Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Sao Bernardo do Campo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Bernardo do Campo: $807 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Sao Bernardo do Campo
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Sao Bernardo do Campo Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Sao Bernardo do Campo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$807

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Sao Bernardo do Campo

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 Sao Bernardo do Campo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $807 in Sao Bernardo do Campo.

Mexico City $1,548
Sao Bernardo do Campo $807

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $1,285 in Sao Bernardo do Campo.

Mexico City $2,436
Sao Bernardo do Campo $1,285

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $1,763 in Sao Bernardo do Campo.

Mexico City $3,323
Sao Bernardo do Campo $1,763

Living in Mexico City is roughly 92% more expensive than in Sao Bernardo do Campo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Sao Bernardo do Campo is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$6.93 R$35.11

59.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$30.15 R$153

61.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$8.92 R$45.20

22.20%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$1.86 R$9.43

97.85%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.40 R$7.10

16.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.72 R$3.66

73.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$1.21 R$6.14

168.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$2.02 R$10.23

173.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$0.89 R$4.50

91.01%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.63 R$8.25

85.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.22 R$6.21

57.38%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.00 R$10.16

36.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$10.01 R$50.8

17.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$4.50 R$22.81

111.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$8.85 R$44.85

62.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.60 R$13.18

16.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.39 R$7.05

35.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$1.41 R$7.14

41.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.62 R$8.22

35.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.29 R$6.53

48.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.00 R$5.07

87.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.91 R$4.61

58.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.93 R$4.73

36.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$2.21 R$11.19

136.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$7.59 R$38.48

113.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.27 R$6.43

49.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.01 R$10.17

109.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$1.07 R$5.42

-68.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$1.17 R$5.94

70.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$0.61 R$3.10

-14.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$2.95 R$14.98

81.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.14 R$5.78

33.33%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$23.8K R$120.5K

-7.11%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$32.4K R$164.4K

-24.41%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$80.4 R$408

-24.07%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$11.96 R$60.6

138.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$18.64 R$94.5

84.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$24.36 R$124

131.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$33.25 R$169

-25.17%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$6.78 R$34.35

-1.77%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$205 R$1,040

108.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$6,569 R$33.3K

77.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$38.76 R$197

74.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$39.91 R$202

30.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$84.2 R$427

25.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$52.7 R$267

113.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$352 R$1,786

190.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$231 R$1,172

183.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$780 R$3,953

196.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$444 R$2,252

179.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$1,578 R$8,000

128.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$1,118 R$5,666

73.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$532 R$2,696

81.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

2.73%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Sao Bernardo do Campo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Sao Bernardo do Campo

$231 28.6% 64.7% $423

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Sao Bernardo do Campo

$198 24.6% 37.6% $120

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Sao Bernardo do Campo

$123 15.3% 39.6% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Sao Bernardo do Campo

$97 12% 36.3% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Sao Bernardo do Campo

$111 13.8% 10.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Sao Bernardo do Campo

$38 4.7% 45.6% $32

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Sao Bernardo do Campo

$8.5 * 1.1% 66.8% $17

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 $1,025 in Mexico City and $352 in Sao Bernardo do Campo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 81% 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 $30.00 in Sao Bernardo do Campo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $198 per month, with Sao Bernardo do Campo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇷 Sao Bernardo do Campo

🕒 Local time

10:03 10:03 AM

13:03 1:03 PM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

810,729

💱 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 23, 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 23, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Sao Bernardo do Campo 7,450 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Sao Bernardo do Campo

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 Sao Bernardo do Campo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Sao Bernardo do Campo differ by about 92% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $807 including rent). Sao Bernardo do Campo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 81% 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 $352 in Sao Bernardo do Campo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $205 in Sao Bernardo do Campo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sao Bernardo do Campo – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $49.00 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $807 in Sao Bernardo do Campo versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sao Bernardo do Campo but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Bernardo do Campo 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 Sao Bernardo do Campo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 92% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.