Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Saint Joseph, MO

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,485 in Saint Joseph, MO, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Saint Joseph, MO
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Saint Joseph, MO Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Saint Joseph, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,485

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Saint Joseph, MO

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 Saint Joseph, MO actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,485 in Saint Joseph, MO.

Mexico City $1,548
Saint Joseph, MO $2,485

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $3,629 in Saint Joseph, MO.

Mexico City $2,436
Saint Joseph, MO $3,629

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $4,773 in Saint Joseph, MO.

Mexico City $3,323
Saint Joseph, MO $4,773

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 38% less than in Saint Joseph, MO, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 14% above, Saint Joseph, MO 83% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$20.25 $20.25

-45.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$50.1 $50.1

-2.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$10.79 $10.79

1.02%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$5.09 $5.09

-27.70%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$2.14 $2.14

-23.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$1.10 $1.10

13.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$4.92 $4.92

-33.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$7.61 $7.61

-27.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$0.89 $0.89

91.01%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$3.26 $3.26

-7.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$6.10 $6.10

-68.52%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$4.67 $4.67

-41.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$11.63 $11.63

1.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$8.39 $8.39

13.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$14.71 $14.71

-2.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$6.98 $6.98

-56.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$2.16 $2.16

-12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$5.80 $5.80

-65.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$4.36 $4.36

-49.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$3.42 $3.42

-43.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$3.73 $3.73

-49.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.91 $1.91

-24.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$2.53 $2.53

-49.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$8.74 $8.74

-40.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$17.28 $17.28

-6.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.87 $1.87

1.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.45 $2.45

72.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$1.97 $1.97

-82.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$5.10 $5.10

-60.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.81 $1.81

-71.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$35.53 $35.53

-84.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.04 $1.04

46.15%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$27.7K $27.7K

-20.23%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$26.4K $26.4K

-7.16%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$147 $147

-58.44%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$47.87 $47.87

-40.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$66.0 $66.0

-47.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$40.97 $40.97

37.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$15.29 $15.29

-56.44%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$812 $812

-47.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$20.8K $20.8K

-44.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$47.92 $47.92

41.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$34.63 $34.63

50.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$89.1 $89.1

18.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$116 $116

-3.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$1,616 $1,616

-36.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$1,289 $1,289

-49.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$2,489 $2,489

-7.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$2,185 $2,185

-43.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$1,569 $1,569

130.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$1,566 $1,566

23.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$2,880 $2,880

-66.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.37

77.39%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Saint Joseph, MO: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Saint Joseph, MO

$1.3K 51.9% 97.1% $635

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Saint Joseph, MO

$403 16.2% 26.7% $85

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Saint Joseph, MO

$308 12.4% 51.2% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Saint Joseph, MO

$130 5.2% 14.9% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Saint Joseph, MO

$261 10.5% 110% $137

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Saint Joseph, MO

$72 2.9% 2.7% $1.9

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Saint Joseph, MO

$22 * 0.9% 13.9% $3.6

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 $1,025 in Mexico City and $1,616 in Saint Joseph, MO. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint Joseph, MO pays 199% 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: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $50.0 in Saint Joseph, MO for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $403 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇸 Saint Joseph, MO

🕒 Local time

04:20 4:20 AM

05:20 5:20 AM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

76,780

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Saint Joseph, MO 2,300 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Saint Joseph, MO

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 Saint Joseph, MO: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Saint Joseph, MO differ by about 61% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $2,485 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 199% lower in Saint Joseph, MO. 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: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $1,616 in Saint Joseph, MO. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $812 in Saint Joseph, MO. 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 $49.00 versus $50.0 in Saint Joseph, MO. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,485 in Saint Joseph, MO, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Saint Joseph, MO. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City 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.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Saint Joseph, MO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.