Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Saltillo

For one person, living is cheaper in Saltillo: $1,297 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Saltillo
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Saltillo Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Saltillo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,297 in Saltillo.

Mexico City $1,608
Saltillo $1,297

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,064 in Saltillo.

Mexico City $2,549
Saltillo $2,064

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,830 in Saltillo.

Mexico City $3,490
Saltillo $2,830

Living in Mexico City is roughly 24% more expensive than in Saltillo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Saltillo is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$10.56 MX$198

0.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$49.01 MX$921

-1.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$6.41 MX$121

61.47%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$3.59 MX$67.4

2.79%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$1.32 MX$24.87

26.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$1.04 MX$19.54

22.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$2.20 MX$41.28

45.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$3.82 MX$71.7

39.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.42 MX$26.69

21.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$3.51 MX$65.9

-13.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.92 MX$36.08

1.04%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$2.20 MX$41.39

31.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$10.56 MX$198

3.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$8.27 MX$155

11.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$9.92 MX$186

52.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$2.68 MX$50.3

13.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.24 MX$23.34

56.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$1.66 MX$31.13

22.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$1.94 MX$36.51

19.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$2.19 MX$41.22

-6.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$2.53 MX$47.62

-28.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$1.18 MX$22.21

25.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$1.09 MX$20.50

16.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$4.24 MX$79.8

25.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$10.09 MX$190

59.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$2.33 MX$43.88

-15.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$1.48 MX$27.76

187.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.83 MX$15.66

-62.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$16.21 MX$305

21.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$2.65 MX$49.89

-30.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$1.92 MX$36.11

-72.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$16.00 MX$301

-66.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$1.46 MX$27.51

3.42%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$18.7K MX$352.0K

16.15%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$23.6K MX$444.0K

1.52%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$46.41 MX$872

35.70%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$33.09 MX$622

-17.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$29.04 MX$546

22.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$56.1 MX$1,055

5.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$13.31 MX$250

77.61%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$5.77 MX$108

10.92%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$245 MX$4,607

76.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$2,545 MX$47.8K

348.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$56.1 MX$1,053

21.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$55.0 MX$1,033

-3.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$83.7 MX$1,574

28.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$122 MX$2,293

-3.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$557 MX$10.5K

99.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$502 MX$9,430

41.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$944 MX$17.7K

174.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$942 MX$17.7K

49.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$546 MX$10.3K

564.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$885 MX$16.6K

141.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$766 MX$14.4K

23.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

10.53

7.79%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Saltillo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Saltillo

$502 38.7% 29.4% $209

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Saltillo

$270 20.8% 15.5% $50

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Saltillo

$175 13.5% 12% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Saltillo

$143 11% 8.5% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Saltillo

$109 8.4% 13.9% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Saltillo

$68 5.2% 5.7% $4.1

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Saltillo

$32 2.5% 24.9% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $557 in Saltillo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 24% 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: $48 in Mexico City vs $49 in Saltillo. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $270, with Saltillo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇽 Saltillo

🕒 Local time

04:40 4:40 AM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

864,431

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Saltillo 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Saltillo

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 Saltillo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,297 in Saltillo, so Saltillo is about 19% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 24% higher in Mexico City, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $557 in Saltillo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $245 in Saltillo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Saltillo runs roughly 18% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Saltillo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Saltillo wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.