Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Patos de Minas

For one person, living is cheaper in Patos de Minas: $875 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Patos de Minas
Learn more

Patos de Minas Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Patos de Minas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$875

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Patos de Minas

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 Patos de Minas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $875 in Patos de Minas.

Mexico City $1,548
Patos de Minas $875

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $1,393 in Patos de Minas.

Mexico City $2,436
Patos de Minas $1,393

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $1,911 in Patos de Minas.

Mexico City $3,323
Patos de Minas $1,911

Living in Mexico City is roughly 77% more expensive than in Patos de Minas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Patos de Minas is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$5.92 R$30.01

86.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$31.74 R$161

53.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$7.64 R$38.72

42.67%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.03 R$10.28

81.28%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.30 R$6.57

25.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.76 R$3.86

64.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$1.98 R$10.05

64.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$3.09 R$15.68

78.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.06 R$5.38

60.38%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.65 R$8.38

83.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.29 R$6.54

48.84%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.27 R$11.50

20.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$9.19 R$46.61

28.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$4.36 R$22.08

118.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$8.68 R$44.00

66.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.16 R$10.93

39.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.27 R$6.42

48.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$1.18 R$5.97

68.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.57 R$7.97

39.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.27 R$6.41

51.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.13 R$5.72

65.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.78 R$3.94

84.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.81 R$4.11

56.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$2.48 R$12.57

110.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$8.18 R$41.46

97.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.35 R$6.83

40.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.07 R$10.51

103.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$1.04 R$5.29

-67.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$43.23 R$219

-54.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$1.27 R$6.45

57.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$0.85 R$4.32

-38.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$8.28 R$41.98

-35.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.28 R$6.47

18.75%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$23.5K R$119.1K

-6.07%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$32.5K R$164.9K

-24.65%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$75.4 R$382

-19.02%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$12.30 R$62.3

132.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$21.57 R$109

59.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$25.57 R$130

120.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$27.23 R$138

-8.63%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$7.37 R$37.35

-9.63%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$280 R$1,420

52.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$7,243 R$36.7K

60.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$56.9 R$289

19.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$50.9 R$258

2.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$88.5 R$449

19.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$71.9 R$364

56.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$362 R$1,836

182.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$239 R$1,209

174.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$681 R$3,452

239.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$468 R$2,370

165.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$1,743 R$8,834

107.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$1,210 R$6,131

60.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$406 R$2,060

137.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

2.73%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Patos de Minas: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Patos de Minas

$239 27.3% 63.5% $416

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Patos de Minas

$194 22.2% 39.1% $124

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Patos de Minas

$119 13.6% 41.7% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Patos de Minas

$121 13.8% 20.7% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Patos de Minas

$109 12.5% 12% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Patos de Minas

$40 4.6% 42.2% $29

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Patos de Minas

$53 6.1% 107% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $362 in Patos de Minas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 137% 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: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $32.00 in Patos de Minas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $194 per month, with Patos de Minas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇷 Patos de Minas

🕒 Local time

21:40 9:40 PM

00:40 12:40 AM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

159,235

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Patos de Minas 7,130 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Patos de Minas

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 Patos de Minas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Patos de Minas differ by about 77% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $875 including rent). Patos de Minas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 137% 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 $362 in Patos de Minas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Patos de Minas runs roughly 120% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $280 in Patos de Minas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $875 in Patos de Minas versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Patos de Minas but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Patos de Minas 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 Patos de Minas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.