Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Vila Velha

For one person, living is cheaper in Vila Velha: $904 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Vila Velha
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Vila Velha Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Vila Velha

🇧🇷 Brazil

$904

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Vila Velha

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $904 in Vila Velha.

Mexico City $1,674
Vila Velha $904

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,478 in Vila Velha.

Mexico City $2,606
Vila Velha $1,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $2,053 in Vila Velha.

Mexico City $3,537
Vila Velha $2,053

Living in Mexico City is roughly 85% more expensive than in Vila Velha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Vila Velha is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$8.52 R$46.29

24.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$965

$36.74 R$200

41.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$199

$7.29 R$39.65

47.19%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.5

$2.18 R$11.88

74.31%

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

$1.61 MX$29.95

$1.31 R$7.13

22.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.51

$0.50 R$2.70

142.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.0

$1.88 R$10.24

69.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$2.75 R$14.94

97.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.90

$0.99 R$5.39

73.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.1

$1.45 R$7.88

104.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.77

$1.81 R$9.86

6.63%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.5

$2.13 R$11.59

30.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$8.33 R$45.28

40.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$4.19 R$22.80

126.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$8.59 R$46.70

78.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.7

$1.83 R$9.96

69.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.41

$0.87 R$4.70

125.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.81

$1.13 R$6.14

75.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.37

$1.22 R$6.63

91.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.58

$1.18 R$6.40

71.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.88

$1.27 R$6.91

43.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.68

$0.43 R$2.31

258.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.37

$0.73 R$3.96

79.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.4

$3.06 R$16.66

74.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$8.40 R$45.66

92.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.38

$1.64 R$8.92

19.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.8

$2.11 R$11.48

106.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.66

$0.94 R$5.11

-68.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$362

$48.22 R$262

-59.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.61

$1.27 R$6.90

51.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.78

$0.75 R$4.09

-37.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$100

$11.85 R$64.4

-54.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.55

$1.17 R$6.37

26.50%

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

$21.4K MX$396.9K

$31.5K R$171.3K

-32.17%

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

$23.8K MX$441.2K

$30.9K R$168.1K

-23.15%

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

$62.0 MX$1,151

$105 R$570

-40.88%

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

$28.47 MX$529

$16.33 R$88.8

74.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$634

$14.03 R$76.3

143.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,084

$25.21 R$137

131.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$455

$26.03 R$142

-5.88%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$122

$6.58 R$35.75

0.15%

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

$434 MX$8,064

$400 R$2,172

8.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$260.7K

$13.6K R$73.9K

3.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,269

$72.2 R$393

-5.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,018

$48.23 R$262

13.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,059

$79.8 R$434

38.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,154

$70.9 R$385

63.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$285 R$1,550

313.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$230 R$1,250

235.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.7K

$541 R$2,940

375.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$533 R$2,900

166.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.6K

$1,892 R$10.3K

89.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.3K

$1,937 R$10.5K

6.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.6K

$386 R$2,097

159.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.33

0.18%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Vila Velha: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Vila Velha

$230 25.5% 70.2% $541

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Vila Velha

$183 20.2% 43.6% $141

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Vila Velha

$138 15.3% 31% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Vila Velha

$122 13.5% 22.6% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Vila Velha

$135 15% 8.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Vila Velha

$38 4.3% 46.4% $33

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Vila Velha

$57 6.3% 128% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $285 in Vila Velha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $37 in Vila Velha for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $183 per month, with Vila Velha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇷 Vila Velha

🕒 Local time

10:42 10:42 AM

13:42 1:42 PM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

467,722

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.09 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Vila Velha 7,780 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Vila Velha

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 Vila Velha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $904 in Vila Velha, so Vila Velha is about 46% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 2.6 times higher, 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: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $285 in Vila Velha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 60% less than in Vila Velha. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $400 in Vila Velha. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $904 in Vila Velha versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Vila Velha but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Vila Velha 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.

It comes down to priorities – Vila Velha wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.