Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and San Francisco

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,668 in San Francisco, rent and utilities included – about $720 less a year. The total is higher in San Francisco despite lower rent and utilities.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in San Francisco
Learn more

San Francisco Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

San Francisco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,668 in San Francisco.

Mexico City $1,608
San Francisco $1,668

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,674 in San Francisco.

Mexico City $2,549
San Francisco $2,674

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $3,680 in San Francisco.

Mexico City $3,490
San Francisco $3,680

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 4% less than in San Francisco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, San Francisco 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$197

$10.03 ₡4,509

5.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$898

$61.7 ₡27.7K

-21.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$192

$11.13 ₡5,007

-7.01%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.5

$4.56 ₡2,051

-19.08%

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

$1.67 MX$30.95

$1.29 ₡582

29.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.50

$1.71 ₡771

-25.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.3

$3.37 ₡1,515

-5.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.6

$4.48 ₡2,013

18.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.03

$2.43 ₡1,091

-29.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.5

$3.03 ₡1,363

0.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.05

$2.39 ₡1,075

-18.83%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.6

$3.44 ₡1,547

-15.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$10.88 ₡4,894

0.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$10.40 ₡4,675

-11.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$281

$13.82 ₡6,216

9.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.6

$5.21 ₡2,345

-41.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.05

$1.65 ₡743

17.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.61

$4.79 ₡2,153

-57.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.99

$3.87 ₡1,738

-40.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.79

$3.92 ₡1,764

-47.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.43

$3.74 ₡1,684

-51.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.47

$1.09 ₡490

35.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.54

$3.10 ₡1,396

-59.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.5

$5.82 ₡2,616

-8.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$299

$19.69 ₡8,852

-18.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.83

$2.85 ₡1,281

-30.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.0

$3.55 ₡1,594

19.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.67

$1.37 ₡618

-77.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$367

$65.9 ₡29.6K

-70.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.13

$1.74 ₡784

5.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.91

$1.62 ₡728

-67.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.3

$8.88 ₡3,994

-40.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.05

$1.53 ₡686

-1.31%

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

$21.8K MX$404.0K

$34.0K ₡15.3M

-36.03%

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

$24.0K MX$445.4K

$42.8K ₡19.3M

-44.01%

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

$63.0 MX$1,170

$76.4 ₡34.3K

-17.51%

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

$27.39 MX$509

$32.60 ₡14.7K

-15.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$662

$48.89 ₡22.0K

-27.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,095

$68.8 ₡30.9K

-14.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$439

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$7.52 ₡3,382

-14.89%

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

$432 MX$8,015

$989 ₡444.7K

-56.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.1K

$17.1K ₡7.7M

-33.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,267

$70.4 ₡31.7K

-3.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$987

$56.9 ₡25.6K

-6.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,002

$65.6 ₡29.5K

64.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,178

$54.7 ₡24.6K

114.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$799 ₡359.1K

39.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$628 ₡282.3K

13.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.1K

$1,905 ₡856.5K

35.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.1K

$1,287 ₡578.8K

9.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$895 ₡402.6K

5.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

8.62

31.67%

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 Francisco: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

San Francisco

$628 37.6% 11.6% $83

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

San Francisco

$400 24% 25.2% $80

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

San Francisco

$206 12.4% 3.8% $7.6

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

San Francisco

$111 6.7% 28.5% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

San Francisco

$158 9.5% 25.2% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

San Francisco

$84 5% 16.9% $12

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

San Francisco

$81 4.9% 219% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $799 in San Francisco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 6% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $62 in San Francisco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $400 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇷 San Francisco

🕒 Local time

00:12 12:12 AM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

55,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City San Francisco 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
San Francisco

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 Francisco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,668 in San Francisco, so Mexico City is about 4% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 6% 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 $799 in San Francisco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 70% less than in San Francisco. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $989 in San Francisco. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.