Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Petrolina

For one person, living is cheaper in Petrolina: $739 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Petrolina
Learn more

Petrolina Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Petrolina

🇧🇷 Brazil

$739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $739 in Petrolina.

Mexico City $1,608
Petrolina $739

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,171 in Petrolina.

Mexico City $2,549
Petrolina $1,171

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,603 in Petrolina.

Mexico City $3,490
Petrolina $1,603

Living in Mexico City is roughly 118% more expensive than in Petrolina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Petrolina is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$5.62 R$30.03

88.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$30.04 R$161

60.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$7.28 R$38.90

42.17%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$1.86 R$9.92

98.39%

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

$1.67 MX$31.05

$1.24 R$6.65

34.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.58

$0.76 R$4.09

67.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$2.09 R$11.15

52.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$2.81 R$15.02

88.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$1.04 R$5.57

65.38%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$0.90 R$4.79

237.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.09 R$5.81

77.98%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.47 R$7.88

96.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$8.64 R$46.21

26.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$3.50 R$18.72

164.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$7.55 R$40.35

100.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.26 R$12.07

34.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$0.86 R$4.59

125.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.73

$1.15 R$6.13

76.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.12

$1.43 R$7.65

61.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.91

$1.09 R$5.84

87.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.53

$0.71 R$3.78

153.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.56

$0.77 R$4.14

92.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.62

$0.45 R$2.43

182.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.8

$2.43 R$13.02

118.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$6.59 R$35.23

144.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.95

$1.06 R$5.66

86.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$1.78 R$9.53

138.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

$0.95 R$5.06

-67.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$46.91 R$251

-57.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$1.08 R$5.75

70.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.82 R$4.40

-35.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$7.34 R$39.23

-27.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.14

$1.20 R$6.40

25.83%

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

$21.8K MX$405.3K

$19.8K R$105.9K

9.80%

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

$24.0K MX$446.9K

$23.9K R$128.0K

0.22%

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

$63.0 MX$1,173

$62.7 R$335

0.45%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$8.26 R$44.17

231.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$11.16 R$59.7

219.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

$17.46 R$93.3

237.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$25.16 R$135

-6.04%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$3.73 R$19.96

71.58%

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

$432 MX$8,041

$234 R$1,251

84.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.8K

$6,634 R$35.5K

72.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,271

$18.78 R$100

263.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$46.55 R$249

14.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,008

$51.1 R$273

111.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,185

$78.4 R$419

49.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$258 R$1,382

330.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$216 R$1,155

228.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$547 R$2,927

372.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$390 R$2,087

260.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

$1,764 R$9,430

105.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$1,156 R$6,179

84.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$561 R$3,001

68.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

3.18%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Petrolina: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Petrolina

$216 29.2% 69.6% $495

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Petrolina

$159 21.5% 50.2% $160

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Petrolina

$113 15.3% 43.1% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Petrolina

$88 11.9% 43.8% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Petrolina

$82 11.1% 34.8% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Petrolina

$25 3.4% 65.2% $47

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Petrolina

$56 7.6% 120% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $258 in Petrolina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 69% 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 $30 in Petrolina for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $159 per month, with Petrolina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇷 Petrolina

🕒 Local time

18:15 6:15 PM

21:15 9:15 PM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

386,791

💱 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

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Between locations

Mexico City Petrolina 7,180 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Petrolina

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 Petrolina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $739 in Petrolina, so Petrolina is about 54% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 69% 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 $258 in Petrolina. 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 Petrolina. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $234 in Petrolina. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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