Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Santos

For one person, living is cheaper in Santos: $1,150 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Santos
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Santos Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Santos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,150

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Santos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,150 in Santos.

Mexico City $1,548
Santos $1,150

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $1,736 in Santos.

Mexico City $2,436
Santos $1,736

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $2,322 in Santos.

Mexico City $3,323
Santos $2,322

Living in Mexico City is roughly 35% more expensive than in Santos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Santos is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$8.12 R$41.18

35.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$31.84 R$161

52.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$7.14 R$36.19

52.66%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.75 R$13.96

33.82%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.43 R$7.24

13.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.92 R$4.68

35.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$2.52 R$12.76

28.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$2.92 R$14.79

89.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.09 R$5.50

55.96%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.85 R$9.39

63.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.36 R$6.91

41.18%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.49 R$12.61

9.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$12.14 R$61.6

-3.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$4.86 R$24.63

96.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$9.91 R$50.2

45.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.11 R$10.69

43.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.23 R$6.23

53.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$1.99 R$10.07

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.85 R$9.37

18.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.35 R$6.86

42.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.29 R$6.56

44.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.16 R$5.87

24.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.95 R$4.80

33.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$2.35 R$11.89

122.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$7.98 R$40.46

102.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.33 R$6.76

42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$1.94 R$9.83

117.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$1.12 R$5.66

-69.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$49.37 R$250

-60.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$1.56 R$7.89

28.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.61 R$8.16

-67.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$17.80 R$90.2

-70.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.24 R$6.31

22.58%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$23.7K R$120.3K

-6.95%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$33.5K R$169.6K

-26.75%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$104 R$529

-41.44%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$11.95 R$60.6

139.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$21.90 R$111

57.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$28.96 R$147

94.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$57.0 R$289

-56.37%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$8.59 R$43.55

-22.47%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$280 R$1,418

52.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$10.2K R$52.0K

13.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$55.5 R$281

22.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$36.69 R$186

41.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$95.7 R$485

10.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$60.7 R$307

85.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$543 R$2,754

88.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$424 R$2,148

54.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$992 R$5,031

132.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$686 R$3,478

81.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$2,413 R$12.2K

49.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$1,776 R$9,004

8.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$584 R$2,958

65.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

12.79

-11.65%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Santos: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Santos

$424 36.9% 35.2% $230

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Santos

$219 19.1% 31% $99

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Santos

$147 12.8% 27.8% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Santos

$112 9.7% 26.5% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Santos

$138 12% 11.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Santos

$46 4% 33.8% $24

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Santos

$63 5.5% 148% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $543 in Santos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 65% 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: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $32.00 in Santos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $219 per month, with Santos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇷 Santos

🕒 Local time

06:32 6:32 AM

09:32 9:32 AM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

418,608

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Mexico City Santos 7,480 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Santos

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 Santos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Santos differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $1,150 including rent). Santos is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 65% 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: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $543 in Santos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Santos runs roughly 151% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $280 in Santos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,150 in Santos versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Santos but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Santos 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 Santos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.