Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Puerto Montt

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Montt: $450 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Puerto Montt

🇨🇱 Chile

$450

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $450 in Puerto Montt.

Mexico City $1,608
Puerto Montt $450

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $754 in Puerto Montt.

Mexico City $2,549
Puerto Montt $754

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,057 in Puerto Montt.

Mexico City $3,490
Puerto Montt $1,057

Living in Mexico City is roughly 257% more expensive than in Puerto Montt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Puerto Montt is 67% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$8.20 CLP 8,150

29.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$35.00 CLP 34.8K

38.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$7.24 CLP 7,192

42.96%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$2.76 CLP 2,742

33.70%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$0.87 CLP 867

91.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$0.87 CLP 869

45.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$1.09 CLP 1,080

57.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$2.55 CLP 2,537

19.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$1.38 CLP 1,370

40.58%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$3.09 CLP 3,070

-6.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$11.01 CLP 10.9K

-0.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$5.70 CLP 5,660

62.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$7.04 CLP 6,991

114.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$1.03 CLP 1,026

196.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$1.40 CLP 1,389

38.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$2.65 CLP 2,634

-23.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$1.74 CLP 1,726

32.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$1.54 CLP 1,531

16.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$1.28 CLP 1,269

15.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$1.49 CLP 1,485

-14.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$4.46 CLP 4,433

18.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$5.40 CLP 5,360

198.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$1.34 CLP 1,332

47.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$1.48 CLP 1,468

187.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.94 CLP 933

-67.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$1.28 CLP 1,267

17.97%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$61.6 CLP 61.2K

2.24%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$11.32 CLP 11.2K

141.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$29.80 CLP 29.6K

19.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

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

$432 MX$8,103

$143 CLP 142.2K

201.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$502 CLP 498.3K

121.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Puerto Montt: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Puerto Montt

–

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Puerto Montt

–

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Puerto Montt

–

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Puerto Montt

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Puerto Montt

–

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Puerto Montt

–

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Puerto Montt

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $502 in Puerto Montt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $35 in Puerto Montt for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $216 per month, with Puerto Montt cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇱 Puerto Montt

🕒 Local time

20:05 8:05 PM

23:05 11:05 PM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

169,736

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.07 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 993 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.01 USD). 1 EUR = 1,109 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.02 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Puerto Montt 7,290 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Puerto Montt

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 Montt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $450 in Puerto Montt, so Puerto Montt is about 72% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $675 in Puerto Montt to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $502 in Puerto Montt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $143 in Puerto Montt. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Puerto Montt – a meal for two runs $35 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $450 in Puerto Montt versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $800 budget is realistic in Puerto Montt but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Puerto Montt 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.