Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Santa Cruz

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz: $639 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
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Santa Cruz Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz

🇧🇴 Bolivia

$639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Santa Cruz

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $639 in Santa Cruz.

Mexico City $1,567
Santa Cruz $639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $1,172 in Santa Cruz.

Mexico City $2,450
Santa Cruz $1,172

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $1,704 in Santa Cruz.

Mexico City $3,333
Santa Cruz $1,704

Living in Mexico City is roughly 145% more expensive than in Santa Cruz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 16% above, Santa Cruz is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$2.00 BOB 23.19

437.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$16.80 BOB 195

199.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$5.10 BOB 59.2

117.65%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$1.77 BOB 20.52

107.91%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$0.49 BOB 5.72

236.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$0.43 BOB 4.97

202.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$0.86 BOB 9.97

286.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$1.24 BOB 14.35

346.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$0.71 BOB 8.23

149.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$0.94 BOB 10.88

224.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$1.03 BOB 11.93

95.15%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$1.06 BOB 12.27

161.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$3.15 BOB 36.56

278.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$2.58 BOB 29.92

261.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$4.98 BOB 57.8

201.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$1.82 BOB 21.12

69.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$0.62 BOB 7.24

214.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$0.76 BOB 8.81

167.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$0.73 BOB 8.48

202.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$0.74 BOB 8.55

172.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$0.67 BOB 7.75

171.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$0.57 BOB 6.66

166.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$0.63 BOB 7.36

103.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$1.92 BOB 22.25

174.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$4.32 BOB 50.2

273.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$1.02 BOB 11.86

91.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$1.64 BOB 19.01

159.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$0.24 BOB 2.78

29.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$22.48 BOB 261

-11.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$1.64 BOB 19.05

21.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$0.91 BOB 10.58

-41.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$6.31 BOB 73.3

-10.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$0.57 BOB 6.59

166.67%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$14.1K BOB 163.3K

49.53%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$19.3K BOB 223.6K

30.71%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$34.84 BOB 405

79.36%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$19.67 BOB 228

46.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$17.53 BOB 204

96.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$19.56 BOB 227

191.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

$12.84 BOB 149

93.22%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$5.86 BOB 68.1

13.82%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$112 BOB 1,303

283.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$2,950 BOB 34.2K

298.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$27.21 BOB 316

160.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$35.79 BOB 416

44.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$66.3 BOB 769

64.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$58.3 BOB 677

92.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$267 BOB 3,105

293.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$247 BOB 2,869

169.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$909 BOB 10.6K

157.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$830 BOB 9,630

47.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$1,299 BOB 15.1K

173.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$737 BOB 8,551

168.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$276 BOB 3,204

253.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.17

83.14%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Santa Cruz

$247 38.6% 62.8% $418

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Santa Cruz

$112 17.5% 65.3% $211

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Santa Cruz

$63 9.8% 69% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Santa Cruz

$84 13.2% 45.4% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Santa Cruz

$72 11.3% 42.7% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Santa Cruz

$31 4.9% 55.6% $39

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Santa Cruz

$30 4.6% 15% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,051 in Mexico City and $267 in Santa Cruz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 253% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $17.00 in Santa Cruz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $112 per month, with Santa Cruz cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇴 Santa Cruz

🕒 Local time

07:32 7:32 AM

09:32 9:32 AM

2 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,800,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Bolivian Boliviano BOB Bs.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 BOB = 8.61 USD

100 BOB = 7.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BOB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Bolivian Boliviano exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 11.61 BOB (100 BOB = 8.61 USD). 1 EUR = 13.05 BOB (100 BOB = 7.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Santa Cruz 5,700 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Santa Cruz

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 Cruz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Santa Cruz differ by about 145% in total monthly costs ($1,567 vs $639 including rent). Santa Cruz is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 253% higher in Mexico City, 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: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $267 in Santa Cruz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Santa Cruz runs roughly 13% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $431 in Mexico City versus $112 in Santa Cruz. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $639 in Santa Cruz versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santa Cruz but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Cruz 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.

Expats usually find Santa Cruz gentler on the wallet – expenses run 145% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.