Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Palma Soriano

For one person, living costs are similar in Mexico City and in Palma Soriano: $1,548 and $1,565 a month, rent and utilities included.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Palma Soriano
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Palma Soriano Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Palma Soriano

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,565

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Palma Soriano

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,565 in Palma Soriano.

Mexico City $1,548
Palma Soriano $1,565

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $1,874 in Palma Soriano.

Mexico City $2,436
Palma Soriano $1,874

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $2,183 in Palma Soriano.

Mexico City $3,323
Palma Soriano $2,183

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 1% less than in Palma Soriano, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 14% above, Palma Soriano 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$4.86 CUP 117

126.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$24.89 CUP 597

95.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$4.88 CUP 117

123.36%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.16 CUP 75.7

16.46%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.26 CUP 30.25

29.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.89 CUP 21.27

40.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$3.07 CUP 73.7

5.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$2.47 CUP 59.3

123.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$2.03 CUP 48.71

-16.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.47 CUP 35.25

105.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.01 CUP 24.31

90.10%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$1.22 CUP 29.17

123.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$5.83 CUP 140

101.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$6.08 CUP 146

56.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$11.21 CUP 269

28.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.88 CUP 45.07

60.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.19 CUP 28.55

58.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$1.46 CUP 34.96

36.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.53 CUP 36.71

43.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$0.97 CUP 23.29

97.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$0.99 CUP 23.69

88.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.02 CUP 24.52

41.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$1.12 CUP 26.84

13.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$2.97 CUP 71.3

75.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$10.01 CUP 240

61.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$3.03 CUP 72.8

-37.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$1.98 CUP 47.48

113.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$0.24 CUP 5.72

41.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$30.36 CUP 729

-35.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$1.84 CUP 44.14

8.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$0.34 CUP 8.05

52.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$13.16 CUP 316

-59.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.18 CUP 28.34

28.81%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$65.4K CUP 1.6M

-66.24%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$46.5K CUP 1.1M

-47.33%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$55.8 CUP 1,340

9.41%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$9.81 CUP 235

191.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$145 CUP 3,484

-76.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$40.02 CUP 961

40.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$9.83 CUP 236

153.10%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$1.02 CUP 24.49

552.94%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$100 CUP 2,403

326.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$11.8K CUP 283.6K

-1.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$65.2 CUP 1,565

3.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$34.94 CUP 838

48.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$85.5 CUP 2,051

24.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$111 CUP 2,660

1.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$875 CUP 21.0K

17.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$807 CUP 19.4K

-18.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$757 CUP 18.2K

204.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$656 CUP 15.7K

89.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$322 CUP 7,725

1022.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$324 CUP 7,785

496.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$39.94 CUP 959

2313.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

8.33

35.65%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Palma Soriano: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Palma Soriano

$807 51.6% 23.4% $153

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Palma Soriano

$217 13.9% 31.8% $101

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Palma Soriano

$120 7.7% 41% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Palma Soriano

$133 8.5% 12.4% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Palma Soriano

$211 13.5% 69.8% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Palma Soriano

$42 2.7% 39.6% $28

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Palma Soriano

$35 2.2% 35.9% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $875 in Palma Soriano. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 2314% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $25.00 in Palma Soriano for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $217 per month, with Palma Soriano cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇺 Palma Soriano

🕒 Local time

10:02 10:02 AM

12:02 12:02 PM

2 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

74,930

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.71 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CUP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.98 CUP (100 CUP = 3.71 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Palma Soriano 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Palma Soriano

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 Palma Soriano: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Palma Soriano differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $1,565 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 2314% 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: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $875 in Palma Soriano. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 55% less than in Palma Soriano. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $100 in Palma Soriano. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,565 in Palma Soriano, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Palma Soriano. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City 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.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Palma Soriano. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.