Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Jacareí

For one person, living is cheaper in Jacareí: $821 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Jacareí
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Jacareí Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Jacareí

🇧🇷 Brazil

$821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $821 in Jacareí.

Mexico City $1,674
Jacareí $821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,326 in Jacareí.

Mexico City $2,606
Jacareí $1,326

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $1,832 in Jacareí.

Mexico City $3,537
Jacareí $1,832

Living in Mexico City is roughly 104% more expensive than in Jacareí, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Jacareí is 39% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$6.54 R$35.73

61.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$30.31 R$166

71.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$6.60 R$36.01

62.58%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.6

$2.11 R$11.53

80.09%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$1.46 R$7.97

10.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$0.91 R$4.97

32.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$2.46 R$13.43

29.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$2.87 R$15.68

89.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$1.12 R$6.14

53.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$1.72 R$9.38

72.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$1.08 R$5.91

78.70%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$2.35 R$12.86

17.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$8.18 R$44.66

42.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$4.11 R$22.42

130.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$9.45 R$51.6

62.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$2.33 R$12.75

33.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$1.75 R$9.56

12.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$1.73 R$9.47

14.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$1.66 R$9.06

40.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$1.25 R$6.80

61.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$1.22 R$6.65

49.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$0.91 R$4.97

69.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$0.73 R$4.00

79.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$2.27 R$12.40

135.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$7.46 R$40.71

117.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$1.62 R$8.83

20.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$2.74 R$14.94

58.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$0.97 R$5.31

-69.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

$41.91 R$229

-53.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$1.24 R$6.79

54.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$1.28 R$7.01

-63.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$8.84 R$48.30

-38.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.22 R$6.64

21.31%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$22.5K R$123.0K

-5.13%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$31.2K R$170.2K

-23.77%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$40.18 R$219

54.28%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$11.33 R$61.9

151.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$20.60 R$112

65.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$23.77 R$130

145.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

$25.53 R$139

-4.03%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$7.25 R$39.60

-9.10%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$259 R$1,415

67.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$7,158 R$39.1K

96.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$50.5 R$276

35.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$34.25 R$187

60.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$91.2 R$498

21.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,158

$56.3 R$308

105.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$333 R$1,818

254.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$227 R$1,242

238.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$637 R$3,476

303.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$445 R$2,429

219.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

$1,604 R$8,760

123.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

$1,153 R$6,297

78.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.12

2.07%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Jacareí: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Jacareí

$227 27.7% 70.5% $543

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Jacareí

$200 24.4% 38.2% $124

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Jacareí

$125 15.2% 37.7% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Jacareí

$105 12.7% 33.6% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Jacareí

$72 8.8% 42.1% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Jacareí

$38 4.7% 46.5% $33

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Jacareí

$53 6.5% 114% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $333 in Jacareí. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $30 in Jacareí for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $200 per month, with Jacareí cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇷 Jacareí

🕒 Local time

14:15 2:15 PM

17:15 5:15 PM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

240,275

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.11 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Jacareí 7,470 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Jacareí

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 Jacareí: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jacareí wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Jacareí the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,510 in Mexico City and $1,231 in Jacareí 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 $333 in Jacareí. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $259 in Jacareí. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 62% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Jacareí 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.