Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Los Cabos

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Cabos: $1,433 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mexico City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Los Cabos
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Los Cabos Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Los Cabos

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,433

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Los Cabos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,433 in Los Cabos.

Mexico City $1,608
Los Cabos $1,433

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,236 in Los Cabos.

Mexico City $2,549
Los Cabos $2,236

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $3,039 in Los Cabos.

Mexico City $3,490
Los Cabos $3,039

Living in Mexico City is roughly 12% more expensive than in Los Cabos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Los Cabos 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$197

$22.25 MX$413

-52.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$898

$43.10 MX$801

12.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$192

$13.63 MX$253

-24.06%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.5

$5.17 MX$96.1

-28.63%

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

$1.67 MX$30.95

$2.35 MX$43.72

-28.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.50

$1.98 MX$36.76

-35.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.3

$5.07 MX$94.2

-37.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.6

$8.23 MX$153

-35.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.03

$1.56 MX$28.88

10.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.5

$2.79 MX$51.9

8.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.05

$2.27 MX$42.15

-14.54%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.6

$2.37 MX$44.06

21.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$9.29 MX$173

18.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$9.62 MX$179

-3.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$281

$17.21 MX$320

-12.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.6

$4.00 MX$74.3

-23.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.05

$1.69 MX$31.33

14.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.61

$2.88 MX$53.5

-29.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.99

$2.40 MX$44.51

-3.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.79

$2.30 MX$42.64

-11.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.43

$2.54 MX$47.25

-29.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.47

$1.28 MX$23.81

15.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.54

$0.79 MX$14.64

60.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.5

$4.43 MX$82.3

19.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$299

$10.36 MX$192

55.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.83

$1.52 MX$28.28

30.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.0

$3.08 MX$57.3

37.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.67

$1.37 MX$25.45

-77.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$367

$29.56 MX$549

-33.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.13

$2.48 MX$46.13

-25.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.91

$1.97 MX$36.58

-73.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.3

$10.11 MX$188

-47.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.05

$1.34 MX$24.96

12.69%

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

$21.8K MX$404.0K

$23.4K MX$434.7K

-7.07%

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

$24.0K MX$445.4K

$23.3K MX$433.1K

2.85%

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

$63.0 MX$1,170

$56.6 MX$1,050

11.37%

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

$27.39 MX$509

$27.37 MX$508

0.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$662

$23.83 MX$443

49.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,095

$32.66 MX$607

80.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$439

$19.67 MX$365

20.18%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$4.21 MX$78.1

52.02%

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

$432 MX$8,015

$214 MX$3,967

102.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.1K

$4,525 MX$84.0K

152.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,267

$91.5 MX$1,699

-25.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$987

$39.53 MX$734

34.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,002

$123 MX$2,290

-12.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,178

$88.9 MX$1,650

31.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$597 MX$11.1K

86.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$438 MX$8,132

62.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.1K

$1,006 MX$18.7K

157.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.1K

$741 MX$13.8K

89.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.4K

$1,854 MX$34.4K

95.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.6K

$1,114 MX$20.7K

91.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$794 MX$14.7K

19.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.31

0.35%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Los Cabos: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Los Cabos

$438 30.6% 38.4% $273

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Los Cabos

$304 21.2% 4.8% $15

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Los Cabos

$340 23.7% 71.2% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Los Cabos

$154 10.8% 0.9% $1.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Los Cabos

$108 7.5% 14.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Los Cabos

$41 2.9% 42.7% $31

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Los Cabos

$47 3.3% 86.1% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $597 in Los Cabos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 19% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $43 in Los Cabos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $304 per month, with Los Cabos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇽 Los Cabos

🕒 Local time

23:53 11:53 PM

22:53 10:53 PM

1 h behind Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

202,694

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Mexico City Los Cabos 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Los Cabos

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 Los Cabos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Los Cabos is about 11% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 19% higher in Mexico City, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $597 in Los Cabos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Los Cabos – a meal for two runs $43 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $1,433 in Los Cabos – Los Cabos is about 11% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

For families, Los Cabos is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Mexico City, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Los Cabos wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.