Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Mindelo

For one person, living is cheaper in Mindelo: $387 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Mindelo

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$387

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $387 in Mindelo.

Mexico City $1,608
Mindelo $387

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $897 in Mindelo.

Mexico City $2,549
Mindelo $897

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,406 in Mindelo.

Mexico City $3,490
Mindelo $1,406

Living in Mexico City is roughly 315% more expensive than in Mindelo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Mindelo is 72% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$8.83 CVE 869

20.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$906

$56.9 CVE 5,601

-14.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.2

$1.11 CVE 109

232.43%

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

$1.67 MX$31.23

$1.26 CVE 124

32.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.71

$1.03 CVE 102

23.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.8

$2.73 CVE 269

16.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.5

$1.49 CVE 147

256.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.44 CVE 142

19.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.0

$1.10 CVE 108

176.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$0.79 CVE 78.2

145.57%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.1

$2.52 CVE 248

14.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$15.86 CVE 1,563

-30.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$17.60 CVE 1,734

-14.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.1

$2.23 CVE 220

36.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$1.95 CVE 192

-0.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.95

$2.92 CVE 288

-30.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.38

$2.99 CVE 294

-22.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.14

$0.77 CVE 75.9

164.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.73

$1.64 CVE 161

9.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.72

$1.04 CVE 102

42.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.75

$0.71 CVE 69.9

78.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$5.04 CVE 496

5.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$8.10 CVE 798

98.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.16

$1.89 CVE 187

4.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.7

$2.05 CVE 202

107.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.72

$0.41 CVE 40.26

-24.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$370

$30.74 CVE 3,028

-35.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.44

$1.51 CVE 148

21.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.00

$1.48 CVE 146

-64.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.2

$10.18 CVE 1,003

-47.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.31

$1.75 CVE 172

-13.71%

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

$21.8K MX$407.7K

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

$24.0K MX$449.5K

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

$63.0 MX$1,180

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

$27.39 MX$513

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$668

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,105

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

$3.01 CVE 297

685.38%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

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

$432 MX$8,088

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,278

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$996

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,020

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,198

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.5K

$361 CVE 35.6K

615.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

$251 CVE 24.8K

459.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mindelo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Mindelo

–

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Mindelo

–

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Mindelo

–

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Mindelo

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Mindelo

–

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Mindelo

–

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Mindelo

–

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $57 in Mindelo. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $237, with Mindelo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇻 Mindelo

🕒 Local time

08:20 8:20 AM

13:20 1:20 PM

5 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

70,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Cabo Verdean Escudo CVE $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1,000 CVE = 10.15 USD

1,000 CVE = 9.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CVE, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Cabo Verdean Escudo exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 98.5 CVE (100 CVE = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 110 CVE (1,000 CVE = 9.1 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Mindelo 7,780 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Mindelo

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 Mindelo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $387 in Mindelo, so Mindelo is about 76% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $581 in Mindelo 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.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $48 versus $57 in Mindelo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 36% less than in Mindelo. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $387 in Mindelo versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mindelo but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Mindelo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.