Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Natal

For one person, living is cheaper in Natal: $759 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Natal
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Natal Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Natal

🇧🇷 Brazil

$759

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $759 in Natal.

Mexico City $1,608
Natal $759

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,224 in Natal.

Mexico City $2,549
Natal $1,224

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,688 in Natal.

Mexico City $3,490
Natal $1,688

Living in Mexico City is roughly 112% more expensive than in Natal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Natal is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$5.26 R$28.11

101.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$35.65 R$191

35.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$7.14 R$38.19

44.96%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$1.89 R$10.10

95.24%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$0.98 R$5.21

70.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$0.56 R$2.99

126.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$1.45 R$7.74

120.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$2.17 R$11.60

144.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.13 R$6.04

52.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$1.11 R$5.93

173.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$0.99 R$5.32

95.96%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.84 R$9.84

57.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$6.84 R$36.56

60.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$3.82 R$20.43

142.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$7.63 R$40.82

98.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$1.34 R$7.15

127.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$0.91 R$4.86

113.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$0.69 R$3.69

194.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$1.15 R$6.14

100.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$0.98 R$5.22

108.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$1.01 R$5.39

78.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$0.48 R$2.59

208.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.59 R$3.14

115.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$1.65 R$8.83

221.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$7.35 R$39.32

119.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$1.06 R$5.64

86.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$1.46 R$7.83

191.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$0.88 R$4.69

-64.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$32.19 R$172

-38.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$0.95 R$5.08

93.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.52 R$2.76

1.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$3.33 R$17.82

59.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.24 R$6.61

21.77%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$21.9K R$117.1K

-0.70%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$31.8K R$169.8K

-24.49%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$50.6 R$270

24.56%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$12.46 R$66.6

119.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$16.79 R$89.8

112.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$22.04 R$118

167.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$29.77 R$159

-20.59%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$7.25 R$38.78

-11.72%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$107 R$572

303.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$4,407 R$23.6K

159.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$42.96 R$230

58.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$45.13 R$241

17.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$70.7 R$378

52.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$71.4 R$382

64.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$437 R$2,339

154.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$243 R$1,297

192.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$714 R$3,817

262.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$446 R$2,384

215.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$1,349 R$7,214

169.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$930 R$4,970

129.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$382 R$2,040

147.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.67

-2.74%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Natal: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Natal

$243 32% 65.8% $468

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Natal

$154 20.2% 51.9% $166

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Natal

$104 13.7% 47.7% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Natal

$104 13.6% 33.6% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Natal

$80 10.5% 36.7% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Natal

$37 4.8% 49.1% $35

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Natal

$39 5.2% 54.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $437 in Natal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $36 in Natal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $154 per month, with Natal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇷 Natal

🕒 Local time

16:15 4:15 PM

19:15 7:15 PM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

751,300

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Natal 7,530 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Natal

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 Natal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $759 in Natal, so Natal is about 53% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 2.5 times higher, 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 $437 in Natal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 39% less than in Natal. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $107 in Natal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.

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