperatriz but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Imperatriz the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.