Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Los Gatos, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,674 a month against $4,787 in Los Gatos, CA, rent and utilities included – about $37,400 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
232

Cost of Living Index in Los Gatos, CA
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Los Gatos, CA Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Los Gatos, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,787

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Los Gatos, CA

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

A single person spends $1,674 per month in Mexico City vs $4,787 in Los Gatos, CA, rent included.

Mexico City $1,674
Los Gatos, CA $4,787

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Mexico City vs $7,200 in Los Gatos, CA, rent included.

Mexico City $2,606
Los Gatos, CA $7,200

A family of three spends $3,537 per month in Mexico City vs $9,613 in Los Gatos, CA, rent included.

Mexico City $3,537
Los Gatos, CA $9,613

Mexico City is about 65% cheaper than Los Gatos, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mexico City and Los Gatos, CA sit above the global median – Mexico City by 24%, Los Gatos, CA by 254%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$25.47 $25.47

-58.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$98.0 $98.0

-47.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$15.24 $15.24

-29.59%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.7

$6.51 $6.51

-41.63%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$2.92 $2.92

-44.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$2.57 $2.57

-52.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$7.90 $7.90

-59.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$8.05 $8.05

-32.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$1.28 $1.28

34.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$4.20 $4.20

-29.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$4.77 $4.77

-59.54%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$6.62 $6.62

-58.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$24.66 $24.66

-52.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$11.61 $11.61

-18.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$13.16 $13.16

16.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$5.35 $5.35

-42.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$3.17 $3.17

-38.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$4.91 $4.91

-59.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$5.93 $5.93

-60.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$3.29 $3.29

-38.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$3.97 $3.97

-54.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$3.05 $3.05

-49.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$2.63 $2.63

-50.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$11.98 $11.98

-55.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$13.10 $13.10

23.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$2.13 $2.13

-7.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$2.47 $2.47

76.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$4.11 $4.11

-53.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$1.83 $1.83

-74.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$35.36 $35.36

-84.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.57 $1.57

-5.73%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$27.9K $27.9K

-23.52%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$26.8K $26.8K

-11.47%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$371 $371

-83.27%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$58.7 $58.7

-51.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$64.3 $64.3

-46.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$145 $145

-59.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$16.95 $16.95

-61.12%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$2,150 $2,150

-79.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$20.3K $20.3K

-30.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$51.3 $51.3

33.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$39.25 $39.25

39.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$75.2 $75.2

47.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,159

$60.2 $60.2

92.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$3,504 $3,504

-66.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$3,124 $3,124

-75.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$6,054 $6,054

-76.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

$3,481 $3,481

3.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

6.69

69.66%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Los Gatos, CA: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Los Gatos, CA

$3.1K 65.3% 305% $2.4K

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Los Gatos, CA

$470 9.8% 45.3% $147

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Los Gatos, CA

$405 8.5% 102% $205

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Los Gatos, CA

$102 2.1% 35.4% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Los Gatos, CA

$493 10.3% 296% $369

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Los Gatos, CA

$179 3.7% 150% $108

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Los Gatos, CA

$13 * 0.3% 47% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,179 in Mexico City versus $3,504 in Los Gatos, CA. 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 $98 in Los Gatos, CA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $470 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇸 Los Gatos, CA

🕒 Local time

13:51 1:51 PM

11:51 11:51 AM

2 h behind Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

30,222

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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 = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Los Gatos, CA 2,970 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Los Gatos, CA

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 Gatos, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Los Gatos, CA costs about 186% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,510 per month in Mexico City and $7,181 in Los Gatos, CA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mexico City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,179 there versus $3,504 in Los Gatos, CA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Mexico City and $98 in Los Gatos, CA. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 45% more in Los Gatos, CA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,674, than in Los Gatos, CA at $4,787. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Los Gatos, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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