Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Cloud, MN and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $1,894 in Saint Cloud, MN, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Saint Cloud, MN
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Saint Cloud, MN Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Saint Cloud, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$1,894

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,894 in Saint Cloud, MN versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Saint Cloud, MN $1,894
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,718 in Saint Cloud, MN versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Saint Cloud, MN $2,718
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,543 in Saint Cloud, MN versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Saint Cloud, MN $3,543
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Saint Cloud, MN is roughly 22% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Saint Cloud, MN 40% above, Mexico City 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.19 $15.19

$11.02 MX$204

37.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.27 $40.27

$48.68 MX$900

-17.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.63 $8.63

$10.90 MX$201

-20.83%

Cappuccino

$4.47 $4.47

$3.68 MX$68.1

21.47%

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

$2.88 $2.88

$1.63 MX$30.18

76.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.25 MX$23.07

80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.08 $6.08

$3.25 MX$60.1

87.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.85 $4.85

$5.53 MX$102

-12.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.70 MX$31.50

-45.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 $1.50

$3.02 MX$55.8

-50.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.92 MX$35.53

-1.04%

Eggs

$3.78 $3.78

$2.73 MX$50.5

38.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 $9.54

$11.77 MX$218

-18.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 $6.53

$9.53 MX$176

-31.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.42 $19.42

$14.41 MX$266

34.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 $3.66

$3.02 MX$55.8

21.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.89 MX$35.01

-42.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.99 MX$36.70

41.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.63 $3.63

$2.19 MX$40.38

65.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.92 MX$35.43

5.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.87 MX$34.49

55.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.44 MX$26.62

38.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.27 MX$23.39

142.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 $11.38

$5.22 MX$96.4

118.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.07 $15.07

$16.17 MX$299

-6.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.90 MX$35.03

-11.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 $3.04

$4.22 MX$78.0

-27.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 $1.71

$0.34 MX$6.30

402.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.8 $59.8

$19.65 MX$363

204.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.00 MX$36.90

74.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 $0.84

$0.52 MX$9.67

61.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.16 $12.16

$5.34 MX$98.7

127.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.52 MX$28.13

-39.47%

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

$30.2K $30.2K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

36.83%

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

$23.7K $23.7K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

-3.28%

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

$118 $118

$61.1 MX$1,129

93.07%

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

$46.72 $46.72

$28.58 MX$528

63.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.38 $43.38

$34.47 MX$637

25.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.65 $24.65

$56.4 MX$1,042

-56.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.09 $28.09

$24.88 MX$460

12.90%

Cinema Ticket

$12.18 $12.18

$6.66 MX$123

82.88%

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

$1,709 $1,709

$427 MX$7,891

300.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,778 $5,778

$11.6K MX$215.0K

-50.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 $57.4

$67.8 MX$1,253

-15.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 $50.1

$52.0 MX$960

-3.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.4 $73.4

$106 MX$1,959

-30.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 $78.9

$113 MX$2,080

-29.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$931 $931

$1,025 MX$18.9K

-9.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$862 $862

$654 MX$12.1K

31.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,371 $1,371

$2,308 MX$42.7K

-40.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 $1,290

$1,242 MX$22.9K

3.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,993 $1,993

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-44.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,745 $1,745

$1,936 MX$35.8K

-9.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,967 $3,967

$964 MX$17.8K

311.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.61

11.3

-41.50%

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

Last update for Saint Cloud, MN: 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

Saint Cloud, MN

$862 45.5%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 24.1% $207

Groceries & Markets

Saint Cloud, MN

$322 17%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 1.2% $4

Eating Out

Saint Cloud, MN

$262 13.8%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 22.1% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Cloud, MN

$208 11%

Mexico City

$124 8% 40.3% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Cloud, MN

$117 6.2%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 30.2% $35

Getting Around

Saint Cloud, MN

$74 3.9%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 65.5% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Cloud, MN

$49 2.6%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 42.2% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $931 in Saint Cloud, MN and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint Cloud, MN pays 311% 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: $40.00 in Saint Cloud, MN vs $49.00 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $322 vs $318, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Saint Cloud, MN

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

01:28 1:28 AM

00:28 12:28 AM

1 h behind Saint Cloud, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,109

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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Saint Cloud, MN Mexico City 2,940 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Saint Cloud, MN
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

Saint Cloud, MN vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saint Cloud, MN and Mexico City differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($1,894 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 311% higher in Saint Cloud, MN, 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: $931 in Saint Cloud, MN 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 204% less than in Saint Cloud, MN. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,709 in Saint Cloud, MN 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 $1,894 in Saint Cloud, MN, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Saint Cloud, MN. 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 22% less than in Saint Cloud, MN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.