Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Santa Barbara Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Santa Barbara

πŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Mexico City is 17.5% cheaper than Santa Barbara without rent, and 4.1% cheaper with rent.
πŸ™‚ Family of 3: Mexico City is 9.3% cheaper than Santa Barbara without rent, and 3.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Santa Barbara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.38 MX$253
$11.03 β‚‘5,520
21.31%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$52.7 MX$997
$58.7 β‚‘29.4K
-10.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.31 MX$176
$10.07 β‚‘5,043
-7.55%
Cappuccino
$3.61 MX$68.3
$3.94 β‚‘1,971
-8.38%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 MX$30.91
$1.96 β‚‘984
-16.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.12 MX$21.14
$1.57 β‚‘788
-28.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.26 MX$61.7
$3.05 β‚‘1,526
6.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.82 MX$91.1
$4.8 β‚‘2,404
0.42%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Santa Barbara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.65 MX$31.24
$1.98 β‚‘991
-16.67%
White Bread (500g)
$2.74 MX$51.7
$2.84 β‚‘1,423
-3.52%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.92 MX$36.28
$2.12 β‚‘1,064
-9.43%
Eggs
$2.51 MX$47.53
$2.91 β‚‘1,454
-13.75%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.89 MX$187
$8.79 β‚‘4,400
12.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.39 MX$159
$9.16 β‚‘4,585
-8.41%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.95 MX$226
$13.92 β‚‘6,968
-14.15%
Apples (1kg)
$2.87 MX$54.3
$4.53 β‚‘2,266
-36.64%
Banana (1kg)
$1.74 MX$32.85
$1.31 β‚‘655
32.82%
Oranges (1kg)
$2 MX$37.81
$2.42 β‚‘1,212
-17.36%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.07 MX$39.14
$3.59 β‚‘1,798
-42.34%
Potato (1kg)
$2.05 MX$38.78
$3.02 β‚‘1,511
-32.12%
Onion (1kg)
$2.18 MX$41.22
$2.92 β‚‘1,461
-25.34%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.38 MX$26.16
$0.72 β‚‘359
91.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.11 MX$21.06
$2.83 β‚‘1,415
-60.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.16 MX$78.6
$5.33 β‚‘2,667
-21.95%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.05 MX$209
$12.09 β‚‘6,052
-8.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.75 MX$33.16
$2.46 β‚‘1,231
-28.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.7 MX$70
$2.85 β‚‘1,428
29.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Santa Barbara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.38 MX$7.25
$1.01 β‚‘504
-62.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.97 MX$359
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.36 MX$25.72
$1.84 β‚‘922
-26.09%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.28 MX$5.25
$0.95 β‚‘473
-70.53%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.3 MX$100
$8.09 β‚‘4,050
-34.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 MX$25.63
$1.39 β‚‘695
-2.16%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.8K MX$354.6K
$37.1K β‚‘18.6M
-49.50%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.4K MX$441.7K
$32.9K β‚‘16.5M
-29.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Santa Barbara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$39.97 MX$756
$66.8 β‚‘33.5K
-40.18%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.48 MX$519
$26.29 β‚‘13.2K
4.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.22 MX$571
$60 β‚‘30K
-49.60%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Santa Barbara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.6 MX$994
$56.5 β‚‘28.3K
-6.97%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.84 MX$507
$23.94 β‚‘12K
12.11%
Cinema Ticket
$6.32 MX$120
$9.15 β‚‘4,580
-30.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Santa Barbara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$437 MX$8,258
$572 β‚‘286.1K
-23.58%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.6K MX$199.9K
$12.8K β‚‘6.4M
-17.57%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Santa Barbara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.2 MX$1,082
$62.5 β‚‘31.3K
-8.45%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.14 MX$853
$50.5 β‚‘25.3K
-10.53%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 MX$1,928
$126 β‚‘63.1K
-19.05%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$109 MX$2,056
$109 β‚‘54.3K
0.18%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Santa Barbara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,000 MX$18.9K
$752 β‚‘376.5K
32.89%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$622 MX$11.8K
$585 β‚‘293K
6.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,160 MX$40.8K
$1,537 β‚‘769.3K
40.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,235 MX$23.3K
$980 β‚‘490.7K
26.00%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,566 MX$67.4K
$1,666 β‚‘834.1K
114.01%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,480 MX$46.9K
$1,661 β‚‘831.4K
49.33%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Santa Barbara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$867 MX$16.4K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.34
9
26.00%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 28, 2025

Last update for Santa Barbara: October 28, 2025

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