Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Santa Clara de Valladares

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Clara de Valladares: $1,293 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Santa Clara de Valladares
Learn more

Santa Clara de Valladares Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Santa Clara de Valladares

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,293

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Santa Clara de Valladares

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 Santa Clara de Valladares actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,293 in Santa Clara de Valladares.

Mexico City $1,608
Santa Clara de Valladares $1,293

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,062 in Santa Clara de Valladares.

Mexico City $2,549
Santa Clara de Valladares $2,062

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,831 in Santa Clara de Valladares.

Mexico City $3,490
Santa Clara de Valladares $2,831

Living in Mexico City is roughly 24% more expensive than in Santa Clara de Valladares, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Santa Clara de Valladares is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$10.79 MX$201

-1.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$61.8 MX$1,152

-21.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$9.64 MX$180

7.37%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$3.55 MX$66.2

3.94%

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

$1.67 MX$31.05

$1.55 MX$28.82

7.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.58

$1.04 MX$19.29

22.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$3.14 MX$58.5

1.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$5.29 MX$98.5

0.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$1.84 MX$34.22

-6.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$2.59 MX$48.34

17.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.90 MX$35.41

2.11%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$2.60 MX$48.40

11.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$8.91 MX$166

23.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$8.53 MX$159

8.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$13.48 MX$251

12.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$3.47 MX$64.6

-12.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.56 MX$29.03

24.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.73

$2.20 MX$41.05

-7.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.12

$1.85 MX$34.48

24.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.91

$1.81 MX$33.72

12.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.53

$1.74 MX$32.40

3.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.56

$1.50 MX$27.88

-1.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.62

$1.16 MX$21.58

9.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.8

$4.58 MX$85.3

15.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$17.85 MX$333

-9.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.95

$2.09 MX$38.92

-5.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$3.83 MX$71.3

10.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

$0.60 MX$11.19

-48.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$34.46 MX$642

-42.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$3.29 MX$61.3

-44.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$2.55 MX$47.46

-79.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$10.94 MX$204

-51.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.14

$1.49 MX$27.67

1.34%

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

$21.8K MX$405.3K

$23.7K MX$442.0K

-8.31%

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

$24.0K MX$446.9K

$23.6K MX$439.2K

1.74%

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

$63.0 MX$1,173

$58.0 MX$1,081

8.53%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$26.73 MX$498

2.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$24.70 MX$460

44.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

$28.71 MX$535

105.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$18.33 MX$342

28.97%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$7.34 MX$137

-12.81%

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

$432 MX$8,041

$261 MX$4,856

65.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.8K

$4,999 MX$93.1K

128.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,271

$51.3 MX$955

33.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$44.60 MX$831

19.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,008

$98.9 MX$1,843

8.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,185

$95.5 MX$1,778

22.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$568 MX$10.6K

95.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$462 MX$8,614

53.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$1,010 MX$18.8K

156.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$818 MX$15.2K

71.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

$1,722 MX$32.1K

110.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$1,284 MX$23.9K

66.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.99

-5.34%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Santa Clara de Valladares: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Santa Clara de Valladares

$462 35.8% 34.9% $248

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Santa Clara de Valladares

$299 23.2% 6.3% $20

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Santa Clara de Valladares

$194 15% 2.1% $4.2

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Santa Clara de Valladares

$131 10.1% 16.2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Santa Clara de Valladares

$109 8.5% 13.2% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Santa Clara de Valladares

$43 3.4% 39.5% $28

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Santa Clara de Valladares

$53 4.1% 108% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $568 in Santa Clara de Valladares. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $62 in Santa Clara de Valladares. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $299, with Santa Clara de Valladares cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇽 Santa Clara de Valladares

🕒 Local time

01:38 1:38 AM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

2,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Santa Clara de Valladares 350 km

From you

Mexico City
Santa Clara de Valladares

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 Santa Clara de Valladares: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,293 in Santa Clara de Valladares, so Santa Clara de Valladares is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $1,939 in Santa Clara de Valladares 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 $568 in Santa Clara de Valladares. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 43% less than in Santa Clara de Valladares. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $261 in Santa Clara de Valladares. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,293 in Santa Clara de Valladares versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santa Clara de Valladares but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Clara de Valladares 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.