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

😐 Solo nomad: Mexico City is 51.8% more expensive than Sao Carlos without rent, and 83.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Mexico City is 49.6% more expensive than Sao Carlos without rent, and 73.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Sao Carlos
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.29 MX$231
$4.38 R$21.82
203.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$53.8 MX$933
$32.98 R$164
62.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.29 MX$161
$6.74 R$33.58
37.83%
Cappuccino
$3.61 MX$62.6
$1.74 R$8.68
107.47%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.56 MX$27.03
$1.12 R$5.55
39.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.12 MX$19.46
$0.67 R$3.36
67.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.13 MX$54.3
$1.42 R$7.06
120.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.71 MX$81.7
$2.91 R$14.47
61.86%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Sao Carlos
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.70 MX$29.54
$1.09 R$5.45
55.96%
White Bread (500g)
$2.77 MX$48.03
$1.57 R$7.82
76.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.96 MX$34.05
$2.57 R$12.80
-23.74%
Eggs
$2.60 MX$45.21
$2.24 R$11.14
16.07%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.94 MX$173
$9.45 R$47.08
5.19%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.10 MX$141
$4.17 R$20.75
94.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.50 MX$200
$7.81 R$38.88
47.25%
Apples (1kg)
$2.87 MX$49.84
$2.31 R$11.50
24.24%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 MX$30.07
$1.46 R$7.26
18.49%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.00 MX$34.73
$1.47 R$7.31
36.05%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.04 MX$35.38
$1.89 R$9.42
7.94%
Potato (1kg)
$2.08 MX$36.14
$1.53 R$7.61
35.95%
Onion (1kg)
$2.20 MX$38.12
$1.24 R$6.16
77.42%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 MX$25.24
$0.89 R$4.45
62.92%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.63
$0.72 R$3.61
48.61%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$74.2
$2.10 R$10.44
103.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.32 MX$249
$8.29 R$41.31
72.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 MX$30.62
$1.25 R$6.24
40.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.70 MX$64.2
$2.46 R$12.23
50.41%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Sao Carlos
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.35 MX$6.12
$0.87 R$4.31
-59.77%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.19 MX$333
$21.75 R$108
-11.77%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.34 MX$23.18
$1.38 R$6.85
-2.90%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.28 MX$4.83
$0.91 R$4.52
-69.23%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.33 MX$92.6
$3.30 R$16.45
61.52%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.34 MX$23.27
$1.01 R$5.01
32.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.1K MX$332.0K
$28.4K R$141.6K
-32.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.9K MX$414.5K
$29.3K R$145.9K
-18.47%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Sao Carlos
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$39.86 MX$692
$70.5 R$351
-43.45%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.78 MX$465
$14.94 R$74.4
79.25%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.36 MX$510
$18.22 R$90.7
61.14%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Sao Carlos
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.4 MX$927
$20.46 R$102
161.14%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.09 MX$453
$39.83 R$198
-34.50%
Cinema Ticket
$6.40 MX$111
$4.15 R$20.67
54.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Sao Carlos
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$440 MX$7,647
$311 R$1,548
41.75%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.8K MX$186.6K
$2,659 R$13.2K
304.34%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Sao Carlos
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.6 MX$1,000
$45.31 R$226
27.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.02 MX$781
$37.34 R$186
20.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 MX$1,801
$103 R$515
0.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 MX$1,874
$91.2 R$454
18.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Sao Carlos
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,013 MX$17.6K
$222 R$1,103
357.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$630 MX$10.9K
$221 R$1,098
185.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,162 MX$37.5K
$445 R$2,218
385.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,222 MX$21.2K
$486 R$2,423
151.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,793 MX$65.8K
$725 R$3,613
422.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,332 MX$40.5K
$883 R$4,397
164.14%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Sao Carlos
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,075 MX$18.7K
$686 R$3,418
56.62%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.34
10.67
6.28%

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

Last update for Mexico City: April 11, 2026

Last update for Sao Carlos: April 12, 2026

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

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