Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Simpson Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $3,879 in Simpson Bay, rent and utilities included – about $27,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Simpson Bay

🇸🇽 Sint Maarten

$3,879

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Simpson Bay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $3,879 in Simpson Bay.

Mexico City $1,567
Simpson Bay $3,879

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $6,586 in Simpson Bay.

Mexico City $2,450
Simpson Bay $6,586

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $9,293 in Simpson Bay.

Mexico City $3,333
Simpson Bay $9,293

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 60% less than in Simpson Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 16% above, Simpson Bay 187% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$19.30 ANG 34.54

-44.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$132 ANG 236

-61.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$13.10 ANG 23.44

-15.27%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$4.45 ANG 7.96

-17.30%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$2.96 ANG 5.29

-44.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$2.92 ANG 5.23

-55.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$5.45 ANG 9.76

-39.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$4.12 ANG 7.37

34.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$4.09 ANG 7.32

-56.72%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$2.75 ANG 4.92

10.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$2.93 ANG 5.25

-31.40%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$4.50 ANG 8.06

-38.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$24.59 ANG 44.02

-51.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$13.46 ANG 24.10

-30.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$17.21 ANG 30.80

-12.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$4.28 ANG 7.65

-28.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$3.51 ANG 6.29

-44.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$6.55 ANG 11.72

-69.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$5.07 ANG 9.08

-56.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$4.02 ANG 7.20

-49.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$3.51 ANG 6.29

-48.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$2.92 ANG 5.23

-47.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$1.44 ANG 2.58

-11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$14.87 ANG 26.62

8.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$1.70 ANG 3.05

150.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$3.05 ANG 5.45

-89.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$15.20 ANG 27.21

-86.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.31 ANG 2.34

16.03%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$506 ANG 906

-87.65%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$34.60 ANG 61.9

-16.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$88.9 ANG 159

-61.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$75.5 ANG 135

-24.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$7.97 ANG 14.27

-16.31%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$753 ANG 1,348

-42.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$11.9K ANG 21.3K

-1.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$49.79 ANG 89.1

42.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$39.25 ANG 70.3

32.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$101 ANG 181

7.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$59.8 ANG 107

87.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$2,321 ANG 4,155

-54.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$2,246 ANG 4,020

-70.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$5,924 ANG 10.6K

-60.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$5,759 ANG 10.3K

-78.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Simpson Bay: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Simpson Bay

–

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Simpson Bay

–

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Simpson Bay

–

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Simpson Bay

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Simpson Bay

–

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Simpson Bay

–

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Simpson Bay

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,051 in Mexico City and $2,321 in Simpson Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $132 in Simpson Bay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $466 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇸🇽 Simpson Bay

🕒 Local time

17:08 5:08 PM

19:08 7:08 PM

2 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

6,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Netherlands Antillean Guilder ANG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 ANG = 0.559 USD

1 ANG = 0.497 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ANG, USD, EUR 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).

Netherlands Antillean Guilder exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 ANG (1 ANG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 ANG (1 ANG = 0.497 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Simpson Bay 3,790 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Simpson Bay

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 Simpson Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Simpson Bay differ by about 147% in total monthly costs ($1,567 vs $3,879 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,351 in Mexico City and $5,818 in Simpson Bay to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $2,321 in Simpson Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $431 in Mexico City versus $753 in Simpson Bay. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $132 in Simpson Bay. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $3,879 in Simpson Bay, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Simpson Bay. 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.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 147% less than in Simpson Bay. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.