Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Escondido and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Escondido: $1,151 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Escondido
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Puerto Escondido Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Puerto Escondido

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,151

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,151 in Puerto Escondido versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Puerto Escondido $1,151
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,856 in Puerto Escondido versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Puerto Escondido $1,856
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,561 in Puerto Escondido versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Puerto Escondido $2,561
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Puerto Escondido costs roughly 27% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Puerto Escondido is 15% below, Mexico City is 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.52 MX$194

$10.75 MX$199

-2.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.96 MX$794

$50.3 MX$929

-14.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.65 MX$160

$11.10 MX$205

-22.07%

Cappuccino

$3.58 MX$66.1

$3.68 MX$68.1

-2.72%

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

$1.42 MX$26.25

$1.65 MX$30.42

-13.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 MX$19.38

$1.30 MX$24.08

-19.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 MX$56.2

$3.32 MX$61.3

-8.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 MX$74.9

$5.54 MX$102

-26.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 MX$34.14

$1.77 MX$32.68

4.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.84 MX$52.5

$3.05 MX$56.4

-6.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 MX$30.22

$2.01 MX$37.20

-18.41%

Eggs

$2.80 MX$51.7

$2.77 MX$51.1

1.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.20 MX$152

$11.91 MX$220

-31.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.98 MX$203

$9.33 MX$172

17.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.54 MX$213

$15.02 MX$278

-23.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 MX$49.45

$3.08 MX$56.8

-12.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 MX$29.42

$1.95 MX$35.97

-18.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.42

$2.03 MX$37.54

-8.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 MX$32.01

$2.21 MX$40.92

-21.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 MX$29.46

$2.02 MX$37.41

-21.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.35

$1.82 MX$33.67

10.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.28

$1.52 MX$28.07

-2.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 MX$21.15

$1.28 MX$23.65

-10.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.48 MX$82.7

$5.27 MX$97.4

-14.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 MX$191

$16.12 MX$298

-35.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 MX$45.43

$1.95 MX$36.05

26.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 MX$57.1

$4.25 MX$78.6

-27.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 MX$15.35

$0.31 MX$5.82

167.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 MX$51.7

$2.00 MX$36.93

40.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 MX$32.92

$0.53 MX$9.86

235.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.89 MX$183

$5.62 MX$104

75.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 MX$25.14

$1.52 MX$28.07

-10.53%

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

$18.7K MX$344.9K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

-11.26%

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

$25.2K MX$465.2K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

-0.02%

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

$64.7 MX$1,196

$62.5 MX$1,155

3.54%

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

$22.92 MX$424

$28.77 MX$532

-20.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.45 MX$674

$34.45 MX$637

5.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.77 MX$513

$57.1 MX$1,055

-51.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.89 MX$368

$24.81 MX$458

-19.83%

Cinema Ticket

$4.56 MX$84.2

$6.67 MX$123

-31.63%

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

$220 MX$4,069

$431 MX$7,964

-48.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,364 MX$80.6K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

-62.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.88 MX$922

$70.8 MX$1,308

-29.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.79 MX$791

$51.8 MX$958

-17.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 MX$1,693

$109 MX$2,011

-15.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.0 MX$1,553

$112 MX$2,076

-25.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$601 MX$11.1K

$1,051 MX$19.4K

-42.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,061

$665 MX$12.3K

-42.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$960 MX$17.7K

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-59.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$778 MX$14.4K

$1,227 MX$22.7K

-36.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,036 MX$37.6K

$3,554 MX$65.7K

-42.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,289 MX$23.8K

$1,977 MX$36.5K

-34.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$327 MX$6,035

$975 MX$18.0K

-66.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

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

Last update for Puerto Escondido: October 12, 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 Escondido

$382 33.2%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 74% $283

Groceries & Markets

Puerto Escondido

$285 24.8%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 13% $37

Eating Out

Puerto Escondido

$186 16.2%

Mexico City

$203 13% 9% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto Escondido

$124 10.8%

Mexico City

$126 8% 1.3% $1.6

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto Escondido

$121 10.5%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 28.1% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto Escondido

$37 3.2%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 91% $34

Getting Around

Puerto Escondido

$15 * 1.3%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 71.5% $11

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 $601 in Puerto Escondido and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 198% 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: $43.00 in Puerto Escondido vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $323 per month, with Puerto Escondido cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Puerto Escondido

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

17:21 5:21 PM

Same time as Puerto Escondido

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,902

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

Puerto Escondido and Mexico City differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($1,151 vs $1,567 including rent). Puerto Escondido is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 198% lower in Mexico City. 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: $601 in Puerto Escondido versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $220 in Puerto Escondido versus $431 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Puerto Escondido – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $50.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,151 in Puerto Escondido versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Puerto Escondido but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Puerto Escondido 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.

Safety-wise, Puerto Escondido 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.

Expats usually find Puerto Escondido gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.