Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Sao Joao da Boa Vista

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Joao da Boa Vista: $823 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Sao Joao da Boa Vista
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Sao Joao da Boa Vista Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

🇧🇷 Brazil

$823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Sao Joao da Boa Vista

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 Joao da Boa Vista actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $823 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista.

Mexico City $1,567
Sao Joao da Boa Vista $823

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $1,320 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista.

Mexico City $2,450
Sao Joao da Boa Vista $1,320

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $1,818 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista.

Mexico City $3,333
Sao Joao da Boa Vista $1,818

Living in Mexico City is roughly 91% more expensive than in Sao Joao da Boa Vista, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 16% above, Sao Joao da Boa Vista is 39% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$198

$5.62 R$28.22

91.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$924

$23.03 R$116

118.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$204

$7.07 R$35.45

57.00%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$67.8

$2.05 R$10.29

79.51%

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

$1.65 MX$30.27

$1.17 R$5.89

41.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$23.96

$0.92 R$4.62

41.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.0

$1.98 R$9.94

67.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$2.06 R$10.32

168.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.52

$1.07 R$5.37

65.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.1

$1.64 R$8.23

85.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.01

$0.98 R$4.90

105.10%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$50.9

$2.37 R$11.90

16.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$219

$10.01 R$50.2

18.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$5.00 R$25.09

86.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$276

$10.07 R$50.5

49.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.6

$1.95 R$9.80

57.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.79

$1.17 R$5.88

66.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.35

$0.97 R$4.89

109.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.71

$1.56 R$7.85

41.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.23

$0.83 R$4.15

143.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.50

$0.81 R$4.09

124.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$27.93

$0.78 R$3.90

94.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.54

$0.77 R$3.87

66.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$96.9

$2.35 R$11.80

124.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$296

$6.09 R$30.55

164.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$35.87

$1.18 R$5.90

65.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.2

$1.98 R$9.93

114.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.79

$0.87 R$4.38

-64.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$365

$44.48 R$223

-55.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.75

$1.57 R$7.89

27.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.81

$1.57 R$7.87

-66.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$103

$8.19 R$41.10

-31.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.94

$1.07 R$5.35

42.06%

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

$21.0K MX$386.7K

$19.8K R$99.3K

6.30%

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

$25.2K MX$463.0K

$33.3K R$166.9K

-24.32%

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

$62.5 MX$1,149

$95.3 R$478

-34.44%

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

$28.77 MX$529

$9.88 R$49.55

191.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$633

$19.70 R$98.8

74.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,050

$28.59 R$143

99.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$456

$31.76 R$159

-21.88%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$5.49 R$27.56

21.49%

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

$431 MX$7,924

$280 R$1,403

54.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$215.9K

$10.3K R$51.8K

13.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,302

$54.6 R$274

29.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$953

$37.79 R$190

37.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,001

$51.3 R$258

112.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,065

$60.7 R$304

85.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.3K

$349 R$1,753

200.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.2K

$203 R$1,018

227.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.1K

$678 R$3,402

245.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.6K

$465 R$2,333

163.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.3K

$1,581 R$7,931

124.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.4K

$1,031 R$5,175

91.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$17.9K

$659 R$3,307

47.88%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Sao Joao da Boa Vista: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$203 24.7% 69.5% $462

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$193 23.4% 40.3% $130

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$113 13.8% 44.2% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$92 11.2% 40.6% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$125 15.2% 0.6% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$40 4.8% 43.8% $31

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$57 7% 123% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,051 in Mexico City and $349 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 48% 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: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $23.00 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $193 per month, with Sao Joao da Boa Vista cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇷 Sao Joao da Boa Vista

🕒 Local time

13:28 1:28 PM

16:28 4:28 PM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

92,547

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.44 USD

100 MXN = 4.85 EUR

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 18.39 MXN (100 MXN = 5.44 USD). 1 EUR = 20.6 MXN (100 MXN = 4.85 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.62 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Mexico City Sao Joao da Boa Vista 7,320 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Sao Joao da Boa Vista

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 Joao da Boa Vista: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Sao Joao da Boa Vista differ by about 91% in total monthly costs ($1,567 vs $823 including rent). Sao Joao da Boa Vista is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 48% 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: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $349 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sao Joao da Boa Vista runs roughly 124% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $431 in Mexico City versus $280 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $823 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Joao da Boa Vista but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Joao da Boa Vista 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 Joao da Boa Vista gentler on the wallet – expenses run 91% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.