Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Praia

For one person, living is cheaper in Praia: $1,195 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Praia
Learn more

Praia Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Praia

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$1,195

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,195 in Praia.

Mexico City $1,608
Praia $1,195

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,794 in Praia.

Mexico City $2,549
Praia $1,794

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,394 in Praia.

Mexico City $3,490
Praia $2,394

Living in Mexico City is roughly 35% more expensive than in Praia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Praia is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$5.05 CVE 498

110.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$35.98 CVE 3,544

34.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$7.24 CVE 713

42.96%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$2.68 CVE 264

37.69%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$1.60 CVE 157

4.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$1.18 CVE 117

7.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$2.48 CVE 244

28.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$1.90 CVE 187

179.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.33 CVE 131

29.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$2.03 CVE 200

49.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$3.61 CVE 356

-46.26%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$2.38 CVE 235

21.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$25.48 CVE 2,509

-56.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$4.65 CVE 458

98.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$16.52 CVE 1,627

-8.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$5.16 CVE 508

-40.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$3.01 CVE 296

-35.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$4.08 CVE 401

-50.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$4.39 CVE 432

-47.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$1.51 CVE 148

35.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$1.43 CVE 141

25.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$1.01 CVE 99.2

46.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$1.51 CVE 148

-15.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$5.38 CVE 530

-1.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$7.90 CVE 778

103.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$1.77 CVE 174

11.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$1.73 CVE 170

145.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.76 CVE 74.9

-59.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$29.34 CVE 2,890

-32.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$1.80 CVE 177

2.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$1.21 CVE 119

-56.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$1.55 CVE 153

-2.58%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$28.5K CVE 2.8M

-23.70%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$38.6K CVE 3.8M

-37.88%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$179 CVE 17.7K

-64.87%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$18.06 CVE 1,779

51.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$51.7 CVE 5,088

-30.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$32.24 CVE 3,176

82.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$10.14 CVE 999

133.14%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$5.51 CVE 542

16.15%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$125 CVE 12.4K

244.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$3,111 CVE 306.4K

267.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$61.1 CVE 6,014

11.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$25.85 CVE 2,546

105.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$66.4 CVE 6,541

62.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$92.9 CVE 9,153

26.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$570 CVE 56.1K

95.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$283 CVE 27.9K

150.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$886 CVE 87.2K

192.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$478 CVE 47.1K

194.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$1,360 CVE 134.0K

166.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$994 CVE 97.9K

114.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$300 CVE 29.6K

214.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

41.87%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Praia: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Praia

$283 23.7% 60.1% $427

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Praia

$346 29% 8.4% $27

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Praia

$122 10.2% 38.8% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Praia

$111 9.3% 28.9% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Praia

$249 20.8% 97.5% $123

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Praia

$43 3.6% 39.7% $28

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Praia

$40 3.4% 58% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $570 in Praia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $36 in Praia. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $346, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇻 Praia

🕒 Local time

03:02 3:02 AM

08:02 8:02 AM

5 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

127,832 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Cabo Verdean Escudo CVE $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1,000 CVE = 10.15 USD

1,000 CVE = 9.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CVE, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Cabo Verdean Escudo exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 98.5 CVE (100 CVE = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 110 CVE (1,000 CVE = 9.1 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Mexico City Praia 7,990 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
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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 Praia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,195 in Praia, so Praia is about 26% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 3.1 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 $570 in Praia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 33% less than in Praia. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $125 in Praia. 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. Praia 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 – Praia wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.