Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Pisco

For one person, living is cheaper in Pisco: $659 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Pisco
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Pisco Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Pisco

🇵🇪 Peru

$659

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $659 in Pisco.

Mexico City $1,674
Pisco $659

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,022 in Pisco.

Mexico City $2,606
Pisco $1,022

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $1,385 in Pisco.

Mexico City $3,537
Pisco $1,385

Living in Mexico City is roughly 154% more expensive than in Pisco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Pisco is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$4.24 PEN 14.61

149.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$35.46 PEN 122

46.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$6.81 PEN 23.48

57.56%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.6

$3.28 PEN 11.29

15.85%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$1.12 PEN 3.86

43.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$0.66 PEN 2.28

83.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$2.54 PEN 8.75

25.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$4.34 PEN 14.95

25.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$1.63 PEN 5.62

5.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$2.27 PEN 7.81

30.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$1.25 PEN 4.30

54.40%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$1.35 PEN 4.64

105.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$6.56 PEN 22.60

77.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$4.67 PEN 16.11

103.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$6.48 PEN 22.32

137.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$1.33 PEN 4.58

133.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$1.04 PEN 3.59

88.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$1.39 PEN 4.78

42.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$0.55 PEN 1.90

325.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$0.42 PEN 1.46

380.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$0.92 PEN 3.17

97.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$0.83 PEN 2.87

85.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$0.90 PEN 3.09

45.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$5.73 PEN 19.74

-6.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$9.34 PEN 32.18

73.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$1.87 PEN 6.44

4.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$2.42 PEN 8.34

79.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$0.89 PEN 3.07

-66.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

$35.24 PEN 121

-44.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$3.56 PEN 12.26

-46.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$2.01 PEN 6.94

-76.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$7.55 PEN 26.04

-28.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.70 PEN 5.87

-12.94%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$22.0K PEN 76.0K

-3.02%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$29.1K PEN 100.3K

-18.41%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$43.25 PEN 149

43.33%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$15.95 PEN 55.0

78.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$11.65 PEN 40.14

192.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$20.34 PEN 70.1

187.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

$8.67 PEN 29.88

182.58%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$7.14 PEN 24.62

-7.70%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$309 PEN 1,064

40.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

8.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$52.7 PEN 182

29.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$12.81 PEN 44.15

327.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$46.75 PEN 161

137.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,158

$34.49 PEN 119

236.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$160 PEN 551

637.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$130 PEN 448

492.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$145 PEN 500

877.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

$1,802 PEN 6,211

98.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

$1,318 PEN 4,543

56.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

$556 PEN 1,917

80.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

8.78

29.27%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Pisco: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Pisco

$130 19.7% 83.1% $641

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Pisco

$183 27.8% 43.4% $141

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Pisco

$122 18.5% 39.1% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Pisco

$66 10% 58.1% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Pisco

$71 10.8% 43.1% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Pisco

$35 5.3% 51.6% $37

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Pisco

$52 8% 110% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $160 in Pisco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 80% 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: $52 in Mexico City vs $35 in Pisco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $183 per month, with Pisco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇪 Pisco

🕒 Local time

19:50 7:50 PM

20:50 8:50 PM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

14,917

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.45 PEN (1 PEN = 0.29 USD). 1 EUR = 3.88 PEN (1 PEN = 0.258 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Pisco 4,460 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Pisco

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 Pisco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $659 in Pisco, so Pisco is about 61% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 80% 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: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $160 in Pisco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 45% less than in Pisco. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $309 in Pisco. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $659 in Pisco versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Pisco but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Pisco 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.

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