Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Salvador

For one person, living is cheaper in Salvador: $977 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Salvador
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Salvador Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Salvador

🇧🇷 Brazil

$977

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $977 in Salvador.

Mexico City $1,567
Salvador $977

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $1,501 in Salvador.

Mexico City $2,450
Salvador $1,501

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $2,024 in Salvador.

Mexico City $3,333
Salvador $2,024

Living in Mexico City is roughly 60% more expensive than in Salvador, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 16% above, Salvador is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$8.31 R$42.12

29.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$36.15 R$183

39.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$7.90 R$40.06

40.51%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.59 R$13.15

42.08%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$1.33 R$6.73

24.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$0.88 R$4.46

47.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$2.53 R$12.84

31.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$4.02 R$20.40

37.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.42 R$7.20

24.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$1.53 R$7.76

99.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$1.26 R$6.38

59.52%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$2.11 R$10.70

31.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$9.44 R$47.86

26.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$4.53 R$22.98

105.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$7.08 R$35.90

112.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$2.16 R$10.93

42.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$1.55 R$7.86

25.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$1.17 R$5.94

73.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$1.38 R$6.99

60.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$1.09 R$5.55

85.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$1.33 R$6.75

36.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$0.79 R$4.03

92.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$1.11 R$5.65

15.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$2.43 R$12.31

116.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$6.09 R$30.86

164.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$1.29 R$6.54

51.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$2.04 R$10.32

108.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$1.21 R$6.15

-74.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$59.7 R$303

-66.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$1.67 R$8.46

19.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$1.19 R$6.02

-55.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$9.79 R$49.63

-42.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.34 R$6.77

13.43%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$23.4K R$118.5K

-10.04%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$33.3K R$168.8K

-24.40%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$94.2 R$478

-33.67%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$9.72 R$49.30

195.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$17.47 R$88.6

97.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$26.01 R$132

119.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

$17.77 R$90.1

39.62%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$7.50 R$38.01

-11.07%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$373 R$1,890

15.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$15.6K R$78.9K

-24.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$58.9 R$298

20.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$35.45 R$180

46.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$89.2 R$452

22.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$83.1 R$421

35.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$526 R$2,669

99.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$279 R$1,416

138.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$949 R$4,810

147.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$456 R$2,310

169.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$2,145 R$10.9K

65.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$1,372 R$6,956

44.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$397 R$2,010

145.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

13.00%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Salvador: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Salvador

$279 28.6% 58% $386

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Salvador

$192 19.7% 40.5% $131

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Salvador

$151 15.4% 25.7% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Salvador

$120 12.3% 22.5% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Salvador

$121 12.4% 3.4% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Salvador

$41 4.2% 41.8% $29

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Salvador

$72 7.4% 180% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,051 in Mexico City and $526 in Salvador. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 146% 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: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $36.00 in Salvador for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $192 per month, with Salvador cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇷 Salvador

🕒 Local time

07:31 7:31 AM

10:31 10:31 AM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

2,417,678

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Salvador 7,550 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Salvador

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 Salvador: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Salvador differ by about 60% in total monthly costs ($1,567 vs $977 including rent). Salvador is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 146% 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: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $526 in Salvador. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Salvador runs roughly 201% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $431 in Mexico City versus $373 in Salvador. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $977 in Salvador versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Salvador but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Salvador 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 Salvador gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.