Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Lages

For one person, living is cheaper in Lages: $874 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Lages
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Lages Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Lages

🇧🇷 Brazil

$874

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,674 per month in Mexico City vs $874 in Lages, rent included.

Mexico City $1,674
Lages $874

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Mexico City vs $1,405 in Lages, rent included.

Mexico City $2,606
Lages $1,405

A family of three spends $3,537 per month in Mexico City vs $1,936 in Lages, rent included.

Mexico City $3,537
Lages $1,936

Mexico City costs about 92% more than Lages, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 24% above the global median, while Lages is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$7.51 R$41.19

41.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$978

$36.89 R$202

40.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$202

$6.32 R$34.66

69.78%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.4

$2.32 R$12.72

63.79%

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

$1.61 MX$30.35

$1.26 R$6.92

27.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.81

$0.98 R$5.35

23.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.8

$2.17 R$11.91

46.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$2.72 R$14.95

100.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$0.95 R$5.24

81.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.8

$1.62 R$8.89

83.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.24

$1.03 R$5.67

87.38%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.2

$2.36 R$12.96

17.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$220

$9.60 R$52.7

21.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$4.41 R$24.22

114.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$9.31 R$51.1

65.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.4

$2.30 R$12.60

34.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.90

$1.35 R$7.40

45.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.30

$1.28 R$7.01

54.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.95

$1.53 R$8.41

52.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.08

$1.13 R$6.22

78.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.34

$1.06 R$5.80

71.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.06

$0.81 R$4.46

90.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.70

$0.76 R$4.15

72.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$101

$2.38 R$13.09

124.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$305

$7.49 R$41.08

116.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.87

$1.10 R$6.02

78.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.9

$2.08 R$11.39

109.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.74

$1.00 R$5.49

-70.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$367

$42.32 R$232

-53.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.08

$1.18 R$6.46

62.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.90

$0.78 R$4.30

-39.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$7.54 R$41.36

-28.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.92

$1.24 R$6.78

19.35%

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

$21.4K MX$402.2K

$21.8K R$119.7K

-1.99%

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

$23.8K MX$447.1K

$32.0K R$175.6K

-25.77%

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

$62.0 MX$1,167

$70.2 R$385

-11.63%

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

$28.47 MX$536

$11.79 R$64.7

141.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$642

$20.70 R$114

64.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,099

$24.37 R$134

139.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$461

$26.06 R$143

-5.99%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$6.87 R$37.71

-4.08%

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

$434 MX$8,172

$257 R$1,410

69.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$264.1K

$6,584 R$36.1K

113.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,286

$47.40 R$260

44.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,031

$54.3 R$298

0.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,086

$96.8 R$531

14.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,183

$73.6 R$404

57.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.2K

$331 R$1,818

256.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$234 R$1,284

229.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.4K

$630 R$3,457

308.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

$447 R$2,451

217.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.5K

$1,609 R$8,830

122.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

$1,126 R$6,178

83.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.5

-1.30%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Lages: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Lages

$234 26.8% 69.6% $537

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Lages

$193 22.1% 40.4% $131

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Lages

$132 15.1% 34.2% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Lages

$122 14% 22.2% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Lages

$103 11.8% 17.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Lages

$38 4.4% 46.7% $33

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Lages

$51 5.9% 106% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,179 in Mexico City versus $331 in Lages. 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 $52 in Mexico City versus $37 in Lages. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $193 – making Lages the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇷 Lages

🕒 Local time

00:03 12:03 AM

03:03 3:03 AM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

164,981

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 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 = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Lages 7,430 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Lages

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 Lages: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City, $874 in Lages – Lages comes out roughly 48% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,510 per month in Mexico City and $1,310 in Lages. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lages, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $331 there versus $1,179 in Mexico City.

Kindergarten costs $434 per month in Mexico City and $257 in Lages. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 68% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Lages, where all-in costs run around $874, than in Mexico City at $1,674. In Lages it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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