Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palmas and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Palmas: $830 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Palmas
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Palmas Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Palmas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$830

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $830 in Palmas versus $1,674 in Mexico City.

Palmas $830
Mexico City $1,674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,281 in Palmas versus $2,606 in Mexico City.

Palmas $1,281
Mexico City $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,733 in Palmas versus $3,537 in Mexico City.

Palmas $1,733
Mexico City $3,537

Living in Palmas costs roughly 50% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Palmas is 39% below, Mexico City is 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.83 R$21.01

$10.59 MX$199

-63.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.86 R$120

$52.0 MX$978

-57.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 R$40.65

$10.73 MX$202

-30.94%

Cappuccino

$1.73 R$9.48

$3.80 MX$71.4

-54.47%

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

$1.63 R$8.96

$1.61 MX$30.35

1.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.45

$1.21 MX$22.81

-33.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 R$7.99

$3.18 MX$59.8

-54.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 R$14.91

$5.44 MX$102

-50.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.60

$1.72 MX$32.32

-40.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 R$7.36

$2.97 MX$55.8

-54.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.76 R$15.15

$1.93 MX$36.24

43.01%

Eggs

$2.41 R$13.24

$2.77 MX$52.2

-13.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.62 R$36.36

$11.67 MX$220

-43.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.95 R$16.20

$9.48 MX$178

-68.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.75 R$31.58

$15.37 MX$289

-62.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 R$11.97

$3.10 MX$58.4

-29.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 R$8.57

$1.96 MX$36.90

-20.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 R$6.21

$1.98 MX$37.30

-42.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.93

$2.34 MX$43.95

-53.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 R$6.51

$2.02 MX$38.08

-41.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.72

$1.82 MX$34.34

-42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$4.13

$1.54 MX$29.06

-51.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 R$3.90

$1.31 MX$24.70

-45.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.06 R$11.30

$5.35 MX$101

-61.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.42 R$35.25

$16.19 MX$305

-60.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R$6.81

$1.96 MX$36.87

-36.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 R$11.02

$4.35 MX$81.9

-53.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 R$4.09

$0.30 MX$5.74

146.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 R$229

$19.49 MX$367

114.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 R$7.14

$1.92 MX$36.08

-32.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 R$3.83

$0.47 MX$8.90

48.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.26 R$34.35

$5.41 MX$102

15.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 R$6.08

$1.48 MX$27.92

-25.00%

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

$19.7K R$108.0K

$21.4K MX$402.2K

-7.93%

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

$30.8K R$169.3K

$23.8K MX$447.1K

29.86%

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

$106 R$581

$62.0 MX$1,167

70.72%

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

$10.92 R$59.9

$28.47 MX$536

-61.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.50 R$102

$34.11 MX$642

-45.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.99 R$121

$58.4 MX$1,099

-62.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.12 R$143

$24.50 MX$461

6.61%

Cinema Ticket

$6.13 R$33.62

$6.59 MX$124

-6.98%

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

$142 R$779

$434 MX$8,172

-67.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,428 R$35.3K

$14.0K MX$264.1K

-54.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.94 R$186

$68.4 MX$1,286

-50.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.29 R$271

$54.8 MX$1,031

-10.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 R$582

$111 MX$2,086

-4.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.9 R$367

$116 MX$2,183

-42.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$309 R$1,696

$1,179 MX$22.2K

-73.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$233 R$1,276

$771 MX$14.5K

-69.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$611 R$3,354

$2,570 MX$48.4K

-76.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 R$2,532

$1,420 MX$26.7K

-67.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,616 R$8,869

$3,586 MX$67.5K

-54.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,140 R$6,257

$2,064 MX$38.8K

-44.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

-3.08%

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

Last update for Palmas: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Palmas

$233 28%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 232% $538

Groceries & Markets

Palmas

$167 20.1%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 94.2% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palmas

$135 16.3%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 7.9% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Palmas

$115 13.9%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 36.6% $42

Eating Out

Palmas

$96 11.6%

Mexico City

$201 12% 109% $105

Getting Around

Palmas

$49 6%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 49.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Palmas

$34 4.1%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 109% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $309 in Palmas and $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $22 in Palmas vs $52 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $167 vs $324 per month, with Palmas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Palmas

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

03:22 3:22 AM

00:22 12:22 AM

3 h behind Palmas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

302,692

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Palmas Mexico City 6,470 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Palmas
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $830 in Palmas and $1,674 in Mexico City, so Palmas is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,244 in Palmas and $2,510 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $309 in Palmas versus $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 53% less than in Palmas. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $142 in Palmas versus $434 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $830 in Palmas versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Palmas but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Palmas 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.