Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mindelo and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mindelo: $387 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Mindelo

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$387

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $387 in Mindelo versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Mindelo $387
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $895 in Mindelo versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Mindelo $895
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,403 in Mindelo versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Mindelo $1,403
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Mindelo costs roughly 75% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mindelo is 71% below, Mexico City is 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 CVE 888

$10.75 MX$199

-15.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.6 CVE 5,551

$50.3 MX$929

12.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

Cappuccino

$1.09 CVE 107

$3.68 MX$68.1

-70.38%

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

$1.30 CVE 127

$1.65 MX$30.42

-21.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 CVE 96.3

$1.30 MX$24.08

-24.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 CVE 267

$3.32 MX$61.3

-18.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 CVE 147

$5.54 MX$102

-72.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 CVE 147

$1.77 MX$32.68

-15.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 CVE 106

$3.05 MX$56.4

-64.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 CVE 78.4

$2.01 MX$37.20

-60.20%

Eggs

$2.55 CVE 250

$2.77 MX$51.1

-7.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.87 CVE 1,557

$11.91 MX$220

33.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.47 CVE 1,713

$15.02 MX$278

16.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 CVE 209

$3.08 MX$56.8

-30.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 CVE 186

$1.95 MX$35.97

-2.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 CVE 275

$2.03 MX$37.54

38.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.00 CVE 295

$2.21 MX$40.92

35.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 CVE 81.7

$2.02 MX$37.41

-58.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 CVE 160

$1.82 MX$33.67

-10.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 CVE 97.0

$1.52 MX$28.07

-34.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 CVE 70.7

$1.28 MX$23.65

-43.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 CVE 502

$5.27 MX$97.4

-2.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.03 CVE 787

$16.12 MX$298

-50.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 CVE 185

$1.95 MX$36.05

-3.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 CVE 195

$4.25 MX$78.6

-53.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 CVE 43.22

$0.31 MX$5.82

41.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.81 CVE 2,923

$19.85 MX$367

50.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 CVE 150

$2.00 MX$36.93

-23.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CVE 145

$0.53 MX$9.86

179.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.00 CVE 980

$5.62 MX$104

77.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 CVE 162

$1.52 MX$28.07

8.55%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

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

$28.77 MX$532

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.96 CVE 290

$24.81 MX$458

-88.07%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

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

$431 MX$7,964

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 CVE 35.0K

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-84.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 CVE 24.6K

$1,227 MX$22.7K

-79.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

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

Last update for Mindelo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mindelo

–

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Groceries & Markets

Mindelo

–

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Eating Out

Mindelo

–

Mexico City

$203 13%

Clothing & Footwear

Mindelo

–

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mindelo

–

Mexico City

$126 8%

Sport & Entertainment

Mindelo

–

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Getting Around

Mindelo

–

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $57.0 in Mindelo vs $50.0 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $323, with Mindelo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇻 Mindelo

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

01:03 1:03 AM

20:03 8:03 PM

5 h behind Mindelo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,000

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Cabo Verdean Escudo CVE $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CVE = 10.2 USD

1,000 CVE = 9.07 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CVE – Cabo Verdean Escudo Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇻 Cabo Verdean Escudo ($)

Cabo Verdean Escudo exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 98.05 CVE (100 CVE = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 110 CVE (1,000 CVE = 9.07 EUR).

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).

USD to CVE in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mindelo Mexico City 7,780 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mindelo
Mexico City

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

Mindelo vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mindelo and Mexico City differ by about 305% in total monthly costs ($387 vs $1,567 including rent). Mindelo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $581 in Mindelo and $2,351 in Mexico City to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Dining out is cheaper in Mindelo – a meal for two runs $57.0 versus $50.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Mindelo runs roughly 50% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $387 in Mindelo versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mindelo but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Mindelo 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.

Safety-wise, Mindelo and Mexico City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mindelo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 305% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.