Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Petrolina and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Petrolina: $739 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Petrolina
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Petrolina Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Petrolina

🇧🇷 Brazil

$739

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $739 in Petrolina versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Petrolina $739
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,171 in Petrolina versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Petrolina $1,171
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,603 in Petrolina versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Petrolina $1,603
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Petrolina costs roughly 54% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Petrolina is 46% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.62 R$30.06

$10.62 MX$199

-47.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.04 R$161

$48.35 MX$904

-37.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.28 R$38.94

$10.35 MX$193

-29.66%

Cappuccino

$1.86 R$9.93

$3.69 MX$69.0

-49.59%

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

$1.24 R$6.66

$1.67 MX$31.14

-25.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 R$4.09

$1.27 MX$23.65

-40.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.09 R$11.16

$3.19 MX$59.7

-34.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 R$15.03

$5.31 MX$99.2

-47.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 R$5.58

$1.72 MX$32.23

-39.53%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 R$4.79

$3.04 MX$56.8

-70.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.82

$1.94 MX$36.27

-43.81%

Eggs

$1.47 R$7.88

$2.89 MX$54.0

-49.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.64 R$46.26

$10.97 MX$205

-21.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.50 R$18.74

$9.25 MX$173

-62.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.55 R$40.39

$15.13 MX$283

-50.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 R$12.08

$3.05 MX$57.0

-25.90%

Banana (1kg)

$0.86 R$4.60

$1.94 MX$36.27

-55.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 R$6.14

$2.03 MX$37.85

-43.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.66

$2.31 MX$43.25

-38.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.85

$2.04 MX$38.03

-46.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 R$3.78

$1.80 MX$33.63

-60.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$4.14

$1.48 MX$27.64

-47.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 R$2.43

$1.27 MX$23.69

-64.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 R$13.03

$5.30 MX$99.1

-54.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.59 R$35.27

$16.10 MX$301

-59.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 R$5.66

$1.98 MX$37.06

-46.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 R$9.54

$4.25 MX$79.5

-58.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 R$5.07

$0.31 MX$5.70

206.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.91 R$251

$19.73 MX$369

137.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 R$5.75

$1.84 MX$34.34

-41.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 R$4.40

$0.53 MX$9.97

54.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.34 R$39.26

$5.30 MX$99.0

38.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.41

$1.51 MX$28.23

-20.53%

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

$19.8K R$106.0K

$21.8K MX$406.5K

-8.93%

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

$23.9K R$128.1K

$24.0K MX$448.2K

-0.22%

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

$62.7 R$336

$63.0 MX$1,177

-0.44%

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

$8.26 R$44.21

$27.39 MX$512

-69.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.16 R$59.7

$35.67 MX$666

-68.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.46 R$93.4

$58.9 MX$1,101

-70.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.16 R$135

$23.64 MX$442

6.43%

Cinema Ticket

$3.73 R$19.98

$6.40 MX$120

-41.72%

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

$234 R$1,252

$432 MX$8,065

-45.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,634 R$35.5K

$11.4K MX$213.5K

-41.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.78 R$100

$68.2 MX$1,275

-72.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.55 R$249

$53.1 MX$993

-12.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.1 R$273

$108 MX$2,014

-52.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 R$420

$117 MX$2,191

-33.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$258 R$1,383

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-76.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$216 R$1,156

$710 MX$13.3K

-69.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$547 R$2,930

$2,588 MX$48.4K

-78.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 R$2,089

$1,406 MX$26.3K

-72.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,764 R$9,439

$3,631 MX$67.8K

-51.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,156 R$6,185

$2,135 MX$39.9K

-45.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$561 R$3,003

$946 MX$17.7K

-40.68%

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 Petrolina: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Petrolina

$216 29.2%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 229% $495

Groceries & Markets

Petrolina

$159 21.5%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 101% $160

Eating Out

Petrolina

$113 15.3%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 75.6% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Petrolina

$88 11.9%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 77.8% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Petrolina

$82 11.1%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 53.5% $44

Getting Around

Petrolina

$56 7.6%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 54.4% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Petrolina

$25 3.4%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 188% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $258 in Petrolina and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 69% 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: $30 in Petrolina vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $159 vs $320 per month, with Petrolina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Petrolina

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

11:51 11:51 AM

08:51 8:51 AM

3 h behind Petrolina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

386,791

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.96 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Petrolina Mexico City 7,180 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Petrolina
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

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

Petrolina and Mexico City differ by about 118% in total monthly costs ($739 vs $1,608 including rent). Petrolina is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 41% lower in Petrolina. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $258 in Petrolina versus $1,113 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 58% less than in Petrolina. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $234 in Petrolina versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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