Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and San Luis

For one person, living is cheaper in San Luis: $1,158 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in San Luis
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San Luis Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

San Luis

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,158

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $1,158 in San Luis.

Mexico City $1,674
San Luis $1,158

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,982 in San Luis.

Mexico City $2,606
San Luis $1,982

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $2,806 in San Luis.

Mexico City $3,537
San Luis $2,806

Living in Mexico City is roughly 44% more expensive than in San Luis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, San Luis is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$8.58 ARS 13.3K

23.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$50.1 ARS 77.4K

3.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$8.69 ARS 13.4K

23.48%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.6

$2.11 ARS 3,262

80.09%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$2.34 ARS 3,614

-31.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$1.98 ARS 3,067

-38.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$3.33 ARS 5,142

-4.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$4.62 ARS 7,131

17.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$1.21 ARS 1,875

42.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$2.03 ARS 3,136

46.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$1.06 ARS 1,636

82.08%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$3.01 ARS 4,653

-7.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$14.55 ARS 22.5K

-19.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$6.37 ARS 9,842

48.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$11.12 ARS 17.2K

38.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$2.32 ARS 3,582

33.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$2.16 ARS 3,333

-9.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$1.37 ARS 2,113

44.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$3.17 ARS 4,904

-26.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$1.03 ARS 1,588

96.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$1.51 ARS 2,334

20.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$2.00 ARS 3,086

-23.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$2.48 ARS 3,830

-47.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$2.70 ARS 4,164

98.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$5.04 ARS 7,794

221.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$1.71 ARS 2,634

14.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$3.08 ARS 4,766

41.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$0.62 ARS 963

-51.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$0.65 ARS 1,006

195.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$0.99 ARS 1,522

-52.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$4.86 ARS 7,508

11.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.27 ARS 1,966

16.54%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$27.0K ARS 41.8M

-20.92%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$32.7K ARS 50.5M

-27.29%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$39.88 ARS 61.6K

55.44%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$16.80 ARS 26.0K

69.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$23.86 ARS 36.9K

42.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$31.50 ARS 48.7K

85.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

$20.86 ARS 32.2K

17.45%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$5.53 ARS 8,544

19.17%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$177 ARS 272.7K

145.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$4,156 ARS 6.4M

237.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$128 ARS 197.8K

-46.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$142 ARS 219.1K

-61.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$141 ARS 217.8K

-21.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,158

$159 ARS 246.2K

-27.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$522 ARS 807.0K

125.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$335 ARS 517.9K

129.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$1,058 ARS 1.6M

142.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$819 ARS 1.3M

73.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

$1,264 ARS 2.0M

63.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

-80.76%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Luis: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

San Luis

$335 29% 56.5% $436

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

San Luis

$272 23.5% 15.9% $51

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

San Luis

$163 14.1% 18.6% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

San Luis

$257 22.2% 62.9% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

San Luis

$81 7% 35.4% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

San Luis

$43 3.7% 40.5% $29

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

San Luis

$8.1 * 0.7% 67.7% $17

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 $1,179 in Mexico City and $522 in San Luis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $50 in San Luis for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $272 per month, with San Luis cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇦🇷 San Luis

🕒 Local time

07:35 7:35 AM

10:35 10:35 AM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

204,019

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1,545 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,730 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.78 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City San Luis 6,820 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
San Luis

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: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $1,158 in San Luis, so San Luis is about 31% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,510 in Mexico City and $1,737 in San Luis 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: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $522 in San Luis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $177 in San Luis. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Luis – a meal for two runs $50 versus $52 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,158 in San Luis versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in San Luis but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes San Luis 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.