Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and San Antonio

For one person, living is cheaper in San Antonio: $607 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
29

Cost of Living Index in San Antonio
Learn more

San Antonio Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

San Antonio

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in San Antonio

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $607 in San Antonio.

Mexico City $1,608
San Antonio $607

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,032 in San Antonio.

Mexico City $2,549
San Antonio $1,032

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,458 in San Antonio.

Mexico City $3,490
San Antonio $1,458

Living in Mexico City is roughly 165% more expensive than in San Antonio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, San Antonio is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$6.80 ₲40.6K

56.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$43.91 ₲261.9K

10.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$6.77 ₲40.4K

52.88%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$3.52 ₲21.0K

4.83%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$1.08 ₲6,459

54.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$0.60 ₲3,595

111.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$2.04 ₲12.2K

56.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$1.80 ₲10.7K

195.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$1.31 ₲7,813

31.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.51 ₲9,036

101.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$1.32 ₲7,853

46.97%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$2.39 ₲14.2K

20.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$9.94 ₲59.3K

10.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$5.27 ₲31.4K

75.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$10.22 ₲61.0K

48.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$2.98 ₲17.8K

2.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$1.32 ₲7,846

46.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$1.17 ₲7,002

73.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$2.41 ₲14.4K

-4.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$1.35 ₲8,060

51.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$1.30 ₲7,725

38.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$0.88 ₲5,240

68.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$0.78 ₲4,627

62.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$2.41 ₲14.4K

119.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$9.28 ₲55.3K

73.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$1.37 ₲8,177

44.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$1.77 ₲10.6K

140.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$1.52 ₲9,072

21.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$1.52 ₲9,059

-65.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$10.39 ₲62.0K

-48.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$1.27 ₲7,568

18.90%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$17.1K ₲101.7M

27.56%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$30.5K ₲181.8M

-21.30%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$50.7 ₲302.3K

24.29%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$17.70 ₲105.6K

54.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$22.10 ₲131.8K

61.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$8.92 ₲53.2K

-28.25%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$184 ₲1.1M

134.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$5,737 ₲34.2M

99.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$65.0 ₲387.9K

4.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$56.1 ₲334.9K

-5.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$105 ₲627.7K

2.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$71.2 ₲424.6K

64.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

10.5

8.10%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for San Antonio: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

San Antonio

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

San Antonio

$218 35.9% 31.8% $102

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

San Antonio

$138 22.7% 30.7% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

San Antonio

$134 22.1% 14.1% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

San Antonio

$90 14.9% 28.2% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

San Antonio

$18 * 2.9% 75.1% $54

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

San Antonio

$9.1 * 1.5% 64.2% $16

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $44 in San Antonio for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $218 per month, with San Antonio cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇾 San Antonio

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

21:40 9:40 PM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

68,127

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

10,000 PYG = 1.68 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PYG, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 5,965 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.68 USD). 1 EUR = 6,660 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.5 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City San Antonio 6,710 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
San Antonio

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 San Antonio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $607 in San Antonio, so San Antonio is about 62% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $910 in San Antonio 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.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $184 in San Antonio. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Antonio – a meal for two runs $44 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $607 in San Antonio versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in San Antonio but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes San Antonio 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.