Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Portoviejo

For one person, living is cheaper in Portoviejo: $877 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Portoviejo
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Portoviejo Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Portoviejo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $877 in Portoviejo.

Mexico City $1,608
Portoviejo $877

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,400 in Portoviejo.

Mexico City $2,549
Portoviejo $1,400

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,924 in Portoviejo.

Mexico City $3,490
Portoviejo $1,924

Living in Mexico City is roughly 83% more expensive than in Portoviejo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Portoviejo is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$4.06 $4.06

161.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$51.6 $51.6

-6.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$8.95 $8.95

15.64%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$2.93 $2.93

25.94%

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

$1.67 MX$31.05

$0.94 $0.94

77.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.58

$0.67 $0.67

89.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$2.91 $2.91

9.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$4.16 $4.16

27.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$1.17 $1.17

47.01%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$2.02 $2.02

50.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.45 $1.45

33.79%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$2.15 $2.15

34.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$6.95 $6.95

57.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$5.04 $5.04

83.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$9.41 $9.41

60.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$1.52 $1.52

100.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.15 $1.15

68.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.73

$0.99 $0.99

105.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.12

$0.96 $0.96

140.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.91

$1.22 $1.22

67.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.53

$0.99 $0.99

81.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.56

$0.89 $0.89

66.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.62

$0.94 $0.94

35.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.8

$6.04 $6.04

-12.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$12.23 $12.23

31.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.95

$1.50 $1.50

32.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$2.19 $2.19

94.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

$0.34 $0.34

-8.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$2.67 $2.67

-31.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$1.79 $1.79

-70.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$12.17 $12.17

-56.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.14

$0.88 $0.88

71.59%

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

$21.8K MX$405.3K

$23.0K $23.0K

-5.35%

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

$24.0K MX$446.9K

$30.8K $30.8K

-22.24%

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

$63.0 MX$1,173

$33.95 $33.95

85.51%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$14.67 $14.67

86.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$26.33 $26.33

35.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

$31.57 $31.57

86.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$16.27 $16.27

45.30%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$7.54 $7.54

-15.12%

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

$432 MX$8,041

$375 $375

14.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.8K

$5,671 $5,671

101.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,271

$65.2 $65.2

4.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$41.29 $41.29

28.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,008

$123 $123

-12.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,185

$92.4 $92.4

26.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$415 $415

168.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$273 $273

159.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$914 $914

183.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$430 $430

227.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

$1,019 $1,019

256.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$789 $789

170.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$331 $331

185.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

10.05

12.94%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Portoviejo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Portoviejo

$273 31.2% 61.5% $437

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Portoviejo

$201 22.9% 37.2% $119

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Portoviejo

$124 14.1% 37.6% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Portoviejo

$145 16.5% 7% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Portoviejo

$75 8.5% 40.5% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Portoviejo

$47 5.3% 35% $25

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Portoviejo

$13 * 1.5% 49.2% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $415 in Portoviejo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $52 in Portoviejo. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $201, with Portoviejo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇪🇨 Portoviejo

🕒 Local time

22:28 10:28 PM

23:28 11:28 PM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

180,641

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Portoviejo 3,060 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Portoviejo

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 Portoviejo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $877 in Portoviejo, so Portoviejo is about 45% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 2.9 times higher, 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 $415 in Portoviejo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $375 in Portoviejo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $48 versus $52 in Portoviejo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Portoviejo 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.

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