Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Santa Cruz do Sul

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz do Sul: $866 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz do Sul
Learn more

Santa Cruz do Sul Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$866

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $866 in Santa Cruz do Sul.

Mexico City $1,674
Santa Cruz do Sul $866

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,393 in Santa Cruz do Sul.

Mexico City $2,606
Santa Cruz do Sul $1,393

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $1,919 in Santa Cruz do Sul.

Mexico City $3,537
Santa Cruz do Sul $1,919

Living in Mexico City is roughly 93% more expensive than in Santa Cruz do Sul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Santa Cruz do Sul is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$5.50 R$30.00

92.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$36.04 R$197

44.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$6.30 R$34.41

70.32%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.6

$2.33 R$12.70

63.09%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$1.24 R$6.77

29.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$1.02 R$5.59

18.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$2.25 R$12.27

41.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$2.70 R$14.77

101.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$0.91 R$4.94

89.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$1.53 R$8.34

94.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$0.98 R$5.35

96.94%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$2.21 R$12.05

25.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$9.89 R$54.0

18.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$4.38 R$23.89

116.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$9.10 R$49.68

68.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$2.23 R$12.19

39.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$1.35 R$7.39

45.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$1.24 R$6.79

59.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$1.48 R$8.05

58.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$1.11 R$6.04

81.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$1.01 R$5.50

80.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$0.79 R$4.31

94.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$0.74 R$4.01

77.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$2.28 R$12.44

134.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$7.34 R$40.07

120.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$1.09 R$5.94

79.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$1.99 R$10.86

118.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$0.94 R$5.14

-68.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$1.32 R$7.20

45.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$0.73 R$4.01

-35.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$7.69 R$41.99

-29.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.22 R$6.68

21.31%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$21.7K R$118.5K

-1.50%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$32.3K R$176.2K

-26.38%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$72.7 R$397

-14.77%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$11.41 R$62.3

149.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$20.47 R$112

66.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$26.21 R$143

122.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$6.74 R$36.79

-2.23%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$520 R$2,838

-16.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$22.8K R$124.7K

-38.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$46.12 R$252

48.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$53.1 R$290

3.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$94.2 R$514

17.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,158

$73.3 R$400

58.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$524 R$2,862

124.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$288 R$1,570

167.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$890 R$4,860

188.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$591 R$3,224

140.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

$372 R$2,029

169.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.5

-1.30%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz do Sul: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$288 33.2% 62.7% $483

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$189 21.8% 41.6% $135

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$116 13.5% 41.9% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$120 13.9% 23.8% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$105 12.1% 16% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$40 4.6% 44.5% $32

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Santa Cruz do Sul

$8.8 * 1% 65% $16

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $524 in Santa Cruz do Sul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $36 in Santa Cruz do Sul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $189 per month, with Santa Cruz do Sul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇷 Santa Cruz do Sul

🕒 Local time

04:30 4:30 AM

07:30 7:30 AM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

133,246

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Santa Cruz do Sul 7,410 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Santa Cruz do Sul

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 do Sul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $866 in Santa Cruz do Sul, so Santa Cruz do Sul is about 48% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 2.7 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 $524 in Santa Cruz do Sul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $520 in Santa Cruz do Sul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Santa Cruz do Sul – a meal for two runs $36 versus $52 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $866 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Santa Cruz do Sul but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Cruz do Sul 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.

It comes down to priorities – Santa Cruz do Sul wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.