Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Salento

For one person, living is cheaper in Salento: $797 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Salento
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Salento Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Salento

🇨🇴 Colombia

$797

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $797 in Salento.

Mexico City $1,674
Salento $797

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,212 in Salento.

Mexico City $2,606
Salento $1,212

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $1,627 in Salento.

Mexico City $3,537
Salento $1,627

Living in Mexico City is roughly 110% more expensive than in Salento, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Salento is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$3.85 COP 12.5K

175.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$978

$23.41 COP 75.9K

121.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$202

$7.45 COP 24.2K

44.03%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.4

$1.56 COP 5,071

143.59%

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

$1.61 MX$30.35

$0.93 COP 3,013

73.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.81

$0.57 COP 1,855

112.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.8

$1.14 COP 3,698

178.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$2.14 COP 6,952

154.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.11 COP 3,599

54.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.8

$1.30 COP 4,231

128.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.24

$1.14 COP 3,708

69.30%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.2

$2.14 COP 6,946

29.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$220

$4.56 COP 14.8K

155.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$5.43 COP 17.6K

74.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$7.42 COP 24.1K

107.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.4

$2.46 COP 7,992

26.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.90

$1.09 COP 3,533

79.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.30

$1.30 COP 4,228

52.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.95

$1.11 COP 3,588

110.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.08

$1.15 COP 3,731

75.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.34

$1.13 COP 3,681

61.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.06

$0.87 COP 2,830

77.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.70

$0.65 COP 2,095

101.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$101

$2.35 COP 7,621

127.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$305

$9.34 COP 30.3K

73.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.87

$1.08 COP 3,511

81.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.9

$1.74 COP 5,630

150.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.74

$0.69 COP 2,234

-56.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$367

$29.71 COP 96.4K

-34.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.08

$1.48 COP 4,802

29.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.90

$1.70 COP 5,516

-72.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$6.08 COP 19.7K

-11.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.92

$0.96 COP 3,098

54.17%

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

$21.4K MX$402.2K

$17.7K COP 57.5M

20.50%

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

$23.8K MX$447.1K

$25.0K COP 81.2M

-5.16%

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

$62.0 MX$1,167

$83.6 COP 271.0K

-25.81%

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

$28.47 MX$536

$8.89 COP 28.8K

220.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$642

$22.56 COP 73.2K

51.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,099

$23.36 COP 75.8K

149.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$461

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$4.04 COP 13.1K

63.12%

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

$434 MX$8,172

$242 COP 786.0K

79.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$264.1K

$5,913 COP 19.2M

137.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,286

$57.8 COP 187.5K

18.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,031

$32.60 COP 105.7K

68.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,086

$84.6 COP 274.2K

31.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,183

$73.7 COP 239.1K

57.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.2K

$274 COP 888.6K

330.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$234 COP 758.3K

229.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.4K

$525 COP 1.7M

389.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

$418 COP 1.4M

239.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.5K

$1,417 COP 4.6M

153.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

$1,069 COP 3.5M

93.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

13.06

-13.09%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Salento: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Salento

$234 29.3% 69.7% $537

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Salento

$175 21.9% 46.1% $149

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Salento

$88 11% 56.2% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Salento

$112 14% 28.9% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Salento

$115 14.4% 7.7% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Salento

$31 4% 56.1% $40

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Salento

$42 5.3% 69.9% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $274 in Salento. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $23 in Salento for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $175 per month, with Salento cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇴 Salento

🕒 Local time

01:36 1:36 AM

02:36 2:36 AM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

9,748

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,636 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Salento 3,040 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Salento

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 Salento: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $797 in Salento, so Salento is about 52% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,510 in Mexico City and $1,196 in Salento 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: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $274 in Salento. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 34% less than in Salento. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $242 in Salento. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $797 in Salento versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Salento but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Salento 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.