Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and South Portland, ME

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,561 a month against $2,994 in South Portland, ME, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
147

Cost of Living Index in South Portland, ME
Learn more

South Portland, ME Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,561

/mo nomad

South Portland, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,994

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in South Portland, ME

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 South Portland, ME actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,561 in Mexico City versus $2,994 in South Portland, ME.

Mexico City $1,561
South Portland, ME $2,994

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,440 in Mexico City versus $4,563 in South Portland, ME.

Mexico City $2,440
South Portland, ME $4,563

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,319 in Mexico City versus $6,131 in South Portland, ME.

Mexico City $3,319
South Portland, ME $6,131

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 48% less than in South Portland, ME, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 16% above, South Portland, ME 123% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.12 MX$205

$24.56 $24.56

-54.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.99 MX$902

$120 $120

-59.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.23 MX$207

$14.81 $14.81

-24.17%

Cappuccino

$3.76 MX$69.2

$5.13 $5.13

-26.71%

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

$1.65 MX$30.43

$3.03 $3.03

-45.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.56

$2.37 $2.37

-45.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 MX$60.0

$7.84 $7.84

-58.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.66 MX$104

$8.06 $8.06

-29.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 MX$33.33

$1.03 $1.03

75.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.2

$4.56 $4.56

-35.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 MX$37.74

$7.23 $7.23

-71.65%

Eggs

$2.93 MX$53.9

$3.93 $3.93

-25.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.95 MX$220

$15.46 $15.46

-22.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.51 MX$175

$10.02 $10.02

-5.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.84 MX$273

$15.91 $15.91

-6.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 MX$57.9

$5.06 $5.06

-37.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.11

$1.71 $1.71

17.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 MX$38.23

$5.45 $5.45

-61.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$40.86

$7.38 $7.38

-69.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$37.94

$4.46 $4.46

-53.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.57

$3.75 $3.75

-49.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.27

$3.02 $3.02

-50.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 MX$24.78

$2.52 $2.52

-46.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.41 MX$99.6

$11.11 $11.11

-51.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.86 MX$311

$14.80 $14.80

13.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.55

$1.86 $1.86

6.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 MX$79.6

$2.59 $2.59

66.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.35

$2.07 $2.07

-83.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.23 MX$373

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 MX$38.59

$2.05 $2.05

2.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.77

$1.58 $1.58

-66.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$99.6

$11.11 $11.11

-51.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.00

$1.09 $1.09

39.45%

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

$21.7K MX$400.3K

$36.1K $36.1K

-39.74%

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

$24.8K MX$457.0K

$25.1K $25.1K

-1.19%

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

$63.0 MX$1,160

$239 $239

-73.61%

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

$28.88 MX$532

$69.9 $69.9

-58.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.93 MX$625

$78.1 $78.1

-56.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 MX$1,028

$61.0 $61.0

-8.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.90 MX$459

$29.63 $29.63

-15.96%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 MX$125

$15.21 $15.21

-55.49%

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

$428 MX$7,879

$402 $402

6.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K MX$218.7K

$15.2K $15.2K

-22.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 MX$1,290

$52.3 $52.3

33.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 MX$990

$52.3 $52.3

2.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,022

$103 $103

6.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MX$2,122

$135 $135

-14.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,062 MX$19.6K

$1,933 $1,933

-45.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 MX$12.4K

$1,521 $1,521

-55.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,379 MX$43.8K

$3,149 $3,149

-24.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 MX$23.2K

$2,643 $2,643

-52.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,716 MX$68.4K

$2,801 $2,801

32.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,976 MX$36.4K

$2,405 $2,405

-17.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$997 MX$18.4K

$4,254 $4,254

-76.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.65

69.92%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 6, 2026

Last update for South Portland, ME: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$671 42.4%

South Portland, ME

$1.5K 50.7% 127% $850

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$327 20.7%

South Portland, ME

$446 14.9% 36.6% $120

Eating Out

Mexico City

$207 13.1%

South Portland, ME

$379 12.7% 83.2% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$157 9.9%

South Portland, ME

$154 5.1% 1.9% $2.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

South Portland, ME

$387 12.9% 207% $261

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$69 4.4%

South Portland, ME

$91 3.1% 31.8% $22

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

South Portland, ME

$18 * 0.6% 30.8% $8.1

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,062 in Mexico City and $1,933 in South Portland, ME. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

South Portland, ME pays 327% 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 $120 in South Portland, ME for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $327 vs $446 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇸 South Portland, ME

🕒 Local time

04:21 4:21 AM

06:21 6:21 AM

2 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

26,498

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.43 USD

100 MXN = 4.84 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 18.42 MXN (100 MXN = 5.43 USD). 1 EUR = 20.64 MXN (100 MXN = 4.84 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City South Portland, ME 3,800 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
South Portland, ME

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 South Portland, ME: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and South Portland, ME differ by about 92% in total monthly costs ($1,561 vs $2,994 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 327% lower in South Portland, ME. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,062 in Mexico City versus $1,933 in South Portland, ME. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $428 in Mexico City versus $402 in South Portland, ME. 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 $49.00 versus $120 in South Portland, ME. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,561 in Mexico City versus $2,994 in South Portland, ME, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in South Portland, ME. 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 South Portland, ME 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 92% less than in South Portland, ME. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.