Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas: $743 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas
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Santa Lucía Milpas Altas Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$743

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

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 Lucía Milpas Altas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $743 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas.

Mexico City $1,548
Santa Lucía Milpas Altas $743

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $1,243 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas.

Mexico City $2,436
Santa Lucía Milpas Altas $1,243

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $1,743 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas.

Mexico City $3,323
Santa Lucía Milpas Altas $1,743

Living in Mexico City is roughly 108% more expensive than in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Santa Lucía Milpas Altas is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$6.65 Q 50.9

65.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$50.5 Q 386

-3.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$7.80 Q 59.6

39.74%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.29 Q 25.14

11.85%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.16 Q 8.87

40.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.91 Q 6.99

37.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$3.37 Q 25.74

-3.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$4.81 Q 36.80

14.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$2.12 Q 16.18

-19.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$3.01 Q 22.99

0.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$2.05 Q 15.65

-6.34%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.60 Q 19.85

5.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$6.44 Q 49.26

82.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$9.29 Q 71.0

2.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$13.03 Q 99.6

10.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$4.01 Q 30.66

-24.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.64 Q 12.54

15.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$2.93 Q 22.40

-32.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.64 Q 12.55

33.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.49 Q 11.41

28.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$2.15 Q 16.46

-13.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.74 Q 5.67

94.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$1.17 Q 8.94

8.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$3.97 Q 30.36

31.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$8.00 Q 61.2

102.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.74 Q 13.30

9.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.68 Q 20.49

57.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$5.38 Q 41.11

-62.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$10.32 Q 78.9

-48.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.34 Q 10.25

13.43%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$27.6K Q 210.7K

-19.90%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$25.2K Q 193.0K

-2.90%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$71.2 Q 544

-14.18%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$29.47 Q 225

-3.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$45.90 Q 351

-24.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$6.54 Q 50.0

1.83%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$334 Q 2,552

27.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$6,662 Q 50.9K

74.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$50.3 Q 385

34.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$47.10 Q 360

10.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$118 Q 900

-9.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$112 Q 858

0.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

11.62

-2.75%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Santa Lucía Milpas Altas: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

$280 37.7% 11.9% $38

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

$151 20.3% 26% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

$147 19.8% 3.3% $5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

$147 19.7% 18.1% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

$13 * 1.8% 81.2% $57

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

$5.4 * 0.7% 79% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $51.0 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $280, with Santa Lucía Milpas Altas cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇬🇹 Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

🕒 Local time

11:06 11:06 AM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

12,234

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 7.65 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.6 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Santa Lucía Milpas Altas 1,050 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

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 Lucía Milpas Altas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Santa Lucía Milpas Altas differ by about 108% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $743 including rent). Santa Lucía Milpas Altas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,322 in Mexico City and $1,115 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas 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.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $334 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas – a meal for two runs $51.0 versus $49.00 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $743 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Lucía Milpas Altas 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.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Santa Lucía Milpas Altas are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Santa Lucía Milpas Altas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 108% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.