Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pago Pago and Tijuana

For one person, living is cheaper in Tijuana: $1,294 a month against $1,479 in Pago Pago, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Pago Pago
Learn more

Pago Pago Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Tijuana
Learn more

Tijuana Living Index

Jump to prices

Pago Pago

🇦🇸 American Samoa

$1,479

/mo nomad

Tijuana

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pago Pago and in Tijuana

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,479 in Pago Pago versus $1,294 in Tijuana.

Pago Pago $1,479
Tijuana $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,291 in Pago Pago versus $2,004 in Tijuana.

Pago Pago $2,291
Tijuana $2,004

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,102 in Pago Pago versus $2,713 in Tijuana.

Pago Pago $3,102
Tijuana $2,713

Living in Pago Pago is roughly 14% more expensive than in Tijuana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Pago Pago is 9% above, Tijuana is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 MX$227

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.28 $36.28

$33.03 MX$613

9.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.05 $10.05

$9.52 MX$177

5.57%

Cappuccino

$4.17 MX$77.5

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

$1.35 MX$25.01

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.18 MX$21.96

-16.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 MX$59.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 $3.97

$6.50 MX$121

-38.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.78 MX$33.08

47.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.85 MX$52.9

2.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$1.87 MX$34.74

135.83%

Eggs

$4.61 $4.61

$3.24 MX$60.2

42.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.08 $10.08

$8.11 MX$151

24.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.08 $10.08

$7.24 MX$134

39.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.57 $11.57

$11.34 MX$211

2.03%

Apples (1kg)

$6.03 $6.03

$2.73 MX$50.7

120.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.64 MX$30.40

-37.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.86 MX$34.46

64.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.97 $3.97

$1.46 MX$27.07

171.92%

Potato (1kg)

$4.09 $4.09

$1.49 MX$27.63

174.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$1.73 MX$32.05

128.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.43 MX$26.45

39.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.02 MX$18.98

99.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.37 $11.37

$4.19 MX$77.8

171.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.86 $14.86

$7.92 MX$147

87.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.16 MX$40.12

-54.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$3.91 MX$72.6

-25.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.93 MX$17.24

117.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$126 $126

$37.25 MX$691

238.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.95 $4.95

$2.75 MX$51.1

80.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.10 MX$38.90

-7.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.48 $29.48

$18.58 MX$345

58.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.52 MX$28.29

-10.53%

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

$30.2K $30.2K

$24.0K MX$445.3K

25.77%

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

$19.7K $19.7K

$23.6K MX$437.9K

-16.70%

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

$411 $411

$47.30 MX$878

768.29%

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

$29.94 $29.94

$33.20 MX$616

-9.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.9 $73.9

$28.87 MX$536

155.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 $50.9

$35.21 MX$653

44.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.12 $10.12

$7.85 MX$146

28.92%

Cinema Ticket

$8.75 $8.75

$6.52 MX$121

34.20%

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

$994 $994

$205 MX$3,811

384.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K $10.1K

$4,596 MX$85.3K

119.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.9 $69.9

$53.8 MX$998

29.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 $50.2

$45.86 MX$851

9.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 $79.9

$99.7 MX$1,850

-19.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.1 $99.1

$69.1 MX$1,282

43.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$326 $326

$846 MX$15.7K

-61.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$202 $202

$486 MX$9,019

-58.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 $901

$1,481 MX$27.5K

-39.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$706 $706

$889 MX$16.5K

-20.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.5K $17.5K

$3,091 MX$57.4K

467.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.7K $10.7K

$2,778 MX$51.6K

285.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,194 $1,194

$1,090 MX$20.2K

9.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.6

-74.14%

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

Last update for Pago Pago: October 31, 2026

Last update for Tijuana: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pago Pago

$515 34.8%

Tijuana

$109 8.5% 78.7% $405

Groceries & Markets

Pago Pago

$368 24.9%

Tijuana

$260 20.1% 29.4% $108

Accommodation & Living

Pago Pago

$202 13.7%

Tijuana

$486 37.6% 140% $284

Getting Around

Pago Pago

$149 10.1%

Tijuana

$54 4.2% 63.6% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Pago Pago

$135 9.1%

Tijuana

$121 9.3% 10.2% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Pago Pago

$68 4.6%

Tijuana

$48 3.7% 29.5% $20

Eating Out

Pago Pago

$42 * 2.8%

Tijuana

$216 16.7% 413% $174

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $326 in Pago Pago and $846 in Tijuana. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pago Pago pays 10% 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: $36 in Pago Pago vs $33 in Tijuana for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $368 vs $260 per month, with Tijuana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇸 Pago Pago

🇲🇽 Tijuana

🕒 Local time

20:26 8:26 PM

23:26 11:26 PM

3 h ahead of Pago Pago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,500 Capital

1,810,645

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.56 MXN (100 MXN = 5.39 USD). 1 EUR = 20.84 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pago Pago Tijuana 7,720 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Pago Pago
Tijuana

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

Pago Pago vs Tijuana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tijuana wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Pago Pago. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tijuana the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 10% higher in Pago Pago, 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: $326 in Pago Pago versus $846 in Tijuana. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Tijuana runs roughly 70% less than in Pago Pago. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $994 in Pago Pago versus $205 in Tijuana. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Tijuana is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 – Tijuana wins on affordability, Pago Pago on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.