Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and San Dimas, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,463 in San Dimas, CA, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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
124

Cost of Living Index in San Dimas, CA
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San Dimas, CA Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

San Dimas, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,463

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in San Dimas, CA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,463 in San Dimas, CA.

Mexico City $1,548
San Dimas, CA $2,463

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $3,607 in San Dimas, CA.

Mexico City $2,436
San Dimas, CA $3,607

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $4,750 in San Dimas, CA.

Mexico City $3,323
San Dimas, CA $4,750

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 37% less than in San Dimas, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 14% above, San Dimas, CA 82% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$11.90 $11.90

-7.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$49.37 $49.37

-1.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$8.88 $8.88

22.75%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$5.85 $5.85

-37.09%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$3.52 $3.52

-53.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$2.46 $2.46

-49.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$7.59 $7.59

-57.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$8.21 $8.21

-32.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.09 $1.09

55.96%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$4.07 $4.07

-25.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$4.80 $4.80

-60.00%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$4.61 $4.61

-40.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$12.96 $12.96

-9.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$20.43 $20.43

-53.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$15.16 $15.16

-4.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$4.91 $4.91

-38.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.68 $1.68

12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$5.53 $5.53

-64.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$5.85 $5.85

-62.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$3.76 $3.76

-48.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$2.22 $2.22

-15.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.99 $1.99

-27.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$1.84 $1.84

-30.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$11.65 $11.65

-55.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$15.16 $15.16

6.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.99 $1.99

-4.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$4.24 $4.24

-0.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$1.70 $1.70

-80.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$6.15 $6.15

-67.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.77 $1.77

-70.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$26.08 $26.08

-79.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.56 $1.56

-2.56%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$28.9K $28.9K

-23.64%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$26.7K $26.7K

-8.25%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$167 $167

-63.34%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$67.9 $67.9

-57.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$59.7 $59.7

-42.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$41.86 $41.86

34.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$14.89 $14.89

-55.27%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$1,935 $1,935

-77.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$26.1K $26.1K

-55.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$57.6 $57.6

17.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$39.34 $39.34

32.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$93.9 $93.9

12.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$146 $146

-23.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$1,616 $1,616

-36.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$1,197 $1,197

-45.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$2,554 $2,554

-9.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$2,036 $2,036

-39.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$2,691 $2,691

34.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$2,449 $2,449

-20.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$4,063 $4,063

-76.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.39

76.84%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for San Dimas, CA: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

San Dimas, CA

$1.2K 48.6% 83% $543

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

San Dimas, CA

$456 18.5% 43.4% $138

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

San Dimas, CA

$270 11% 32.6% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

San Dimas, CA

$152 6.2% 0.4% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

San Dimas, CA

$294 11.9% 137% $170

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

San Dimas, CA

$72 2.9% 2.8% $2

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

San Dimas, CA

$22 * 0.9% 14.9% $3.8

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 $1,616 in San Dimas, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Dimas, CA pays 321% 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: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $49.00 in San Dimas, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $456 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇸 San Dimas, CA

🕒 Local time

15:03 3:03 PM

14:03 2:03 PM

1 h behind Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

35,714

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City San Dimas, CA 2,460 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
San Dimas, CA

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 Dimas, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and San Dimas, CA differ by about 59% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $2,463 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 321% lower in San Dimas, CA. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $1,616 in San Dimas, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $1,935 in San Dimas, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,463 in San Dimas, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in San Dimas, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City 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.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and San Dimas, CA are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in San Dimas, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.