Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Petropolis

For one person, living is cheaper in Petropolis: $1,011 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Petropolis
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Petropolis Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Petropolis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,011

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,011 in Petropolis.

Mexico City $1,548
Petropolis $1,011

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $1,516 in Petropolis.

Mexico City $2,436
Petropolis $1,516

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $2,021 in Petropolis.

Mexico City $3,323
Petropolis $2,021

Living in Mexico City is roughly 53% more expensive than in Petropolis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Petropolis is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$6.07 R$30.78

81.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$28.83 R$146

68.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$6.91 R$35.02

57.74%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$1.70 R$8.64

116.47%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.31 R$6.66

24.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.58 R$2.93

115.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$1.21 R$6.15

168.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$4.69 R$23.79

17.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$0.93 R$4.70

82.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.52 R$7.69

98.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.43 R$7.24

34.27%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.04 R$10.32

33.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$9.19 R$46.60

28.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$4.33 R$21.93

120.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$9.57 R$48.50

50.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.64 R$8.33

84.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.15 R$5.83

64.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$0.98 R$4.94

103.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.21 R$6.11

80.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$0.65 R$3.31

195.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$0.87 R$4.40

114.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.58 R$2.92

148.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.61 R$3.10

108.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$2.16 R$10.96

141.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$5.88 R$29.79

175.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.04 R$5.27

82.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$1.42 R$7.21

197.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$1.03 R$5.24

-66.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$49.31 R$250

-60.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$1.15 R$5.82

73.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.02 R$5.15

-49.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$8.01 R$40.60

-33.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.24 R$6.28

22.58%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$20.9K R$105.8K

5.80%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$31.2K R$158.3K

-21.52%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$70.9 R$359

-13.84%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$9.78 R$49.60

192.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$18.71 R$94.9

84.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$31.96 R$162

76.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$32.15 R$163

-22.61%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$7.10 R$36.02

-6.20%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$362 R$1,836

17.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$11.1K R$56.1K

5.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$55.2 R$280

22.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$49.65 R$252

4.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$88.2 R$447

20.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$69.1 R$350

62.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$527 R$2,671

94.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$401 R$2,033

63.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$837 R$4,241

175.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$630 R$3,194

97.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$2,748 R$13.9K

31.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$1,985 R$10.1K

-2.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$613 R$3,110

57.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

11.87

-4.80%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Petropolis: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Petropolis

$401 39.7% 38.7% $253

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Petropolis

$174 17.2% 45.2% $144

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Petropolis

$113 11.2% 44.7% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Petropolis

$118 11.7% 22.5% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Petropolis

$99 9.8% 19.9% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Petropolis

$46 4.6% 33.7% $24

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Petropolis

$60 5.9% 133% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $527 in Petropolis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 57% 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 $29.00 in Petropolis for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $174 per month, with Petropolis cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇷 Petropolis

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

07:19 7:19 AM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

278,881

💱 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 Petropolis 7,660 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Petropolis

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 Petropolis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Petropolis differ by about 53% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $1,011 including rent). Petropolis is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 57% 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 $527 in Petropolis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Petropolis runs roughly 151% 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 $362 in Petropolis. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,011 in Petropolis versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Petropolis but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Petropolis 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 Petropolis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.