Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Pasto

For one person, living is cheaper in Pasto: $800 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Pasto
Learn more

Pasto Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Pasto

🇨🇴 Colombia

$800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $800 in Pasto.

Mexico City $1,674
Pasto $800

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,216 in Pasto.

Mexico City $2,606
Pasto $1,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $1,632 in Pasto.

Mexico City $3,537
Pasto $1,632

Living in Mexico City is roughly 109% more expensive than in Pasto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Pasto is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$3.92 COP 12.7K

170.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$978

$23.47 COP 76.1K

121.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$202

$7.35 COP 23.8K

45.99%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.4

$1.51 COP 4,909

151.66%

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

$1.61 MX$30.35

$0.89 COP 2,876

80.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.81

$0.61 COP 1,984

98.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.8

$1.16 COP 3,748

174.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$2.17 COP 7,025

150.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.05 COP 3,402

63.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.8

$1.30 COP 4,204

128.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.24

$1.19 COP 3,871

62.18%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.2

$2.15 COP 6,959

28.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$220

$4.59 COP 14.9K

154.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$5.44 COP 17.6K

74.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$7.44 COP 24.1K

106.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.4

$2.47 COP 8,025

25.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.90

$1.09 COP 3,521

79.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.30

$1.31 COP 4,235

51.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.95

$1.11 COP 3,603

110.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.08

$1.17 COP 3,801

72.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.34

$1.16 COP 3,767

56.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.06

$0.88 COP 2,858

75.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.70

$0.70 COP 2,261

87.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$101

$2.34 COP 7,577

128.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$305

$9.77 COP 31.7K

65.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.87

$1.08 COP 3,519

81.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.9

$1.70 COP 5,511

155.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.74

$0.72 COP 2,330

-58.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$367

$29.47 COP 95.6K

-33.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.08

$1.43 COP 4,650

34.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.90

$1.71 COP 5,549

-72.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$6.01 COP 19.5K

-9.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.92

$1.01 COP 3,275

46.53%

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

$21.4K MX$402.2K

$18.2K COP 58.9M

17.62%

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

$23.8K MX$447.1K

$25.8K COP 83.5M

-7.76%

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

$62.0 MX$1,167

$82.5 COP 267.4K

-24.82%

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

$28.47 MX$536

$8.84 COP 28.7K

222.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$642

$22.93 COP 74.4K

48.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,099

$23.51 COP 76.3K

148.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$461

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$3.92 COP 12.7K

68.11%

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

$434 MX$8,172

$239 COP 776.7K

81.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$264.1K

$5,979 COP 19.4M

134.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,286

$60.1 COP 194.8K

13.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,031

$32.73 COP 106.2K

67.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,086

$81.9 COP 265.5K

35.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,183

$71.4 COP 231.6K

62.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.2K

$272 COP 880.9K

334.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$238 COP 772.9K

223.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.4K

$535 COP 1.7M

380.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

$424 COP 1.4M

234.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.5K

$1,447 COP 4.7M

147.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

$1,087 COP 3.5M

89.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

13.06

-13.09%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Pasto: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Pasto

$238 29.8% 69.1% $533

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Pasto

$176 22% 45.7% $148

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Pasto

$88 11% 56.3% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Pasto

$111 13.8% 29.7% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Pasto

$114 14.3% 8.3% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Pasto

$31 3.9% 56.2% $40

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Pasto

$42 5.3% 69.4% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $272 in Pasto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $23 in Pasto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $176 per month, with Pasto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇴 Pasto

🕒 Local time

02:29 2:29 AM

03:29 3:29 AM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

392,930

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, 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 = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,636 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Pasto 3,120 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Pasto

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 Pasto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $800 in Pasto, so Pasto is about 52% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,510 in Mexico City and $1,201 in Pasto 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: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $272 in Pasto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 34% less than in Pasto. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $239 in Pasto. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $800 in Pasto versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Pasto but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Pasto 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.