Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Teresopolis

For one person, living is cheaper in Teresopolis: $661 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Teresopolis
Learn more

Teresopolis Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Teresopolis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$661

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $661 in Teresopolis.

Mexico City $1,548
Teresopolis $661

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $1,120 in Teresopolis.

Mexico City $2,436
Teresopolis $1,120

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $1,580 in Teresopolis.

Mexico City $3,323
Teresopolis $1,580

Living in Mexico City is roughly 134% more expensive than in Teresopolis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Teresopolis is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$3.55 R$17.99

210.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$28.21 R$143

72.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$6.95 R$35.23

56.83%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$1.76 R$8.95

109.09%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.41 R$7.14

15.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.62 R$3.13

101.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$1.22 R$6.20

166.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$5.02 R$25.45

10.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$0.99 R$5.04

71.72%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.51 R$7.64

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.37 R$6.93

40.15%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.01 R$10.19

35.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$9.11 R$46.19

29.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$3.45 R$17.49

176.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$8.16 R$41.36

76.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.87 R$9.47

61.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.20 R$6.09

57.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$0.97 R$4.90

105.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.26 R$6.38

73.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$0.70 R$3.55

174.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$0.82 R$4.14

128.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.56 R$2.85

157.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.80 R$4.06

58.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$1.60 R$8.12

226.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$6.03 R$30.55

168.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.40 R$7.10

35.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$1.42 R$7.21

197.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$0.92 R$4.65

-63.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$35.82 R$182

-45.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$1.03 R$5.23

94.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.04 R$5.27

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$2.43 R$12.30

119.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.28 R$6.49

18.75%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$20.9K R$105.9K

5.70%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$30.9K R$156.5K

-20.61%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$29.33 R$149

108.22%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$23.98 R$122

19.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$18.63 R$94.5

85.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$29.64 R$150

90.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$20.16 R$102

23.41%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$6.76 R$34.26

-1.48%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$145 R$737

193.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$2,629 R$13.3K

342.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$25.55 R$130

165.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$27.07 R$137

91.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$67.4 R$342

57.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$47.75 R$242

135.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$360 R$1,824

184.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$158 R$800

314.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$533 R$2,701

333.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$398 R$2,017

212.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$1,181 R$5,988

205.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$489 R$2,478

97.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

10.67

5.90%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Teresopolis: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Teresopolis

$158 23.9% 75.9% $496

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Teresopolis

$172 26% 46% $146

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Teresopolis

$95 14.3% 53.6% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Teresopolis

$76 11.4% 50.4% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Teresopolis

$72 10.9% 42% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Teresopolis

$43 6.5% 38.1% $27

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Teresopolis

$46 6.9% 78.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $360 in Teresopolis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 97% 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 $28.00 in Teresopolis for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $172 per month, with Teresopolis cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇷 Teresopolis

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

14:49 2:49 PM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

165,123

💱 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 Teresopolis 7,670 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Teresopolis

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 Teresopolis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Teresopolis differ by about 134% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $661 including rent). Teresopolis is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 97% 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 $360 in Teresopolis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Teresopolis runs roughly 82% 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 $145 in Teresopolis. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $661 in Teresopolis versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Teresopolis but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Teresopolis 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 Teresopolis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 134% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.