Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico and Brazil

Name: Brazil
Address: BR

For one person, living is cheaper in Brazil: $865 a month against $1,274 in Mexico, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Mexico
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Mexico Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Brazil
Learn more

Brazil Living Index

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🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,274

/mo nomad

🇧🇷 Brazil

$865

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico and in Brazil

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mexico and in Brazil actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,274 per month in Mexico vs $865 in Brazil, rent included.

Mexico $1,274
Brazil $865

A couple spends around $2,010 per month in Mexico vs $1,373 in Brazil, rent included.

Mexico $2,010
Brazil $1,373

A family of three spends $2,746 per month in Mexico vs $1,880 in Brazil, rent included.

Mexico $2,746
Brazil $1,880

The regional cost range is wider in Mexico ($730–$2,625) than in Brazil ($569–$1,349), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Mexico is about 47% higher than in Brazil on average.

Both Mexico and Brazil are more affordable than the global median – Mexico 6% lower, Brazil 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.63 MX$200

$6.55 R$35.66

62.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.29 MX$813

$30.71 R$167

40.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 MX$168

$7.45 R$40.55

20.00%

Cappuccino

$3.61 MX$67.7

$1.91 R$10.39

89.01%

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

$1.48 MX$27.70

$1.15 R$6.28

28.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 MX$18.77

$0.76 R$4.11

31.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 MX$50.0

$1.85 R$10.06

44.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 MX$82.0

$2.86 R$15.54

52.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 MX$29.76

$1.03 R$5.61

54.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$1.57 R$8.52

70.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MX$31.57

$1.24 R$6.72

35.48%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.38

$2.10 R$11.44

20.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.79 MX$165

$8.87 R$48.24

-0.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.97 MX$150

$3.99 R$21.72

99.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.50 MX$216

$7.76 R$42.19

48.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 MX$51.7

$2.15 R$11.72

28.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.61

$1.27 R$6.91

19.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 MX$36.70

$1.16 R$6.28

68.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 MX$36.93

$1.53 R$8.32

28.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.84

$1.16 R$6.32

68.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.08

$1.02 R$5.55

99.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 MX$26.90

$0.74 R$4.04

93.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 MX$21.39

$0.72 R$3.90

58.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.52 MX$84.9

$2.25 R$12.26

100.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 MX$204

$7.65 R$41.62

42.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 MX$33.14

$1.30 R$7.09

36.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$2.16 R$11.77

47.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 MX$11.64

$0.94 R$5.12

-34.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.85 MX$560

$44.00 R$239

-32.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 MX$49.97

$1.23 R$6.68

116.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 MX$51.0

$0.96 R$5.20

183.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.63 MX$200

$7.42 R$40.36

43.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 MX$26.24

$1.21 R$6.60

15.70%

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

$24.0K MX$450.0K

$22.1K R$120.5K

8.23%

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

$23.9K MX$449.0K

$31.6K R$171.7K

-24.23%

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

$69.2 MX$1,299

$77.2 R$420

-10.37%

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

$23.51 MX$441

$12.44 R$67.6

88.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.00 MX$544

$19.80 R$108

46.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.74 MX$652

$24.36 R$133

42.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.46 MX$328

$25.46 R$138

-31.42%

Cinema Ticket

$5.24 MX$98.5

$6.98 R$37.99

-24.93%

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

$261 MX$4,892

$316 R$1,718

-17.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,999 MX$112.6K

$8,298 R$45.1K

-27.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 MX$1,048

$49.37 R$269

13.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.58 MX$781

$45.73 R$249

-9.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.3 MX$1,809

$83.4 R$454

15.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.1 MX$1,691

$65.6 R$357

37.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 MX$13.4K

$373 R$2,029

91.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$477 MX$8,954

$251 R$1,363

90.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 MX$25.5K

$719 R$3,911

88.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 MX$17.0K

$490 R$2,667

84.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,597 MX$48.7K

$1,795 R$9,764

44.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,565 MX$29.4K

$1,269 R$6,904

23.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$773 MX$14.5K

$496 R$2,701

55.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.43

11.17

2.33%

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

Last update for Mexico: October 25, 2026

Last update for Brazil: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico

$477 37.4%

Brazil

$251 29% 47.5% $226

Groceries & Markets

Mexico

$267 21%

Brazil

$183 21.2% 31.4% $84

Eating Out

Mexico

$187 14.7%

Brazil

$120 13.9% 35.7% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico

$128 10%

Brazil

$110 12.7% 14% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico

$122 9.6%

Brazil

$109 12.6% 10.1% $12

Getting Around

Mexico

$49 3.8%

Brazil

$54 6.2% 10.7% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico

$45 3.6%

Brazil

$38 4.4% 15.3% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $624 in Mexico vs $335 in Brazil. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,113 in Mexico City and $517 in Brasilia.

Average salary: $722 in Mexico vs $468 in Brazil. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 86% higher in Mexico.

Dining out costs 48% more in Mexico.

Public transport is 39% more expensive in Brazil.

Salaries are 54% higher in Mexico.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico

🇧🇷 Brazil

🕒 Local time

23:16 11:16 PM

02:16 2:16 AM

3 h ahead of Mexico

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

124,777,324

203,062,512

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.165 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico Brazil 6,840 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico
Brazil

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 vs Brazil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brazil is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 32% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Mexico: a central one-bedroom averages $624 versus $335 in Brazil.

Brazil is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.