Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Santa Cruz de La Palma

For one person, living costs are similar in Mexico City and in Santa Cruz de La Palma: $1,683 and $1,648 a month, rent and utilities included.

81

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz de La Palma
Learn more

Santa Cruz de La Palma Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,683

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz de La Palma

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,648

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,683 in Mexico City versus $1,648 in Santa Cruz de La Palma.

Mexico City $1,683
Santa Cruz de La Palma $1,648

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,616 in Mexico City versus $2,447 in Santa Cruz de La Palma.

Mexico City $2,616
Santa Cruz de La Palma $2,447

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,549 in Mexico City versus $3,246 in Santa Cruz de La Palma.

Mexico City $3,549
Santa Cruz de La Palma $3,246

Monthly costs are close between Mexico City and Santa Cruz de La Palma; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 26% above, Santa Cruz de La Palma 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.98 MX$203

$17.02 €15.17

-35.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.9 MX$961

$55.0 €49.05

-5.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 MX$195

$11.38 €10.14

-7.38%

Cappuccino

$3.67 MX$67.8

$2.35 €2.10

56.17%

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

$1.66 MX$30.72

$2.56 €2.28

-35.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.45

$1.84 €1.64

-34.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 MX$59.2

$3.44 €3.07

-6.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.34 MX$98.8

$3.93 €3.50

35.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 MX$31.70

$1.17 €1.04

46.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.95 MX$54.6

$1.50 €1.33

96.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.99

$1.56 €1.39

25.00%

Eggs

$2.84 MX$52.6

$3.31 €2.95

-14.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.86 MX$219

$14.02 €12.49

-15.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 MX$172

$8.31 €7.40

12.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.38 MX$284

$15.47 €13.79

-0.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 MX$57.8

$2.49 €2.22

25.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.94

$2.00 €1.79

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.70

$2.19 €1.95

-9.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.35 MX$43.54

$2.53 €2.26

-7.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.72

$1.83 €1.63

8.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.69

$1.96 €1.75

-4.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.20

$1.40 €1.25

8.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.76

$0.69 €0.62

85.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.16 MX$95.4

$6.37 €5.67

-19.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.13 MX$298

$5.50 €4.90

193.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 MX$38.22

$1.18 €1.06

75.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 MX$82.5

$2.15 €1.91

107.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 MX$6.11

$1.54 €1.37

-78.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.52 MX$361

$30.74 €27.39

-36.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$33.96

$3.31 €2.95

-44.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 MX$8.79

$1.34 €1.20

-64.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.50 MX$102

$25.31 €22.56

-78.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.31

$1.75 €1.56

-12.57%

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

$21.7K MX$402.3K

$34.1K €30.4K

-36.30%

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

$23.9K MX$442.0K

$30.3K €27.0K

-21.23%

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

$62.2 MX$1,150

$151 €135

-58.85%

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

$28.51 MX$527

$17.47 €15.57

63.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.82 MX$626

$29.05 €25.89

16.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 MX$1,019

$44.29 €39.47

24.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.93 MX$369

$15.56 €13.87

28.08%

Cinema Ticket

$6.53 MX$121

$9.15 €8.16

-28.63%

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

$428 MX$7,925

$480 €428

-10.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K MX$262.9K

$9,521 €8,485

49.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 MX$1,294

$84.9 €75.7

-17.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 MX$1,002

$36.51 €32.54

48.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,019

$88.5 €78.9

23.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,167

$111 €98.6

5.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,153 MX$21.3K

$907 €808

27.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$782 MX$14.5K

$689 €614

13.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,587 MX$47.9K

$1,324 €1,180

95.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,438 MX$26.6K

$1,073 €957

33.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,556 MX$65.8K

$3,346 €2,982

6.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,152 MX$39.8K

$2,223 €1,981

-3.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,082 MX$20.0K

$1,345 €1,198

-19.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

3.3

243.94%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 8, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz de La Palma: November 8, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$782 46.5%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$689 41.8% 11.9% $93

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$267 16.2% 17.8% $58

Eating Out

Mexico City

$202 12%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$241 14.6% 19.6% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$144 8.8% 8.5% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$198 12% 58.7% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$68 4.1%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$63 3.8% 8.1% $5.5

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$47 2.9% 87.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,153 in Mexico City and $907 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Cruz de La Palma pays 24% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $55 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $267, with Santa Cruz de La Palma cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇪🇸 Santa Cruz de La Palma

🕒 Local time

10:51 10:51 AM

16:51 4:51 PM

6 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

15,441

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.5 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.76 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Santa Cruz de La Palma 8,170 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Santa Cruz de La Palma

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 de La Palma: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Mexico City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,153 in Mexico City versus $907 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $428 in Mexico City versus $480 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $52 versus $55 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Santa Cruz de La Palma 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.