Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Quarteira

For one person, living costs are similar in Mexico City and in Quarteira: $1,674 and $1,662 a month, rent and utilities included.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Quarteira
Learn more

Quarteira Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Quarteira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,662

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $1,662 in Quarteira.

Mexico City $1,674
Quarteira $1,662

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $2,414 in Quarteira.

Mexico City $2,606
Quarteira $2,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $3,166 in Quarteira.

Mexico City $3,537
Quarteira $3,166

Monthly costs are close between Mexico City and Quarteira; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 24% above, Quarteira 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$13.93 €12.44

-23.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$965

$56.5 €50.5

-8.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$199

$11.02 €9.85

-2.63%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.5

$1.85 €1.65

105.41%

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

$1.61 MX$29.95

$1.55 €1.39

3.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.51

$1.22 €1.09

-0.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.0

$2.84 €2.54

11.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$2.57 €2.29

111.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.90

$1.02 €0.91

68.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.1

$1.26 €1.12

135.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.77

$1.53 €1.36

26.14%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.5

$3.47 €3.10

-20.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$9.00 €8.04

29.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$6.21 €5.54

52.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$11.25 €10.05

36.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.7

$2.50 €2.23

24.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.41

$1.30 €1.16

50.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.81

$1.58 €1.42

25.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.37

$2.52 €2.25

-7.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.58

$1.99 €1.78

1.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.88

$1.61 €1.44

13.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.68

$1.40 €1.25

10.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.37

$0.64 €0.57

104.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.4

$6.06 €5.41

-11.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$3.83 €3.43

322.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.38

$0.96 €0.86

104.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.8

$2.52 €2.25

72.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.66

$5.42 €4.84

-94.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$362

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.61

$3.66 €3.27

-47.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.78

$0.66 €0.59

-28.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$100

$16.87 €15.07

-67.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.55

$2.13 €1.90

-30.52%

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

$21.4K MX$396.9K

$33.9K €30.3K

-36.93%

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

$23.8K MX$441.2K

$38.1K €34.1K

-37.69%

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

$62.0 MX$1,151

$113 €101

-45.07%

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

$28.47 MX$529

$21.94 €19.60

29.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$634

$35.23 €31.47

-3.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,084

$91.2 €81.5

-36.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$455

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$122

$8.92 €7.97

-26.12%

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

$434 MX$8,064

$458 €409

-5.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$260.7K

$11.3K €10.1K

24.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,269

$71.6 €64.0

-4.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,018

$44.13 €39.42

24.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,059

$104 €93.3

6.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,154

$103 €92.1

12.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$841 €751

40.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$798 €712

-3.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.7K

$1,430 €1,277

79.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$1,173 €1,048

21.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.6K

$1,372 €1,226

-26.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

3.54

220.62%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Quarteira: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Quarteira

$798 48% 3.5% $27

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Quarteira

$214 12.9% 33.9% $110

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Quarteira

$197 11.9% 1.7% $3.5

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Quarteira

$145 8.8% 7.6% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Quarteira

$170 10.2% 36.5% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Quarteira

$109 6.6% 52.4% $38

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Quarteira

$29 * 1.7% 14.6% $3.7

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 $1,179 in Mexico City and $841 in Quarteira. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Quarteira pays 37% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $56 in Quarteira. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $214, with Quarteira cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇹 Quarteira

🕒 Local time

13:36 1:36 PM

19:36 7:36 PM

6 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

24,421

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Quarteira 8,810 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Quarteira

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 Quarteira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 27% 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: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $841 in Quarteira. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $458 in Quarteira. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Quarteira gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.