Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Silves

For one person, living costs are similar in Mexico City and in Silves: $1,567 and $1,629 a month, rent and utilities included.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Silves
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Silves Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Silves

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,629

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Silves

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 Silves actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $1,629 in Silves.

Mexico City $1,567
Silves $1,629

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $2,393 in Silves.

Mexico City $2,450
Silves $2,393

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $3,157 in Silves.

Mexico City $3,333
Silves $3,157

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 4% less than in Silves, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 16% above, Silves 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$13.54 €12.04

-20.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$47.10 €41.90

6.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$9.30 €8.28

19.35%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$1.92 €1.71

91.67%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$1.93 €1.72

-14.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$1.45 €1.29

-10.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$2.82 €2.51

17.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$3.42 €3.04

61.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.10 €0.98

60.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$1.47 €1.30

107.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$1.57 €1.40

28.03%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$3.39 €3.02

-18.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$11.90 €10.58

0.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$7.31 €6.50

27.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$14.47 €12.87

3.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$2.25 €2.00

36.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$1.34 €1.19

45.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$1.77 €1.57

14.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$2.57 €2.29

-14.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$1.82 €1.62

10.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$1.91 €1.70

-4.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.50 €1.34

1.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$0.79 €0.70

62.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$5.98 €5.32

-11.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$4.48 €3.98

259.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$1.22 €1.09

59.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$2.10 €1.87

102.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$2.28 €2.03

-86.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$41.98 €37.35

-52.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$3.80 €3.38

-47.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$1.15 €1.03

-53.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$18.40 €16.36

-69.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$2.07 €1.84

-26.57%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$33.9K €30.2K

-37.98%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$34.0K €30.3K

-25.96%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$120 €106

-47.79%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$19.84 €17.65

45.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$36.39 €32.36

-5.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$40.12 €35.69

42.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

$14.69 €13.07

68.89%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$8.33 €7.41

-19.93%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$419 €372

2.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$11.3K €10.0K

4.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$78.9 €70.2

-10.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$36.89 €32.81

40.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$84.4 €75.1

28.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$105 €93.0

7.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$944 €840

11.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$761 €676

-12.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$1,546 €1,375

51.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$1,194 €1,062

2.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$3,242 €2,884

9.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$2,241 €1,993

-11.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$948 €843

2.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

3.67

207.90%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Silves: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Silves

$761 46.7% 14.4% $95

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Silves

$244 15% 24.3% $78

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Silves

$194 11.9% 4.6% $9.3

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Silves

$137 8.4% 11.3% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Silves

$176 10.8% 39.9% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Silves

$57 3.5% 19.4% $14

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Silves

$61 3.7% 136% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,051 in Mexico City and $944 in Silves. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $47.00 in Silves for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $244 per month, with Silves cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇹 Silves

🕒 Local time

12:40 12:40 PM

19:40 7:40 PM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

37,776

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Silves 8,780 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Silves

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 Silves: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Silves differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($1,567 vs $1,629 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 3% 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 $944 in Silves. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 111% less than in Silves. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $431 in Mexico City versus $419 in Silves. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $1,629 in Silves, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Silves. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City 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.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Silves are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Silves. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.