Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sacramento, CA and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $3,056 in Sacramento, CA, rent and utilities included – about $18,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

149

Cost of Living Index in Sacramento, CA
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Sacramento, CA Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Sacramento, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,056

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,056 in Sacramento, CA versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Sacramento, CA $3,056
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,515 in Sacramento, CA versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Sacramento, CA $4,515
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,974 in Sacramento, CA versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Sacramento, CA $5,974
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Sacramento, CA is roughly 97% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sacramento, CA 125% above, Mexico City 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.81 $20.81

$11.02 MX$204

88.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.6 $98.6

$48.68 MX$900

102.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.42 $12.42

$10.90 MX$201

13.94%

Cappuccino

$5.05 $5.05

$3.68 MX$68.1

37.23%

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

$2.94 $2.94

$1.63 MX$30.18

80.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.25 MX$23.07

143.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.98 $7.98

$3.25 MX$60.1

145.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.09 $8.09

$5.53 MX$102

46.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.70 MX$31.50

-24.12%

White Bread (500g)

$4.16 $4.16

$3.02 MX$55.8

37.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.63 $4.63

$1.92 MX$35.53

141.15%

Eggs

$5.77 $5.77

$2.73 MX$50.5

111.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.32 $15.32

$11.77 MX$218

30.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.36 $15.36

$9.53 MX$176

61.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.93 $17.93

$14.41 MX$266

24.43%

Apples (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$3.02 MX$55.8

70.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.89 MX$35.01

3.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$1.99 MX$36.70

112.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.74 $5.74

$2.19 MX$40.38

162.10%

Potato (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$1.92 MX$35.43

96.35%

Onion (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$1.87 MX$34.49

76.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.44 MX$26.62

76.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.27 MX$23.39

114.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.95 $11.95

$5.22 MX$96.4

128.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.16 $14.16

$16.17 MX$299

-12.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.90 MX$35.03

38.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 $3.55

$4.22 MX$78.0

-15.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 $2.48

$0.34 MX$6.30

629.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.6 $99.6

$19.65 MX$363

406.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.00 MX$36.90

97.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 $1.91

$0.52 MX$9.67

267.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.77 $24.77

$5.34 MX$98.7

363.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.52 MX$28.13

2.63%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

58.48%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

9.24%

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

$233 $233

$61.1 MX$1,129

282.33%

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

$59.7 $59.7

$28.58 MX$528

108.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.1 $70.1

$34.47 MX$637

103.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.45 $40.45

$56.4 MX$1,042

-28.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.99 $40.99

$24.88 MX$460

64.75%

Cinema Ticket

$17.17 $17.17

$6.66 MX$123

157.81%

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

$1,561 $1,561

$427 MX$7,891

265.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.4K $19.4K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

66.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.1 $61.1

$67.8 MX$1,253

-9.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.14 $47.14

$52.0 MX$960

-9.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.1 $95.1

$106 MX$1,959

-10.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 $129

$113 MX$2,080

14.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 $2,096

$1,025 MX$18.9K

104.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,536 $1,536

$654 MX$12.1K

134.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,263 $3,263

$2,308 MX$42.7K

41.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$1,242 MX$22.9K

103.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,820 $4,820

$3,613 MX$66.8K

33.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,439 $3,439

$1,936 MX$35.8K

77.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,704 $4,704

$964 MX$17.8K

387.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

11.3

-41.68%

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

Last update for Sacramento, CA: October 17, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sacramento, CA

$1.5K 50.3%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 57.4% $881

Groceries & Markets

Sacramento, CA

$465 15.2%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 31.6% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sacramento, CA

$363 11.9%

Mexico City

$124 8% 65.8% $239

Eating Out

Sacramento, CA

$344 11.3%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 40.8% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Sacramento, CA

$149 4.9%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 1.9% $2.8

Getting Around

Sacramento, CA

$123 4%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 79.2% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Sacramento, CA

$75 2.5%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 6.8% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,096 in Sacramento, CA and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sacramento, CA pays 388% 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: $99.0 in Sacramento, CA vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $465 vs $318 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Sacramento, CA

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

19:15 7:15 PM

20:15 8:15 PM

1 h ahead of Sacramento, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

524,943

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Sacramento, CA Mexico City 3,020 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sacramento, CA
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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

Sacramento, CA vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sacramento, CA and Mexico City differ by about 97% in total monthly costs ($3,056 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 388% higher in Sacramento, CA, 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: $2,096 in Sacramento, CA 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 Sacramento, CA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,561 in Sacramento, CA 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 $3,056 in Sacramento, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Sacramento, CA. 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 97% less than in Sacramento, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.