Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and San Luis Rio Colorado

For one person, living is cheaper in San Luis Rio Colorado: $1,229 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
59

Cost of Living Index in San Luis Rio Colorado
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San Luis Rio Colorado Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

San Luis Rio Colorado

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,229

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in San Luis Rio Colorado

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 Luis Rio Colorado actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,229 in San Luis Rio Colorado.

Mexico City $1,608
San Luis Rio Colorado $1,229

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,860 in San Luis Rio Colorado.

Mexico City $2,549
San Luis Rio Colorado $1,860

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,491 in San Luis Rio Colorado.

Mexico City $3,490
San Luis Rio Colorado $2,491

Living in Mexico City is roughly 31% more expensive than in San Luis Rio Colorado, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, San Luis Rio Colorado is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$197

$11.95 MX$222

-11.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$898

$33.23 MX$617

45.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$192

$9.45 MX$175

9.52%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.5

$4.19 MX$77.9

-11.93%

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

$1.67 MX$30.95

$1.42 MX$26.35

17.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.50

$1.23 MX$22.85

3.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.3

$3.16 MX$58.7

0.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.6

$6.43 MX$119

-17.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.03

$1.72 MX$31.94

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.5

$2.93 MX$54.5

3.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.05

$1.76 MX$32.67

10.23%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.6

$3.10 MX$57.5

-6.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$8.46 MX$157

29.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$7.24 MX$134

27.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$281

$11.50 MX$213

31.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.6

$2.87 MX$53.4

6.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.05

$1.59 MX$29.60

22.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.61

$1.96 MX$36.44

3.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.99

$1.56 MX$29.02

48.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.79

$1.49 MX$27.59

36.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.43

$1.82 MX$33.71

-1.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.47

$1.45 MX$26.94

2.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.54

$1.04 MX$19.35

22.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.5

$4.39 MX$81.5

20.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$299

$7.98 MX$148

101.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.83

$2.21 MX$41.04

-10.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.0

$4.02 MX$74.7

5.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.67

$0.69 MX$12.74

-55.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$367

$32.51 MX$604

-39.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.13

$2.75 MX$51.0

-33.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.91

$2.20 MX$40.93

-75.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.3

$10.75 MX$200

-50.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.05

$1.50 MX$27.87

0.67%

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

$21.8K MX$404.0K

$24.2K MX$450.0K

-10.22%

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

$24.0K MX$445.4K

$23.6K MX$438.6K

1.57%

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

$63.0 MX$1,170

$46.01 MX$854

36.88%

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

$27.39 MX$509

$32.95 MX$612

-16.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$662

$29.62 MX$550

20.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,095

$32.11 MX$596

83.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$439

$19.37 MX$360

22.04%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$6.45 MX$120

-0.78%

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

$432 MX$8,015

$206 MX$3,817

109.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.1K

$4,436 MX$82.4K

157.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,267

$52.5 MX$975

29.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$987

$45.76 MX$850

16.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,002

$103 MX$1,909

4.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,178

$69.7 MX$1,295

68.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$572 MX$10.6K

94.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$428 MX$7,946

66.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.1K

$893 MX$16.6K

189.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.1K

$668 MX$12.4K

110.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.4K

$2,110 MX$39.2K

72.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.6K

$1,092 MX$20.3K

95.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

12.07

-5.97%

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 Luis Rio Colorado: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

San Luis Rio Colorado

$428 34.8% 39.8% $283

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

San Luis Rio Colorado

$263 21.4% 17.7% $57

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

San Luis Rio Colorado

$213 17.4% 7.5% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

San Luis Rio Colorado

$122 9.9% 21.8% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

San Luis Rio Colorado

$109 8.8% 13.9% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

San Luis Rio Colorado

$45 3.7% 37.3% $27

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

San Luis Rio Colorado

$49 4% 92.5% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $572 in San Luis Rio Colorado. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $33 in San Luis Rio Colorado for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $263 per month, with San Luis Rio Colorado cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇽 San Luis Rio Colorado

🕒 Local time

02:19 2:19 AM

01:19 1:19 AM

1 h behind Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

176,685

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City San Luis Rio Colorado 2,130 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
San Luis Rio Colorado

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 Luis Rio Colorado: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,229 in San Luis Rio Colorado, so San Luis Rio Colorado is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $1,843 in San Luis Rio Colorado 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $572 in San Luis Rio Colorado. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 39% less than in San Luis Rio Colorado. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $206 in San Luis Rio Colorado. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. San Luis Rio Colorado 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.