Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Maceio - Alagoas

For one person, living is cheaper in Maceio - Alagoas: $790 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mexico City, Mexico
Maceio - Alagoas, Brazil
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
Maceio - Alagoas
🇧🇷 Brazil
$790
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Maceio - Alagoas

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 Maceio - Alagoas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $790 in Maceio - Alagoas.

  • Mexico City $1,608
  • Maceio - Alagoas $790

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,239 in Maceio - Alagoas.

  • Mexico City $2,549
  • Maceio - Alagoas $1,239

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,689 in Maceio - Alagoas.

  • Mexico City $3,490
  • Maceio - Alagoas $1,689

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Maceio - Alagoas is 42% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Maceio - Alagoas
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.62 MX$200
$5.70 R$30.65
86.32%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.35 MX$909
$27.39 R$147
76.52%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.35 MX$194
$5.43 R$29.20
90.61%
Cappuccino
$3.69 MX$69.4
$1.67 R$8.96
120.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 MX$31.32
$1.03 R$5.56
62.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.78
$0.48 R$2.61
164.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.19 MX$60.0
$1.50 R$8.10
112.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.31 MX$99.7
$3.89 R$20.94
36.50%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Maceio - Alagoas
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 MX$32.41
$1.01 R$5.45
70.30%
White Bread (500g)
$3.04 MX$57.1
$1.86 R$10.03
63.44%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.48
$0.99 R$5.35
95.96%
Eggs
$2.89 MX$54.3
$1.81 R$9.77
59.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.97 MX$206
$8.63 R$46.42
27.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.25 MX$174
$4.19 R$22.55
120.76%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.13 MX$284
$6.96 R$37.47
117.39%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 MX$57.3
$2.66 R$14.30
14.66%
Banana (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.48
$1.06 R$5.68
83.02%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$38.06
$1.27 R$6.84
59.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 MX$43.50
$1.29 R$6.92
79.07%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 MX$38.25
$1.37 R$7.35
48.91%
Onion (1kg)
$1.80 MX$33.83
$1.18 R$6.37
52.54%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 MX$27.80
$0.51 R$2.75
190.20%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.82
$0.71 R$3.83
78.87%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.30 MX$99.7
$1.93 R$10.41
174.61%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.10 MX$303
$6.66 R$35.85
141.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 MX$37.27
$1.43 R$7.68
38.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 MX$79.9
$1.34 R$7.23
217.16%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Maceio - Alagoas
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 MX$5.73
$0.73 R$3.92
-57.53%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.73 MX$371
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.84 MX$34.53
$0.38 R$2.06
384.21%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 MX$10.03
$0.39 R$2.07
35.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.30 MX$99.5
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.51 MX$28.39
$1.13 R$6.06
33.63%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K MX$408.8K
$20.5K R$110.3K
6.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$450.8K
$29.5K R$158.6K
-18.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Maceio - Alagoas
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$63.0 MX$1,184
$75.0 R$403
-15.99%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.39 MX$515
$15.20 R$81.8
80.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.67 MX$670
$16.66 R$89.6
114.11%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Maceio - Alagoas
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.9 MX$1,108
$22.39 R$120
163.24%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.64 MX$444
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.40 MX$120
$5.74 R$30.87
11.50%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Maceio - Alagoas
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$432 MX$8,111
$204 R$1,100
111.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.4K MX$214.7K
$6,698 R$36.0K
70.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Maceio - Alagoas
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.2 MX$1,282
$50.7 R$273
34.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.1 MX$999
$72.2 R$389
-26.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 MX$2,026
$89.0 R$479
21.07%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 MX$2,204
$73.8 R$397
58.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Maceio - Alagoas
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,113 MX$20.9K
$272 R$1,461
310.11%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$710 MX$13.4K
$233 R$1,253
205.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,588 MX$48.6K
$459 R$2,472
463.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,406 MX$26.4K
$447 R$2,404
214.74%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,631 MX$68.2K
$1,407 R$7,573
158.03%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,135 MX$40.1K
$659 R$3,546
224.00%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Maceio - Alagoas
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$946 MX$17.8K
$552 R$2,973
71.26%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.35
10.17
11.60%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Maceio - Alagoas: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$710
Maceio - Alagoas
$233 67.2% $478
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$320
Maceio - Alagoas
$179 44% $140
Eating Out
Mexico City
$199
Maceio - Alagoas
$103 48% $95
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$156
Maceio - Alagoas
$129 17.5% $27
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$126
Maceio - Alagoas
$107 15.2% $19
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$72
Maceio - Alagoas
$34 52.8% $38
Getting Around
Mexico City
$25
Maceio - Alagoas
$5.2 * 79.5% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $272 in Maceio - Alagoas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 71% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $27 in Maceio - Alagoas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $179 per month, with Maceio - Alagoas cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇧🇷 Maceio - Alagoas
🕒 Local time
20:55 8:55 PM
23:55 11:55 PM
3 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
1,031,597
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.01 BRL (1 BRL = 0.166 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Maceio - Alagoas 7,660 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Maceio - Alagoas

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 Maceio - Alagoas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Maceio - Alagoas cheaper than Mexico City?
Maceio - Alagoas is about 51% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Mexico City or Maceio - Alagoas?
Average pay runs 71% 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.
What is the rent difference between Mexico City and Maceio - Alagoas?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $272 in Maceio - Alagoas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Mexico City and in Maceio - Alagoas?
Supermarket bills run roughly 78% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
What are total monthly expenses in Mexico City and in Maceio - Alagoas?
All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $790 in Maceio - Alagoas – Maceio - Alagoas is about 51% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Mexico City or in Maceio - Alagoas?
At $790 in Maceio - Alagoas versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Maceio - Alagoas but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Maceio - Alagoas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Mexico City or in Maceio - Alagoas?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
It comes down to priorities – Maceio - Alagoas wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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