Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Sao Caetano do Sul

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Caetano do Sul: $985 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Sao Caetano do Sul
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Sao Caetano do Sul Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Sao Caetano do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$985

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Sao Caetano 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 Sao Caetano do Sul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $985 in Sao Caetano do Sul.

Mexico City $1,608
Sao Caetano do Sul $985

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,686 in Sao Caetano do Sul.

Mexico City $2,549
Sao Caetano do Sul $1,686

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,388 in Sao Caetano do Sul.

Mexico City $3,490
Sao Caetano do Sul $2,388

Living in Mexico City is roughly 63% more expensive than in Sao Caetano do Sul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Sao Caetano do Sul is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$8.42 R$45.32

26.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$37.05 R$199

30.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$8.57 R$46.11

20.77%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$2.15 R$11.55

71.63%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$1.25 R$6.75

33.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$0.89 R$4.77

42.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$2.28 R$12.25

39.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$3.61 R$19.45

47.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.12 R$6.02

53.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.91 R$10.28

59.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.35 R$7.27

43.70%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$2.39 R$12.84

20.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$10.08 R$54.3

8.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$4.95 R$26.65

86.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$9.88 R$53.2

53.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$2.25 R$12.10

35.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.59 R$8.55

22.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$1.51 R$8.13

34.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$1.86 R$9.99

24.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$1.31 R$7.06

55.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$1.17 R$6.28

53.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$0.88 R$4.73

68.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.74 R$3.99

71.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$2.39 R$12.88

121.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$8.51 R$45.82

89.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$1.72 R$9.23

15.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$2.33 R$12.54

82.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.63 R$3.39

-50.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$1.22 R$6.59

50.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$0.90 R$4.85

-41.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$8.08 R$43.48

-34.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$1.24 R$6.68

21.77%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$21.9K R$117.7K

-0.53%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$31.5K R$169.8K

-23.96%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$98.0 R$527

-35.73%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$13.73 R$73.9

99.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$21.02 R$113

69.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$46.43 R$250

26.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$42.29 R$228

-44.10%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$9.04 R$48.63

-29.20%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$418 R$2,247

3.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$10.3K R$55.3K

11.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$61.3 R$330

11.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$52.4 R$282

1.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$93.0 R$500

15.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$86.5 R$466

35.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$393 R$2,114

183.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$287 R$1,543

147.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$796 R$4,282

225.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$788 R$4,242

78.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$1,689 R$9,091

114.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$1,367 R$7,359

56.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$877 R$4,720

7.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

10.81

5.00%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sao Caetano do Sul: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$287 29.1% 59.7% $424

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$215 21.8% 32.7% $105

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$146 14.8% 26.5% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$132 13.4% 15.4% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$133 13.5% 5.3% $6.7

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$65 6.6% 10.1% $7.2

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$8.2 * 0.8% 67.6% $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 $1,113 in Mexico City and $393 in Sao Caetano do Sul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 8% 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: $48 in Mexico City vs $37 in Sao Caetano do Sul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $215 per month, with Sao Caetano do Sul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇷 Sao Caetano do Sul

🕒 Local time

04:58 4:58 AM

07:58 7:58 AM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

165,655

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.01 BRL (1 BRL = 0.167 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Sao Caetano do Sul 7,440 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Sao Caetano 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 Sao Caetano do Sul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $985 in Sao Caetano do Sul, so Sao Caetano do Sul is about 39% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 8% 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $393 in Sao Caetano do Sul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $418 in Sao Caetano do Sul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sao Caetano do Sul – a meal for two runs $37 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Sao Caetano do Sul is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 – Sao Caetano 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.