Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Niteroi

For one person, living is cheaper in Niteroi: $1,003 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Niteroi
Learn more

Niteroi Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Niteroi

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,003 in Niteroi.

Mexico City $1,608
Niteroi $1,003

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,593 in Niteroi.

Mexico City $2,549
Niteroi $1,593

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,183 in Niteroi.

Mexico City $3,490
Niteroi $2,183

Living in Mexico City is roughly 60% more expensive than in Niteroi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Niteroi is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$7.07 R$37.82

50.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$36.70 R$196

31.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$7.16 R$38.29

44.55%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$2.48 R$13.24

48.79%

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

$1.67 MX$31.05

$1.39 R$7.45

20.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.58

$0.93 R$4.96

36.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$2.28 R$12.21

39.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$2.35 R$12.59

125.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$1.13 R$6.04

52.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$1.45 R$7.77

109.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.31 R$7.02

48.09%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.95 R$10.44

48.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$9.59 R$51.3

14.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$4.03 R$21.55

129.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$8.03 R$42.91

88.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.44 R$13.03

25.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.64 R$8.77

18.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.73

$1.71 R$9.14

18.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.12

$1.79 R$9.57

29.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.91

$1.24 R$6.60

64.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.53

$0.97 R$5.21

85.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.56

$0.63 R$3.38

134.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.62

$0.64 R$3.42

98.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.8

$3.32 R$17.78

59.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$5.95 R$31.81

170.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.95

$1.22 R$6.54

62.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$1.89 R$10.08

124.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

$0.99 R$5.31

-68.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$44.85 R$240

-56.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$1.14 R$6.10

61.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$1.13 R$6.04

-53.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$7.34 R$39.26

-27.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.14

$1.14 R$6.09

32.46%

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

$21.8K MX$405.3K

$18.7K R$100.0K

16.28%

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

$24.0K MX$446.9K

$28.6K R$152.7K

-16.04%

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

$63.0 MX$1,173

$112 R$599

-43.76%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$16.22 R$86.7

68.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$18.22 R$97.4

95.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

$34.66 R$185

70.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$30.93 R$165

-23.57%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$11.26 R$60.2

-43.16%

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

$432 MX$8,041

$493 R$2,637

-12.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.8K

$4,682 R$25.0K

144.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,271

$60.5 R$324

12.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$40.55 R$217

31.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,008

$101 R$539

6.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,185

$85.8 R$459

36.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$403 R$2,157

175.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$294 R$1,570

141.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$761 R$4,068

240.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$591 R$3,158

138.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

$1,352 R$7,230

168.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$1,424 R$7,615

49.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$890 R$4,760

6.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

10.7

6.07%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Niteroi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Niteroi

$294 29.3% 58.7% $417

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Niteroi

$187 18.7% 41.4% $132

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Niteroi

$133 13.3% 32.9% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Niteroi

$129 12.9% 16.9% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Niteroi

$146 14.6% 16.2% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Niteroi

$57 5.7% 20.3% $15

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Niteroi

$56 5.6% 119% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $403 in Niteroi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 6% 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 $37 in Niteroi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $187 per month, with Niteroi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇷 Niteroi

🕒 Local time

22:26 10:26 PM

01:26 1:26 AM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

481,749

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 29, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Niteroi 7,690 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Niteroi

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 Niteroi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,003 in Niteroi, so Niteroi is about 38% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 6% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $403 in Niteroi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 56% less than in Niteroi. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $493 in Niteroi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,003 in Niteroi versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Niteroi but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Niteroi 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.

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