Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto de la Cruz and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $1,912 in Puerto de la Cruz, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Puerto de la Cruz outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Puerto de la Cruz
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,912
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,567
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,912 in Puerto de la Cruz versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

  • Puerto de la Cruz $1,912
  • Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,769 in Puerto de la Cruz versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

  • Puerto de la Cruz $2,769
  • Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,625 in Puerto de la Cruz versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

  • Puerto de la Cruz $3,625
  • Mexico City $3,333

Living in Puerto de la Cruz is roughly 22% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Puerto de la Cruz 42% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Puerto de la Cruz
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.53 €12.04
$10.75 MX$199
25.86%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.4 €54.6
$50.3 MX$929
22.11%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.06 €8.95
$11.10 MX$205
-9.37%
Cappuccino
$2.58 €2.29
$3.68 MX$68.1
-29.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.90 €1.69
$1.65 MX$30.42
15.15%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.53 €1.36
$1.30 MX$24.08
17.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.86 €2.54
$3.32 MX$61.3
-13.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.59 €3.20
$5.54 MX$102
-35.20%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Puerto de la Cruz
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.10 €0.98
$1.77 MX$32.68
-37.85%
White Bread (500g)
$1.62 €1.44
$3.05 MX$56.4
-46.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.65 €1.47
$2.01 MX$37.20
-17.91%
Eggs
$3.70 €3.29
$2.77 MX$51.1
33.57%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.22 €10.87
$11.91 MX$220
2.60%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.00 €8.89
$9.33 MX$172
7.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.61 €12.10
$15.02 MX$278
-9.39%
Apples (1kg)
$2.55 €2.27
$3.08 MX$56.8
-17.21%
Banana (1kg)
$2.06 €1.83
$1.95 MX$35.97
5.64%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.48 €1.32
$2.03 MX$37.54
-27.09%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.58 €2.29
$2.21 MX$40.92
16.74%
Potato (1kg)
$2.35 €2.09
$2.02 MX$37.41
16.34%
Onion (1kg)
$2.31 €2.05
$1.82 MX$33.67
26.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.02 €1.79
$1.52 MX$28.07
32.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.81 €0.72
$1.28 MX$23.65
-36.72%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.17 €3.71
$5.27 MX$97.4
-20.87%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.52 €5.80
$16.12 MX$298
-59.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.37 €1.22
$1.95 MX$36.05
-29.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.68 €2.38
$4.25 MX$78.6
-36.94%
🚌 Getting Around
Puerto de la Cruz
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.31 MX$5.82
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$41.93 €37.29
$19.85 MX$367
111.23%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.31 €2.94
$2.00 MX$36.93
65.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.28 €2.02
$0.53 MX$9.86
330.19%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.23 €25.11
$5.62 MX$104
402.31%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.65 €1.47
$1.52 MX$28.07
8.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.1K €31.2K
$21.0K MX$388.7K
66.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.4K €25.3K
$25.2K MX$465.3K
12.92%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Puerto de la Cruz
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$111 €98.4
$62.5 MX$1,155
77.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.16 €17.04
$28.77 MX$532
-33.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.08 €24.97
$34.45 MX$637
-18.49%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Puerto de la Cruz
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$57.1 MX$1,055
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.72 €14.87
$24.81 MX$458
-32.61%
Cinema Ticket
$9.15 €8.14
$6.67 MX$123
37.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Puerto de la Cruz
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$481 €428
$431 MX$7,964
11.70%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,713 €5,971
$11.7K MX$216.9K
-42.82%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Puerto de la Cruz
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.7 €78.9
$70.8 MX$1,308
25.30%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.90 €33.71
$51.8 MX$958
-26.88%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$88.9 €79.1
$109 MX$2,011
-18.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 €107
$112 MX$2,076
6.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Puerto de la Cruz
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,133 €1,008
$1,051 MX$19.4K
7.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,049 €933
$665 MX$12.3K
57.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,891 €1,682
$2,346 MX$43.3K
-19.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,577 €1,403
$1,227 MX$22.7K
28.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,614 €3,215
$3,554 MX$65.7K
1.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,478 €3,093
$1,977 MX$36.5K
75.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Puerto de la Cruz
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,345 €1,196
$975 MX$18.0K
37.99%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.15
11.3
-72.12%

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

Last update for Puerto de la Cruz: October 10, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Puerto de la Cruz
$1K
Mexico City
$665 36.6% $384
Groceries & Markets
Puerto de la Cruz
$275
Mexico City
$323 17.4% $48
Eating Out
Puerto de la Cruz
$205
Mexico City
$203 0.8% $1.6
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Puerto de la Cruz
$158
Mexico City
$126 20.4% $32
Clothing & Footwear
Puerto de la Cruz
$151
Mexico City
$155 2.5% $3.8
Getting Around
Puerto de la Cruz
$57 *
Mexico City
$26 54.5% $31
Sport & Entertainment
Puerto de la Cruz
$18 *
Mexico City
$70 285% $52

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 $1,133 in Puerto de la Cruz and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Puerto de la Cruz pays 38% 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: $61.0 in Puerto de la Cruz vs $50.0 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $275 vs $323, with Puerto de la Cruz cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Puerto de la Cruz
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🕒 Local time
09:50 9:50 AM
02:50 2:50 AM
7 h behind Puerto de la Cruz
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
30,849
9,209,944 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Puerto de la Cruz Mexico City 8,300 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Puerto de la Cruz
  • 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
Puerto de la Cruz vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Puerto de la Cruz and in Mexico City?
Puerto de la Cruz and Mexico City differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($1,912 vs $1,567 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Puerto de la Cruz or Mexico City?
Average pay runs 38% higher in Puerto de la Cruz, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Puerto de la Cruz and in Mexico City?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,133 in Puerto de la Cruz versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in Puerto de la Cruz and in Mexico City?
A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 111% less than in Puerto de la Cruz. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Puerto de la Cruz and Mexico City?
Childcare runs $481 in Puerto de la Cruz versus $431 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $1,912 in Puerto de la Cruz, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Puerto de la Cruz. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Puerto de la Cruz and Mexico City?
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.
Is Puerto de la Cruz or Mexico City safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Puerto de la Cruz 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.
Where should expats move: Puerto de la Cruz or Mexico City?
Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Puerto de la Cruz. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Puerto de la Cruz vs other spots: cost of living compared

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