Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Puerto Rico

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,716 in Puerto Rico, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Rico
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Puerto Rico Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Puerto Rico

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Puerto Rico

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,716 in Puerto Rico.

Mexico City $1,608
Puerto Rico $1,716

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,564 in Puerto Rico.

Mexico City $2,549
Puerto Rico $2,564

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $3,412 in Puerto Rico.

Mexico City $3,490
Puerto Rico $3,412

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 6% less than in Puerto Rico, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Puerto Rico 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$20.45 €18.37

-48.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$61.0 €54.8

-20.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$11.30 €10.15

-8.41%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$2.04 €1.84

80.88%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$1.89 €1.70

-11.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$1.29 €1.16

-1.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$2.72 €2.44

17.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$3.42 €3.07

55.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.38 €1.24

24.64%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$2.40 €2.16

26.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.53 €1.37

26.80%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$4.25 €3.82

-32.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$19.32 €17.35

-43.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$10.01 €8.99

-7.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$17.41 €15.64

-13.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.67 €2.40

14.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$2.32 €2.09

-16.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$2.15 €1.93

-5.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$2.49 €2.24

-7.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$2.17 €1.95

-5.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$2.02 €1.82

-10.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$1.62 €1.46

-8.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.97 €0.87

30.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$4.63 €4.16

14.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$7.87 €7.07

104.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$1.70 €1.53

16.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$1.69 €1.51

151.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$1.66 €1.49

-81.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$32.24 €28.96

-38.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$4.33 €3.89

-57.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$1.67 €1.50

-68.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$16.83 €15.12

-68.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.74 €1.56

-13.22%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$34.9K €31.3K

-37.63%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$31.9K €28.7K

-24.92%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$129 €116

-51.19%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$22.38 €20.10

22.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$35.85 €32.21

-0.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$44.45 €39.93

32.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$15.59 €14.01

51.64%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$9.91 €8.90

-35.42%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$403 €362

7.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$4,970 €4,465

129.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$91.8 €82.4

-25.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$42.61 €38.27

24.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$90.6 €81.4

18.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$114 €102

3.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$874 €785

27.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$679 €610

4.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$1,331 €1,196

94.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$1,010 €907

39.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$3,233 €2,904

12.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$2,186 €1,964

-2.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

3.56

218.82%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Puerto Rico: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Puerto Rico

$679 39.6% 4.4% $31

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Puerto Rico

$326 19% 2% $6.3

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Puerto Rico

$255 14.9% 28.5% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Puerto Rico

$152 8.9% 2.2% $3.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Puerto Rico

$187 10.9% 48.6% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Puerto Rico

$64 3.8% 10.4% $7.5

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Puerto Rico

$52 3% 102% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $874 in Puerto Rico. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $61 in Puerto Rico for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $326 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇪🇸 Puerto Rico

🕒 Local time

14:02 2:02 PM

20:02 8:02 PM

6 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

2,500

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Puerto Rico 8,390 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Puerto Rico

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 Puerto Rico: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,716 in Puerto Rico, so Mexico City is about 6% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $2,574 in Puerto Rico 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $874 in Puerto Rico. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $403 in Puerto Rico. 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 $48 versus $61 in Puerto Rico. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.