Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Puerto Escondido

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Escondido: $1,151 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Escondido
Learn more

Puerto Escondido Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Puerto Escondido

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,151

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Puerto Escondido

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $1,151 in Puerto Escondido.

Mexico City $1,567
Puerto Escondido $1,151

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $1,856 in Puerto Escondido.

Mexico City $2,450
Puerto Escondido $1,856

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $2,561 in Puerto Escondido.

Mexico City $3,333
Puerto Escondido $2,561

Living in Mexico City is roughly 36% more expensive than in Puerto Escondido, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 16% above, Puerto Escondido is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$10.52 MX$194

2.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$42.96 MX$794

16.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$8.65 MX$160

28.32%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.58 MX$66.1

2.79%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$1.42 MX$26.25

16.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$1.05 MX$19.38

23.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$3.04 MX$56.2

9.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$4.05 MX$74.9

36.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.85 MX$34.14

-4.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$2.84 MX$52.5

7.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$1.64 MX$30.22

22.56%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$2.80 MX$51.7

-1.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$8.20 MX$152

45.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$10.98 MX$203

-15.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$11.54 MX$213

30.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$2.68 MX$49.45

14.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$1.59 MX$29.42

22.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$1.86 MX$34.42

9.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$1.73 MX$32.01

27.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$1.59 MX$29.46

27.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$2.02 MX$37.35

-9.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.48 MX$27.28

2.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$1.14 MX$21.15

12.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$4.48 MX$82.7

17.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$10.36 MX$191

55.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$2.46 MX$45.43

-20.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$3.09 MX$57.1

37.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$0.83 MX$15.35

-62.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$2.80 MX$51.7

-28.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$1.78 MX$32.92

-70.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$9.89 MX$183

-43.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.36 MX$25.14

11.76%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$18.7K MX$344.9K

12.69%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$25.2K MX$465.2K

0.02%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$64.7 MX$1,196

-3.42%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$22.92 MX$424

25.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$36.45 MX$674

-5.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$27.77 MX$513

105.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

$19.89 MX$368

24.74%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$4.56 MX$84.2

46.27%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$220 MX$4,069

95.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$4,364 MX$80.6K

168.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$49.88 MX$922

41.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$42.79 MX$791

21.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$91.6 MX$1,693

18.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$84.0 MX$1,553

33.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$601 MX$11.1K

75.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$382 MX$7,061

74.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$960 MX$17.7K

144.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$778 MX$14.4K

57.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$2,036 MX$37.6K

74.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$1,289 MX$23.8K

53.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$327 MX$6,035

198.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Puerto Escondido: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Puerto Escondido

$382 33.2% 42.5% $283

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Puerto Escondido

$285 24.8% 11.5% $37

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Puerto Escondido

$186 16.2% 8.3% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Puerto Escondido

$121 10.5% 21.9% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Puerto Escondido

$124 10.8% 1.3% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Puerto Escondido

$37 3.2% 47.6% $34

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Puerto Escondido

$15 * 1.3% 41.7% $11

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 $1,051 in Mexico City and $601 in Puerto Escondido. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 198% 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: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $43.00 in Puerto Escondido for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $285 per month, with Puerto Escondido cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇽 Puerto Escondido

🕒 Local time

20:04 8:04 PM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

25,902

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Puerto Escondido: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Puerto Escondido differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($1,567 vs $1,151 including rent). Puerto Escondido is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 198% 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: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $601 in Puerto Escondido. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $431 in Mexico City versus $220 in Puerto Escondido. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Puerto Escondido – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $50.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,151 in Puerto Escondido versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Puerto Escondido but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Puerto Escondido 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.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Puerto Escondido are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Puerto Escondido gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.