Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Montanita

For one person, living is cheaper in Montanita: $893 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Montanita
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Montanita Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Montanita

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$893

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $893 in Montanita.

Mexico City $1,608
Montanita $893

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,344 in Montanita.

Mexico City $2,549
Montanita $1,344

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,796 in Montanita.

Mexico City $3,490
Montanita $1,796

Living in Mexico City is roughly 80% more expensive than in Montanita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Montanita is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$3.44 $3.44

208.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$27.67 $27.67

74.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$7.30 $7.30

41.78%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$2.40 $2.40

53.75%

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

$1.67 MX$31.05

$0.85 $0.85

96.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.58

$0.63 $0.63

101.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$1.96 $1.96

62.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$3.59 $3.59

47.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$1.13 $1.13

52.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$1.71 $1.71

77.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.50 $1.50

29.33%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$2.10 $2.10

37.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$5.40 $5.40

103.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$5.45 $5.45

69.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$6.40 $6.40

136.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.10 $2.10

45.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.22 $1.22

59.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.73

$1.09 $1.09

86.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.12

$1.09 $1.09

111.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.91

$1.43 $1.43

42.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.53

$1.02 $1.02

76.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.56

$0.49 $0.49

202.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.62

$1.02 $1.02

24.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.8

$6.10 $6.10

-13.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$9.82 $9.82

63.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.95

$1.52 $1.52

30.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$2.55 $2.55

66.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

$0.36 $0.36

-13.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$23.56 $23.56

-16.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$1.53 $1.53

20.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$1.02 $1.02

-48.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$10.03 $10.03

-47.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.14

$0.62 $0.62

143.55%

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

$21.8K MX$405.3K

$24.9K $24.9K

-12.54%

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

$24.0K MX$446.9K

$28.3K $28.3K

-15.14%

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

$63.0 MX$1,173

$40.55 $40.55

55.31%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$13.96 $13.96

96.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$30.87 $30.87

15.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

$29.86 $29.86

97.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$14.43 $14.43

63.83%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$7.33 $7.33

-12.69%

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

$432 MX$8,041

$256 $256

68.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.8K

$5,690 $5,690

100.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,271

$55.5 $55.5

22.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$42.86 $42.86

23.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,008

$101 $101

6.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,185

$74.8 $74.8

56.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$336 $336

231.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$321 $321

121.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$622 $622

316.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$503 $503

179.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

$1,245 $1,245

191.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$1,013 $1,013

110.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

13.50%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Montanita: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Montanita

$321 35.9% 54.9% $390

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Montanita

$186 20.8% 41.8% $134

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Montanita

$101 11.3% 49.1% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Montanita

$123 13.8% 20.9% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Montanita

$85 9.6% 32.3% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Montanita

$45 5% 37.9% $27

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Montanita

$32 3.6% 24.3% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $336 in Montanita. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $28 in Montanita for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $186 per month, with Montanita cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇪🇨 Montanita

🕒 Local time

18:18 6:18 PM

19:18 7:18 PM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

5,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Montanita 3,100 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Montanita

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 Montanita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $893 in Montanita, so Montanita is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $1,339 in Montanita 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $336 in Montanita. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 16% less than in Montanita. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $256 in Montanita. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $893 in Montanita versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Montanita but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Montanita 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.