Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Sao Carlos Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Sao Carlos

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Mexico City is 48.4% more expensive than Sao Carlos without rent, and 82.7% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Mexico City is 69.4% more expensive than Sao Carlos without rent, and 73% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Mexico City
Sao Carlos
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.38 MX$253
$4.6 R$25.55
190.87%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$52.7 MX$997
$32.65 R$181
61.50%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.31 MX$176
$6.78 R$37.65
37.32%
Cappuccino
$3.61 MX$68.3
$1.74 R$9.68
107.47%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 MX$30.91
$1.16 R$6.42
41.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.12 MX$21.14
$0.63 R$3.5
77.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.26 MX$61.7
$1.47 R$8.16
121.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.82 MX$91.1
$3.02 R$16.78
59.60%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Sao Carlos
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.65 MX$31.24
$1.09 R$6.04
51.38%
White Bread (500g)
$2.74 MX$51.7
$1.52 R$8.42
80.26%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.92 MX$36.28
$2.57 R$14.24
-25.29%
Eggs
$2.51 MX$47.53
$2.23 R$12.37
12.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.89 MX$187
$9.55 R$53
3.56%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.39 MX$159
$4.17 R$23.13
101.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.95 MX$226
$7.74 R$42.96
54.39%
Apples (1kg)
$2.87 MX$54.3
$2.33 R$12.94
23.18%
Banana (1kg)
$1.74 MX$32.85
$1.51 R$8.38
15.23%
Oranges (1kg)
$2 MX$37.81
$1.53 R$8.47
30.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.07 MX$39.14
$1.99 R$11.04
4.02%
Potato (1kg)
$2.05 MX$38.78
$1.53 R$8.47
33.99%
Onion (1kg)
$2.18 MX$41.22
$1.24 R$6.87
75.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.38 MX$26.16
$0.9 R$4.98
53.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.11 MX$21.06
$0.78 R$4.32
42.31%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.16 MX$78.6
$2.1 R$11.63
98.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.05 MX$209
$7.24 R$40.17
52.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.75 MX$33.16
$1.27 R$7.07
37.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.7 MX$70
$2.52 R$14.01
46.83%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Mexico City
Sao Carlos
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.38 MX$7.25
$0.93 R$5.17
-59.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.97 MX$359
$21.89 R$121
-13.34%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.36 MX$25.72
$1.31 R$7.29
3.82%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.28 MX$5.25
$0.96 R$5.34
-70.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.3 MX$100
$3.31 R$18.39
60.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 MX$25.63
$1.04 R$5.76
30.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.8K MX$354.6K
$29.1K R$161.3K
-35.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.4K MX$441.7K
$29.2K R$162.2K
-20.06%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Sao Carlos
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$39.97 MX$756
$71.1 R$395
-43.77%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.48 MX$519
$14.76 R$81.9
86.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.22 MX$571
$18.57 R$103
62.74%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Sao Carlos
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.6 MX$994
$20.55 R$114
155.96%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.84 MX$507
$39.92 R$222
-32.77%
Cinema Ticket
$6.32 MX$120
$4.22 R$23.42
49.76%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Sao Carlos
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$437 MX$8,258
$308 R$1,707
42.02%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.6K MX$199.9K
$2,678 R$14.9K
294.78%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Sao Carlos
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.2 MX$1,082
$46.58 R$259
22.84%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.14 MX$853
$36.53 R$203
23.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 MX$1,928
$101 R$560
1.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$109 MX$2,056
$90.6 R$503
20.01%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Sao Carlos
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,000 MX$18.9K
$219 R$1,218
355.61%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$622 MX$11.8K
$216 R$1,202
187.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,160 MX$40.8K
$439 R$2,437
391.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,235 MX$23.3K
$486 R$2,696
154.30%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,566 MX$67.4K
$693 R$3,845
414.77%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,480 MX$46.9K
$850 R$4,718
191.76%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Sao Carlos
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$867 MX$16.4K
$828 R$4,594
4.82%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.34
10.67
6.28%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Mexico City: October 28, 2025

Last update for Sao Carlos: October 29, 2025

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