Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico and Puerto Rico

Name: Puerto Rico
Address: PR

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico: $1,274 a month against $2,054 in Puerto Rico, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Mexico
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Mexico Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Rico
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Puerto Rico Living Index

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🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,274

/mo nomad

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,054

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico 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 and in Puerto Rico actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,274 in Mexico versus $2,054 in Puerto Rico.

Mexico $1,274
Puerto Rico $2,054

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,010 in Mexico versus $3,047 in Puerto Rico.

Mexico $2,010
Puerto Rico $3,047

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,746 in Mexico versus $4,040 in Puerto Rico.

Mexico $2,746
Puerto Rico $4,040

Internal cost variation is higher in Mexico: monthly costs span $730 to $2,625, compared to $1,068–$2,500 in Puerto Rico. City choice carries more weight in Mexico.

Living in Mexico costs about 38% less than in Puerto Rico on average.

Mexico (6% below) and Puerto Rico (51% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.63 MX$200

$15.25 $15.25

-30.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.29 MX$813

$78.9 $78.9

-45.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 MX$168

$10.20 $10.20

-12.35%

Cappuccino

$3.61 MX$67.7

$3.53 $3.53

2.27%

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

$1.48 MX$27.70

$1.66 $1.66

-10.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 MX$18.77

$1.35 $1.35

-25.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 MX$50.0

$2.97 $2.97

-10.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 MX$82.0

$4.61 $4.61

-5.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 MX$29.76

$2.18 $2.18

-27.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$3.29 $3.29

-18.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MX$31.57

$2.21 $2.21

-23.98%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.38

$6.09 $6.09

-58.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.79 MX$165

$11.17 $11.17

-21.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.97 MX$150

$8.38 $8.38

-4.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.50 MX$216

$12.46 $12.46

-7.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 MX$51.7

$4.70 $4.70

-41.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.61

$2.65 $2.65

-42.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 MX$36.70

$4.37 $4.37

-55.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 MX$36.93

$4.59 $4.59

-57.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.84

$3.51 $3.51

-44.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.08

$3.21 $3.21

-36.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 MX$26.90

$2.97 $2.97

-51.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 MX$21.39

$1.80 $1.80

-36.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.52 MX$84.9

$11.76 $11.76

-61.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 MX$204

$15.41 $15.41

-29.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 MX$33.14

$2.35 $2.35

-24.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$3.57 $3.57

-10.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 MX$11.64

$0.89 $0.89

-30.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.85 MX$560

$30.39 $30.39

-1.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 MX$49.97

$2.45 $2.45

8.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 MX$51.0

$1.53 $1.53

77.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.63 MX$200

$41.72 $41.72

-74.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 MX$26.24

$1.04 $1.04

34.62%

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

$24.0K MX$450.0K

$39.7K $39.7K

-39.65%

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

$23.9K MX$449.0K

$28.8K $28.8K

-16.91%

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

$69.2 MX$1,299

$294 $294

-76.49%

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

$23.51 MX$441

$68.6 $68.6

-65.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.00 MX$544

$71.2 $71.2

-59.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.74 MX$652

$28.85 $28.85

20.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.46 MX$328

$13.72 $13.72

27.26%

Cinema Ticket

$5.24 MX$98.5

$9.87 $9.87

-46.91%

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

$261 MX$4,892

$708 $708

-63.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,999 MX$112.6K

$11.2K $11.2K

-46.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 MX$1,048

$57.5 $57.5

-2.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.58 MX$781

$47.49 $47.49

-12.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.3 MX$1,809

$93.4 $93.4

3.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.1 MX$1,691

$98.1 $98.1

-8.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 MX$13.4K

$1,202 $1,202

-40.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$477 MX$8,954

$782 $782

-39.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 MX$25.5K

$2,319 $2,319

-41.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 MX$17.0K

$1,297 $1,297

-30.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,597 MX$48.7K

$6,281 $6,281

-58.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,565 MX$29.4K

$3,615 $3,615

-56.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$773 MX$14.5K

$2,811 $2,811

-72.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.43

6.51

75.58%

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

Last update for Mexico: October 25, 2026

Last update for Puerto Rico: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico

$477 37.4%

Puerto Rico

$782 38.1% 64% $305

Groceries & Markets

Mexico

$267 21%

Puerto Rico

$381 18.5% 42.6% $114

Eating Out

Mexico

$187 14.7%

Puerto Rico

$231 11.3% 23.5% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico

$128 10%

Puerto Rico

$133 6.5% 4.4% $5.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico

$122 9.6%

Puerto Rico

$434 21.1% 257% $312

Getting Around

Mexico

$49 3.8%

Puerto Rico

$44 2.1% 9.3% $4.5

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico

$45 3.6%

Puerto Rico

$49 2.4% 7.4% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $624 in Mexico, $898 in Puerto Rico. Capital cities: $1,113 in Mexico City vs $1,934 in San Juan.

National salary averages: $722 in Mexico, $2,576 in Puerto Rico. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 44% higher in Puerto Rico.

Dining out costs 77% more in Puerto Rico.

Public transport is 23% more expensive in Puerto Rico.

Salaries are about 3.6 times higher in Puerto Rico, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Puerto Rico.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

🕒 Local time

21:20 9:20 PM

23:20 11:20 PM

2 h ahead of Mexico

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

124,777,324

3,285,874

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 21.02 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Mexico Puerto Rico 3,470 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 vs Puerto Rico: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,274 per month in Mexico and $2,054 in Puerto Rico, Mexico comes out about 38% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Mexico: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $898 in Puerto Rico and $624 in Mexico. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: Mexico wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.