Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Nova Iguacu

For one person, living is cheaper in Nova Iguacu: $694 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Nova Iguacu
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Nova Iguacu Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Nova Iguacu

🇧🇷 Brazil

$694

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Nova Iguacu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $694 in Nova Iguacu.

Mexico City $1,674
Nova Iguacu $694

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,129 in Nova Iguacu.

Mexico City $2,606
Nova Iguacu $1,129

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $1,563 in Nova Iguacu.

Mexico City $3,537
Nova Iguacu $1,563

Living in Mexico City is roughly 141% more expensive than in Nova Iguacu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Nova Iguacu is 49% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$3.37 R$18.48

214.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$978

$28.00 R$154

85.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$202

$7.06 R$38.72

51.98%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.4

$1.79 R$9.82

112.29%

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

$1.61 MX$30.35

$1.08 R$5.94

49.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.81

$0.50 R$2.74

142.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.8

$1.52 R$8.32

109.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$1.43 R$7.86

280.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.12 R$6.16

53.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.8

$1.43 R$7.86

107.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.24

$1.10 R$6.05

75.45%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.2

$1.87 R$10.28

48.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$220

$7.49 R$41.11

55.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$2.66 R$14.59

256.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$6.52 R$35.79

135.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.4

$1.26 R$6.92

146.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.90

$1.27 R$6.97

54.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.30

$0.90 R$4.95

120.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.95

$1.65 R$9.03

41.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.08

$0.95 R$5.24

112.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.34

$0.94 R$5.13

93.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.06

$0.39 R$2.12

294.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.70

$0.38 R$2.11

244.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$101

$1.78 R$9.78

200.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$305

$5.48 R$30.07

195.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.87

$0.90 R$4.96

117.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.9

$1.25 R$6.88

248.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.74

$1.36 R$7.48

-77.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$367

$46.09 R$253

-57.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.08

$1.05 R$5.78

82.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.90

$1.22 R$6.70

-61.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$6.80 R$37.32

-20.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.92

$1.09 R$5.99

35.78%

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

$21.4K MX$402.2K

$22.3K R$122.2K

-4.03%

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

$23.8K MX$447.1K

$31.2K R$171.1K

-23.82%

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

$62.0 MX$1,167

$45.05 R$247

37.60%

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

$28.47 MX$536

$11.18 R$61.4

154.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$642

$17.16 R$94.2

98.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,099

$22.13 R$121

163.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$461

$36.33 R$199

-32.56%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$5.59 R$30.69

17.89%

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

$434 MX$8,172

$67.8 R$372

540.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$264.1K

$1,799 R$9,871

680.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,286

$50.3 R$276

35.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,031

$34.70 R$190

57.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,086

$60.0 R$329

84.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,183

$56.1 R$308

106.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.2K

$304 R$1,668

287.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$204 R$1,122

276.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.4K

$592 R$3,248

334.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

$406 R$2,226

249.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.5K

$884 R$4,851

305.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.9K

$222 R$1,218

351.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.12

2.07%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Nova Iguacu: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Nova Iguacu

$204 29.5% 73.5% $566

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Nova Iguacu

$147 21.2% 54.4% $176

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Nova Iguacu

$86 12.4% 56.9% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Nova Iguacu

$90 13% 42.6% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Nova Iguacu

$73 10.6% 41.1% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Nova Iguacu

$33 4.8% 53.5% $38

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Nova Iguacu

$59 8.5% 135% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $304 in Nova Iguacu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 4.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $28 in Nova Iguacu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $147 per month, with Nova Iguacu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇷 Nova Iguacu

🕒 Local time

18:56 6:56 PM

21:56 9:56 PM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

785,867

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Nova Iguacu 7,650 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Nova Iguacu

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 Nova Iguacu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $694 in Nova Iguacu, so Nova Iguacu is about 59% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 4.5 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: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $304 in Nova Iguacu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 58% less than in Nova Iguacu. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $68 in Nova Iguacu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $694 in Nova Iguacu versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Nova Iguacu but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Nova Iguacu 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 – Nova Iguacu wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.