Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Saint-Louis

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint-Louis: $837 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Louis
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Saint-Louis Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Saint-Louis

🇸🇳 Senegal

$837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Saint-Louis

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $837 in Saint-Louis.

Mexico City $1,548
Saint-Louis $837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $1,315 in Saint-Louis.

Mexico City $2,436
Saint-Louis $1,315

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $1,792 in Saint-Louis.

Mexico City $3,323
Saint-Louis $1,792

Living in Mexico City is roughly 85% more expensive than in Saint-Louis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Saint-Louis is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$3.45 F CFA 2,009

219.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$53.3 F CFA 31.1K

-8.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$11.12 F CFA 6,484

-1.98%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.34 F CFA 1,950

10.18%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.24 F CFA 725

31.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.91 F CFA 529

37.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$1.68 F CFA 982

93.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$4.37 F CFA 2,545

26.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$2.59 F CFA 1,509

-34.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$0.27 F CFA 158

1018.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.65 F CFA 963

16.36%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.40 F CFA 1,399

13.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$17.50 F CFA 10.2K

-32.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$9.12 F CFA 5,315

4.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$10.94 F CFA 6,378

31.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$3.24 F CFA 1,888

-6.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.85 F CFA 1,079

2.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$2.97 F CFA 1,729

-33.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.79 F CFA 1,042

22.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.36 F CFA 791

41.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$0.92 F CFA 535

103.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.09 F CFA 636

32.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.68 F CFA 397

86.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$2.18 F CFA 1,272

139.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$17.00 F CFA 9,911

-4.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.53 F CFA 891

24.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$3.33 F CFA 1,942

26.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$0.86 F CFA 502

132.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$2.19 F CFA 1,279

-76.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$16.98 F CFA 9,899

-68.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.61 F CFA 939

-5.59%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$50.3K F CFA 29.3M

-56.12%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$47.3K F CFA 27.6M

-48.23%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$204 F CFA 118.8K

-70.03%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$11.80 F CFA 6,883

142.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$45.79 F CFA 26.7K

-24.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$8.37 F CFA 4,882

-20.43%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$326 F CFA 189.9K

31.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$10.2K F CFA 6.0M

13.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$59.2 F CFA 34.5K

14.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$46.50 F CFA 27.1K

11.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$84.5 F CFA 49.3K

25.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$98.7 F CFA 57.6K

14.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$433 F CFA 252.2K

136.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

8.75

29.14%

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-Louis: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Saint-Louis

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Saint-Louis

$290 34.7% 8.7% $28

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Saint-Louis

$127 15.1% 37.8% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Saint-Louis

$130 15.5% 14.6% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Saint-Louis

$261 31.2% 111% $137

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Saint-Louis

$17 * 2% 76% $53

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Saint-Louis

$12 * 1.4% 53.8% $14

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 $433 in Saint-Louis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $53.0 in Saint-Louis. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $290, with Saint-Louis cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇸🇳 Saint-Louis

🕒 Local time

06:43 6:43 AM

12:43 12:43 PM

6 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

176,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 583 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Saint-Louis 8,670 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Saint-Louis

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-Louis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Saint-Louis differ by about 85% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $837 including rent). Saint-Louis is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,322 in Mexico City and $1,256 in Saint-Louis 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: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $433 in Saint-Louis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $326 in Saint-Louis. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Saint-Louis – a meal for two runs $53.0 versus $49.00 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $837 in Saint-Louis versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Saint-Louis but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Saint-Louis 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 Saint-Louis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 85% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.