Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP: $835 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP
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Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP

🇧🇷 Brazil

$835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP

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 Jose do Rio Preto SP actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $835 in Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP.

Mexico City $1,548
Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP $835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $1,288 in Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP.

Mexico City $2,436
Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP $1,288

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $1,742 in Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP.

Mexico City $3,323
Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP $1,742

Living in Mexico City is roughly 85% more expensive than in Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$4.43 R$22.44

148.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$27.29 R$138

78.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$9.07 R$45.98

20.18%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.37 R$12.02

55.27%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.32 R$6.69

23.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.80 R$4.06

56.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$1.95 R$9.88

66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$3.54 R$17.96

56.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$0.86 R$4.34

97.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.77 R$8.97

70.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.17 R$5.95

64.10%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.03 R$10.28

34.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$6.77 R$34.33

73.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$4.24 R$21.48

124.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$6.65 R$33.73

116.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.31 R$11.71

30.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.14 R$5.77

65.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$0.83 R$4.20

139.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.39 R$7.05

57.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.30 R$6.60

47.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.18 R$6.00

58.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.97 R$4.93

48.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.63 R$3.19

101.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$1.96 R$9.95

166.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$7.14 R$36.19

126.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.09 R$5.51

74.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.32 R$11.77

81.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$1.11 R$5.63

-69.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$29.19 R$148

-32.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$0.63 R$3.17

217.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$0.77 R$3.90

-32.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$6.81 R$34.50

-21.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.21 R$6.11

25.62%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$22.9K R$115.9K

-3.47%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$30.4K R$154.3K

-19.49%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$66.4 R$337

-8.00%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$13.68 R$69.4

108.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$18.93 R$96.0

82.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$21.99 R$111

156.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$19.77 R$100

25.85%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$3.92 R$19.85

69.90%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$274 R$1,390

55.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$7,947 R$40.3K

46.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$65.5 R$332

3.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$55.9 R$283

-6.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$89.7 R$455

18.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$45.32 R$230

148.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$422 R$2,139

142.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$265 R$1,343

147.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$603 R$3,055

283.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$461 R$2,336

169.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$2,150 R$10.9K

68.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$835 R$4,231

131.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$537 R$2,724

79.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

8.23

37.30%

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 Jose do Rio Preto SP: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP

$265 31.7% 59.5% $389

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP

$171 20.5% 46.2% $147

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP

$116 13.9% 42.9% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP

$115 13.8% 24.2% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP

$99 11.9% 20.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP

$30 3.6% 57.2% $40

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP

$38 4.6% 48.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $422 in Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 79% 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 $27.00 in Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $171 per month, with Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇷 Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP

🕒 Local time

06:37 6:37 AM

09:37 9:37 AM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

480,393

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Jose do Rio Preto SP 7,020 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP

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 Jose do Rio Preto SP: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP differ by about 85% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $835 including rent). Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 79% 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 $422 in Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP runs roughly 49% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $274 in Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $835 in Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP 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 Jose do Rio Preto SP gentler on the wallet – expenses run 85% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.