Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and San Salvador

For one person, living is cheaper in San Salvador: $1,622 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $620 less a year. The total is higher in Mexico City despite lower rent and utilities.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in San Salvador
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San Salvador Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

San Salvador

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,622

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $1,622 in San Salvador.

Mexico City $1,674
San Salvador $1,622

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $2,452 in San Salvador.

Mexico City $2,606
San Salvador $2,452

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $3,283 in San Salvador.

Mexico City $3,537
San Salvador $3,283

Living in Mexico City is roughly 3% more expensive than in San Salvador, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 24% above, San Salvador 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$6.70 $6.70

58.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$966

$45.70 $45.70

13.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$6.87 $6.87

56.19%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.6

$3.53 $3.53

7.65%

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

$1.61 MX$29.99

$1.12 $1.12

43.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.54

$0.80 $0.80

51.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$1.95 $1.95

63.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$3.63 $3.63

49.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.94

$1.81 $1.81

-4.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$2.84 $2.84

4.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.82

$1.37 $1.37

40.88%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$3.09 $3.09

-10.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$7.52 $7.52

55.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$7.02 $7.02

35.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$10.45 $10.45

47.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.7

$4.99 $4.99

-37.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$1.41 $1.41

39.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.86

$2.57 $2.57

-22.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.43

$3.51 $3.51

-33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.63

$2.86 $2.86

-29.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.93

$3.30 $3.30

-44.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.72

$0.95 $0.95

62.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.40

$0.92 $0.92

42.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.5

$4.05 $4.05

32.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$12.07 $12.07

34.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.43

$2.28 $2.28

-14.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.9

$2.87 $2.87

51.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$0.29 $0.29

3.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

$15.05 $15.05

29.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.66

$5.85 $5.85

-67.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.79

$2.93 $2.93

-83.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$20.22 $20.22

-73.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.59

$1.31 $1.31

12.98%

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

$21.4K MX$397.5K

$24.7K $24.7K

-13.65%

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

$23.8K MX$441.8K

$27.7K $27.7K

-14.20%

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

$62.0 MX$1,153

$130 $130

-52.37%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$21.09 $21.09

34.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$634

$41.77 $41.77

-18.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,086

$29.78 $29.78

96.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

$21.91 $21.91

11.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$4.87 $4.87

35.32%

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

$434 MX$8,076

$161 $161

169.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.0K

$6,704 $6,704

109.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,271

$68.0 $68.0

0.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,019

$46.36 $46.36

18.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,062

$120 $120

-7.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,157

$118 $118

-1.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$910 $910

29.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$767 $767

0.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$1,835 $1,835

40.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$1,370 $1,370

3.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

$2,817 $2,817

27.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

$1,855 $1,855

11.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.6K

$380 $380

163.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

8.5

33.53%

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 Salvador: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

San Salvador

$767 47.3% 0.4% $3.4

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

San Salvador

$286 17.6% 11.6% $38

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

San Salvador

$141 8.7% 29.6% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

San Salvador

$158 9.8% 0.6% $1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

San Salvador

$193 11.9% 54.9% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

San Salvador

$40 2.4% 44.8% $32

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

San Salvador

$37 2.3% 46.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $910 in San Salvador. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $46 in San Salvador for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $286 per month, with San Salvador cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇸🇻 San Salvador

🕒 Local time

18:46 6:46 PM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

316,090 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 18.6 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City San Salvador 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
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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 Salvador: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $1,622 in San Salvador, so San Salvador is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 2.6 times higher, 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: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $910 in San Salvador. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in San Salvador runs roughly 23% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $161 in San Salvador. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though San Salvador 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.

Expats usually find San Salvador gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.