Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Santiago de Compostela

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago de Compostela: $1,443 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Santiago de Compostela
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Santiago de Compostela Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Santiago de Compostela

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Santiago de Compostela

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 Santiago de Compostela actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,443 in Santiago de Compostela.

Mexico City $1,608
Santiago de Compostela $1,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,226 in Santiago de Compostela.

Mexico City $2,549
Santiago de Compostela $2,226

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $3,008 in Santiago de Compostela.

Mexico City $3,490
Santiago de Compostela $3,008

Living in Mexico City is roughly 11% more expensive than in Santiago de Compostela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Santiago de Compostela 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$13.64 €12.25

-22.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$904

$67.6 €60.7

-28.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$9.43 €8.47

9.76%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.0

$1.94 €1.74

90.21%

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

$1.67 MX$31.14

$2.78 €2.50

-39.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.65

$2.13 €1.92

-40.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.7

$2.96 €2.66

7.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.2

$3.95 €3.55

34.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.23

$1.21 €1.09

42.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.8

$1.16 €1.04

162.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.27

$1.34 €1.20

44.78%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.0

$2.80 €2.52

3.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$9.15 €8.22

19.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$6.75 €6.06

37.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$16.50 €14.83

-8.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.0

$2.09 €1.88

45.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.27

$2.13 €1.91

-8.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.85

$1.49 €1.34

36.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.25

$2.84 €2.55

-18.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.03

$1.98 €1.78

3.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.63

$1.47 €1.32

22.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.64

$1.14 €1.03

29.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.69

$0.83 €0.74

53.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.1

$5.75 €5.17

-7.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$301

$4.91 €4.41

227.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.06

$1.43 €1.29

38.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.5

$2.37 €2.13

79.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.70

$1.26 €1.13

-75.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$369

$32.86 €29.53

-39.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.34

$4.90 €4.40

-62.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.97

$1.36 €1.22

-61.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.0

$18.97 €17.05

-72.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.23

$1.77 €1.59

-14.69%

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

$21.8K MX$406.5K

$34.9K €31.3K

-37.58%

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

$24.0K MX$448.2K

$29.7K €26.7K

-19.21%

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

$63.0 MX$1,177

$152 €137

-58.69%

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

$27.39 MX$512

$21.57 €19.38

26.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$666

$32.85 €29.51

8.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,101

$50.7 €45.56

16.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$442

$2.27 €2.04

941.41%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$10.20 €9.17

-37.25%

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

$432 MX$8,065

$335 €301

28.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$213.5K

$8,280 €7,440

37.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,275

$90.1 €81.0

-24.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$993

$64.1 €57.6

-17.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,014

$103 €92.1

5.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,191

$93.8 €84.3

25.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$739 €664

50.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$515 €463

37.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.4K

$1,070 €962

141.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

$868 €780

61.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.8K

$3,100 €2,786

17.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.9K

$2,153 €1,934

-0.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

$1,886 €1,694

-49.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

2.96

283.45%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Santiago de Compostela: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Santiago de Compostela

$515 35.7% 27.5% $195

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Santiago de Compostela

$239 16.6% 25.1% $80

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Santiago de Compostela

$203 14.1% 2.2% $4.3

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Santiago de Compostela

$158 10.9% 1.2% $1.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Santiago de Compostela

$207 14.3% 64.1% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Santiago de Compostela

$71 4.9% 0.9% $0.6

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Santiago de Compostela

$50 3.4% 94.8% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $739 in Santiago de Compostela. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santiago de Compostela pays 99% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $68 in Santiago de Compostela. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $239, with Santiago de Compostela cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇪🇸 Santiago de Compostela

🕒 Local time

12:07 12:07 PM

19:07 7:07 PM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

98,687

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Mexico City Santiago de Compostela 8,600 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Santiago de Compostela

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 Santiago de Compostela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Santiago de Compostela differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($1,608 vs $1,443 including rent). Santiago de Compostela is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 50% 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $739 in Santiago de Compostela. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 40% less than in Santiago de Compostela. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $335 in Santiago de Compostela. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Santiago de Compostela 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.