Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Volta Redonda

For one person, living is cheaper in Volta Redonda: $817 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Volta Redonda
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Volta Redonda Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Volta Redonda

🇧🇷 Brazil

$817

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Volta Redonda

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $817 in Volta Redonda.

Mexico City $1,567
Volta Redonda $817

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $1,294 in Volta Redonda.

Mexico City $2,450
Volta Redonda $1,294

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $1,771 in Volta Redonda.

Mexico City $3,333
Volta Redonda $1,771

Living in Mexico City is roughly 92% more expensive than in Volta Redonda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 16% above, Volta Redonda is 39% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$3.07 R$15.58

250.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$40.42 R$205

24.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$6.74 R$34.16

64.69%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.49 R$12.63

47.79%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$1.44 R$7.30

14.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$0.62 R$3.14

109.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$2.36 R$11.97

40.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$4.50 R$22.81

23.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.01 R$5.14

75.25%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$1.93 R$9.76

58.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$1.23 R$6.24

63.41%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$2.39 R$12.10

15.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$6.84 R$34.65

74.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$3.26 R$16.52

186.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$10.03 R$50.9

49.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$2.17 R$11.01

41.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$1.18 R$5.98

65.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$0.98 R$4.96

107.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$2.05 R$10.42

7.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$1.47 R$7.43

37.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$1.24 R$6.30

46.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$0.59 R$2.98

157.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$0.49 R$2.48

161.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$1.58 R$8.00

233.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$8.78 R$44.49

83.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$1.13 R$5.74

72.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$1.66 R$8.40

156.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$0.97 R$4.90

-68.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$35.59 R$180

-44.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$1.58 R$7.99

26.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$0.99 R$5.01

-46.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$10.40 R$52.7

-45.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.23 R$6.25

23.58%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$24.2K R$122.8K

-13.15%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$33.7K R$170.6K

-25.20%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$96.2 R$488

-35.05%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$11.25 R$57.0

155.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$22.11 R$112

55.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$30.50 R$155

87.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$7.71 R$39.09

-13.49%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$149 R$756

188.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$3,034 R$15.4K

286.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$45.44 R$230

55.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$39.63 R$201

30.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$50.6 R$256

115.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$94.3 R$478

19.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$276 R$1,398

281.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$204 R$1,033

226.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$590 R$2,988

297.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$387 R$1,959

217.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$831 R$4,215

327.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$674 R$3,414

193.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$303 R$1,536

221.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

11.68

-3.25%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Volta Redonda: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Volta Redonda

$204 24.9% 69.3% $461

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Volta Redonda

$185 22.6% 42.8% $138

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Volta Redonda

$104 12.7% 48.9% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Volta Redonda

$103 12.7% 33.1% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Volta Redonda

$130 15.9% 3.1% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Volta Redonda

$46 5.6% 34.8% $25

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Volta Redonda

$46 5.6% 78.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,051 in Mexico City and $276 in Volta Redonda. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 222% 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: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $40.00 in Volta Redonda for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $185 per month, with Volta Redonda cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇷 Volta Redonda

🕒 Local time

02:42 2:42 AM

05:42 5:42 AM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

261,563

💱 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 Volta Redonda 7,580 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Volta Redonda

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 Volta Redonda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Volta Redonda differ by about 92% in total monthly costs ($1,567 vs $817 including rent). Volta Redonda is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 222% 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: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $276 in Volta Redonda. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Volta Redonda runs roughly 79% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $431 in Mexico City versus $149 in Volta Redonda. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $817 in Volta Redonda versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Volta Redonda but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Volta Redonda 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 Volta Redonda gentler on the wallet – expenses run 92% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.