Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portland, OR and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $3,305 in Portland, OR, rent and utilities included – about $21,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

160

Cost of Living Index in Portland, OR
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Portland, OR Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Portland, OR

🇺🇸 United States

$3,305

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,305 in Portland, OR versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Portland, OR $3,305
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,993 in Portland, OR versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Portland, OR $4,993
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,680 in Portland, OR versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Portland, OR $6,680
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Portland, OR is roughly 114% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Portland, OR 144% above, Mexico City 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.60 $24.60

$11.02 MX$204

123.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.5 $89.5

$48.68 MX$900

83.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.83 $12.83

$10.90 MX$201

17.71%

Cappuccino

$6.01 $6.01

$3.68 MX$68.1

63.32%

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

$2.42 $2.42

$1.63 MX$30.18

48.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.25 MX$23.07

55.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.15 $8.15

$3.25 MX$60.1

150.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.98 $7.98

$5.53 MX$102

44.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.70 MX$31.50

-31.76%

White Bread (500g)

$4.76 $4.76

$3.02 MX$55.8

57.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$1.92 MX$35.53

153.65%

Eggs

$5.38 $5.38

$2.73 MX$50.5

97.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.76 $18.76

$11.77 MX$218

59.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.14 $19.14

$9.53 MX$176

100.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.65 $28.65

$14.41 MX$266

98.82%

Apples (1kg)

$6.81 $6.81

$3.02 MX$55.8

125.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.89 MX$35.01

7.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.94 $5.94

$1.99 MX$36.70

198.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.94 $8.94

$2.19 MX$40.38

308.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.92 MX$35.43

43.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.87 MX$34.49

23.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.32 $3.32

$1.44 MX$26.62

130.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.27 MX$23.39

103.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.29 $11.29

$5.22 MX$96.4

116.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.12 $15.12

$16.17 MX$299

-6.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.45 $3.45

$1.90 MX$35.03

81.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.15 $5.15

$4.22 MX$78.0

22.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 $2.86

$0.34 MX$6.30

741.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.6 $99.6

$19.65 MX$363

406.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 $4.91

$2.00 MX$36.90

145.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 $1.92

$0.52 MX$9.67

269.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.74 $23.74

$5.34 MX$98.7

344.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.52 MX$28.13

-17.11%

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

$33.6K $33.6K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

52.16%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

6.47%

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

$312 $312

$61.1 MX$1,129

410.99%

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

$63.0 $63.0

$28.58 MX$528

120.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.0 $69.0

$34.47 MX$637

100.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.1 $63.1

$56.4 MX$1,042

11.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.17 $30.17

$24.88 MX$460

21.26%

Cinema Ticket

$14.71 $14.71

$6.66 MX$123

120.87%

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

$1,731 $1,731

$427 MX$7,891

305.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.6K $24.6K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

110.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.9 $64.9

$67.8 MX$1,253

-4.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.37 $42.37

$52.0 MX$960

-18.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 $115

$106 MX$1,959

8.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$113 MX$2,080

16.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,972 $1,972

$1,025 MX$18.9K

92.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,535 $1,535

$654 MX$12.1K

134.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,489 $3,489

$2,308 MX$42.7K

51.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,813 $2,813

$1,242 MX$22.9K

126.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,837 $3,837

$3,613 MX$66.8K

6.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,407 $3,407

$1,936 MX$35.8K

76.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,690 $4,690

$964 MX$17.8K

386.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

11.3

-41.86%

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

Last update for Portland, OR: October 19, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portland, OR

$1.5K 46.4%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 57.4% $880

Groceries & Markets

Portland, OR

$568 17.2%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 44% $250

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portland, OR

$444 13.4%

Mexico City

$124 8% 72.1% $320

Eating Out

Portland, OR

$382 11.5%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 46.6% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Portland, OR

$159 4.8%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 4.3% $6.8

Getting Around

Portland, OR

$126 3.8%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 79.6% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Portland, OR

$92 2.8%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 24.7% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,972 in Portland, OR and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Portland, OR pays 387% 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: $89.0 in Portland, OR vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $568 vs $318 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Portland, OR

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

22:21 10:21 PM

23:21 11:21 PM

1 h ahead of Portland, OR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

652,503

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 23, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Portland, OR Mexico City 3,620 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Portland, OR
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

Portland, OR vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Portland, OR and Mexico City differ by about 114% in total monthly costs ($3,305 vs $1,548 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 387% higher in Portland, OR, 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: $1,972 in Portland, OR versus $1,025 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 407% less than in Portland, OR. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,731 in Portland, OR versus $427 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $3,305 in Portland, OR, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Portland, OR. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City 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.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 114% less than in Portland, OR. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.