Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Rico and Mexico

Name: Mexico
Address: MX

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico: $1,274 a month against $2,054 in Puerto Rico, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Rico
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Puerto Rico Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Mexico
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Mexico Living Index

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🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,054

/mo nomad

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,274

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Puerto Rico and in Mexico

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Puerto Rico and in Mexico actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,054 in Puerto Rico versus $1,274 in Mexico.

Puerto Rico $2,054
Mexico $1,274

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,047 in Puerto Rico versus $2,010 in Mexico.

Puerto Rico $3,047
Mexico $2,010

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,040 in Puerto Rico versus $2,746 in Mexico.

Puerto Rico $4,040
Mexico $2,746

Internal cost variation is higher in Mexico: monthly costs span $730 to $2,625, compared to $1,068–$2,500 in Puerto Rico. City choice carries more weight in Mexico.

Living in Puerto Rico is roughly 61% more expensive than in Mexico on average.

Puerto Rico (51% above) and Mexico (6% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.25 $15.25

$10.63 MX$201

43.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.9 $78.9

$43.29 MX$818

82.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.20 $10.20

$8.94 MX$169

14.09%

Cappuccino

$3.53 $3.53

$3.61 MX$68.2

-2.22%

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

$1.66 $1.66

$1.48 MX$27.88

12.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 $1.35

$1.00 MX$18.88

35.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.97 $2.97

$2.67 MX$50.4

11.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 $4.61

$4.37 MX$82.5

5.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.59 MX$29.95

37.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.67 MX$50.5

23.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.68 MX$31.77

31.55%

Eggs

$6.09 $6.09

$2.52 MX$47.68

141.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.17 $11.17

$8.79 MX$166

27.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.38 $8.38

$7.97 MX$151

5.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.46 $12.46

$11.50 MX$217

8.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$2.76 MX$52.1

70.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.52 MX$28.80

74.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$1.95 MX$36.93

124.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$1.97 MX$37.16

132.99%

Potato (1kg)

$3.51 $3.51

$1.96 MX$37.08

79.08%

Onion (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$2.03 MX$38.32

58.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.43 MX$27.07

107.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.14 MX$21.52

57.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.76 $11.76

$4.52 MX$85.5

160.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.41 $15.41

$10.87 MX$205

41.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.77 MX$33.35

32.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 $3.57

$3.19 MX$60.2

11.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 $0.89

$0.62 MX$11.72

43.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.39 $30.39

$29.85 MX$564

1.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.66 MX$50.3

-7.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.72 MX$51.3

-43.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.72 $41.72

$10.63 MX$201

292.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.40 MX$26.41

-25.71%

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

$39.7K $39.7K

$24.0K MX$452.8K

65.70%

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

$28.8K $28.8K

$23.9K MX$451.8K

20.36%

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

$294 $294

$69.2 MX$1,307

325.28%

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

$68.6 $68.6

$23.51 MX$444

191.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$29.00 MX$548

145.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.85 $28.85

$34.74 MX$656

-16.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.72 $13.72

$17.46 MX$330

-21.42%

Cinema Ticket

$9.87 $9.87

$5.24 MX$99.1

88.36%

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

$708 $708

$261 MX$4,923

171.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K $11.2K

$5,999 MX$113.3K

86.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 $57.5

$55.8 MX$1,055

2.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.49 $47.49

$41.58 MX$785

14.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 $93.4

$96.3 MX$1,820

-3.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.1 $98.1

$90.1 MX$1,702

8.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,202 $1,202

$713 MX$13.5K

68.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$782 $782

$477 MX$9,011

64.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,319 $2,319

$1,358 MX$25.7K

70.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,297 $1,297

$906 MX$17.1K

43.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,281 $6,281

$2,597 MX$49.1K

141.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,615 $3,615

$1,565 MX$29.6K

130.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,811 $2,811

$773 MX$14.6K

263.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

11.43

-43.04%

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

Last update for Puerto Rico: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Puerto Rico

$782 38.1%

Mexico

$477 37.4% 39% $305

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto Rico

$434 21.1%

Mexico

$122 9.6% 72% $312

Groceries & Markets

Puerto Rico

$381 18.5%

Mexico

$267 21% 29.9% $114

Eating Out

Puerto Rico

$231 11.3%

Mexico

$187 14.7% 19% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto Rico

$133 6.5%

Mexico

$128 10% 4.2% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto Rico

$49 2.4%

Mexico

$45 3.6% 6.9% $3.4

Getting Around

Puerto Rico

$44 2.1%

Mexico

$49 3.8% 10.3% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $898 in Puerto Rico, $624 in Mexico. Capital cities: $1,934 in San Juan vs $1,113 in Mexico City.

National salary averages: $2,576 in Puerto Rico, $722 in Mexico. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 44% higher in Puerto Rico.

Dining out costs 77% more in Puerto Rico.

Public transport is 23% more expensive in Puerto Rico.

Salaries are about 3.6 times higher in Puerto Rico, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Puerto Rico.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

🇲🇽 Mexico

🕒 Local time

19:57 7:57 PM

17:57 5:57 PM

2 h behind Puerto Rico

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,285,874

124,777,324

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

100 MXN = 5.29 USD

100 MXN = 4.73 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 30, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 18.89 MXN (100 MXN = 5.29 USD). 1 EUR = 21.16 MXN (100 MXN = 4.73 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Puerto Rico Mexico 3,470 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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 Rico vs Mexico: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,274 per month in Mexico and $2,054 in Puerto Rico, Mexico comes out about 38% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Mexico: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $898 in Puerto Rico and $624 in Mexico. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: Mexico wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.