Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Portmore

For one person, living is cheaper in Portmore: $1,250 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mexico City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Portmore
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Portmore Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Portmore

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,250

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,250 in Portmore.

Mexico City $1,608
Portmore $1,250

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,081 in Portmore.

Mexico City $2,549
Portmore $2,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,912 in Portmore.

Mexico City $3,490
Portmore $2,912

Living in Mexico City is roughly 29% more expensive than in Portmore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Portmore is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$10.11 JMD 1,598

5.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$906

$63.1 JMD 9,975

-23.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$7.99 JMD 1,262

29.54%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.2

$5.27 JMD 833

-29.98%

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

$1.67 MX$31.23

$0.93 JMD 147

79.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.71

$0.61 JMD 96.6

108.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.8

$2.18 JMD 345

46.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.5

$2.18 JMD 345

143.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$3.18 JMD 502

-45.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.0

$3.64 JMD 575

-16.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$1.03 JMD 163

88.35%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.1

$3.44 JMD 544

-15.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$11.29 JMD 1,784

-2.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$6.22 JMD 982

48.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$9.49 JMD 1,499

59.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.1

$5.88 JMD 929

-48.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$3.94 JMD 622

-50.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.95

$3.01 JMD 476

-32.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.38

$3.02 JMD 477

-23.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.14

$3.22 JMD 509

-36.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.73

$2.57 JMD 406

-29.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.72

$1.55 JMD 245

-4.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.75

$1.25 JMD 197

1.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$9.49 JMD 1,499

-44.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$11.46 JMD 1,811

40.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.16

$2.87 JMD 454

-31.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.7

$2.16 JMD 342

96.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.72

$2.25 JMD 355

-86.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$370

$50.1 JMD 7,917

-60.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.44

$0.92 JMD 145

100.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.00

$3.13 JMD 494

-83.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.2

$6.44 JMD 1,017

-17.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.31

$1.26 JMD 200

19.84%

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

$21.8K MX$407.7K

$44.3K JMD 7.0M

-50.93%

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

$24.0K MX$449.5K

$32.7K JMD 5.2M

-26.57%

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

$63.0 MX$1,180

$160 JMD 25.2K

-60.56%

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

$27.39 MX$513

$28.89 JMD 4,564

-5.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$668

$52.8 JMD 8,346

-32.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,105

$58.7 JMD 9,273

0.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$13.47 JMD 2,129

-52.49%

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

$432 MX$8,088

$281 JMD 44.4K

53.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.1K

$3,157 JMD 498.8K

261.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,278

$23.28 JMD 3,677

193.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$996

$31.19 JMD 4,928

70.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,020

$77.0 JMD 12.2K

39.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,198

$95.9 JMD 15.2K

22.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$315 JMD 49.7K

253.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$218 JMD 34.4K

225.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.5K

$667 JMD 105.3K

288.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

$605 JMD 95.5K

132.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.0K

$7,655 JMD 1.2M

-52.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.0K

$5,857 JMD 925.3K

-63.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

$1,280 JMD 202.3K

-26.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

9.45

20.11%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Portmore: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Portmore

$218 17.4% 69.3% $492

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Portmore

$337 27% 5.6% $18

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Portmore

$190 15.2% 4.5% $9

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Portmore

$102 8.2% 34.4% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Portmore

$241 19.3% 91.5% $115

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Portmore

$86 6.9% 19.4% $14

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Portmore

$76 6.1% 197% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $315 in Portmore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Portmore pays 35% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $63 in Portmore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $337 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇯🇲 Portmore

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

08:22 8:22 AM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

170,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Portmore 2,350 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Portmore

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 Portmore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,250 in Portmore, so Portmore is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 26% lower in Mexico City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $315 in Portmore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 61% less than in Portmore. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $281 in Portmore. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Portmore is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.