Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint John Island and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $6,147 in Saint John Island, rent and utilities included – about $55,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

296

Cost of Living Index in Saint John Island
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Saint John Island Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Saint John Island

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

$6,147

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $6,147 in Saint John Island versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Saint John Island $6,147
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $8,398 in Saint John Island versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Saint John Island $8,398
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $10.6K in Saint John Island versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Saint John Island $10.6K
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Saint John Island is roughly 297% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Saint John Island 354% above, Mexico City 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$70.5 $70.5

$11.02 MX$204

539.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$147 $147

$48.68 MX$900

202.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.70 $14.70

$10.90 MX$201

34.86%

Cappuccino

$9.12 $9.12

$3.68 MX$68.1

147.83%

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

$3.57 $3.57

$1.63 MX$30.18

119.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.25 MX$23.07

175.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 $4.86

$3.25 MX$60.1

49.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$5.53 MX$102

23.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.12 $3.12

$1.70 MX$31.50

83.53%

White Bread (500g)

$8.12 $8.12

$3.02 MX$55.8

168.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$12.15 $12.15

$1.92 MX$35.53

532.81%

Eggs

$11.83 $11.83

$2.73 MX$50.5

333.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$31.38 $31.38

$11.77 MX$218

166.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$32.45 $32.45

$9.53 MX$176

240.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.40 $24.40

$14.41 MX$266

69.33%

Apples (1kg)

$22.40 $22.40

$3.02 MX$55.8

641.72%

Banana (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$1.89 MX$35.01

112.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$17.72 $17.72

$1.99 MX$36.70

790.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$12.20 $12.20

$2.19 MX$40.38

457.08%

Potato (1kg)

$7.90 $7.90

$1.92 MX$35.43

311.46%

Onion (1kg)

$7.88 $7.88

$1.87 MX$34.49

321.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$5.13 $5.13

$1.44 MX$26.62

256.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.49 $3.49

$1.27 MX$23.39

174.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.88 $8.88

$5.22 MX$96.4

70.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.37 $23.37

$16.17 MX$299

44.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.42 $4.42

$1.90 MX$35.03

132.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.02 $6.02

$4.22 MX$78.0

42.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$7.10 $7.10

$0.34 MX$6.30

1988.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 $150

$19.65 MX$363

663.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$30.19 $30.19

$2.00 MX$36.90

1409.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.78 $49.78

$5.34 MX$98.7

832.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.52 MX$28.13

7.24%

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

$47.1K $47.1K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

113.33%

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

$52.8K $52.8K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

115.46%

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

$302 $302

$61.1 MX$1,129

395.32%

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

$99.7 $99.7

$28.58 MX$528

248.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$101 $101

$34.47 MX$637

192.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

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

$427 MX$7,891

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.6 $81.6

$67.8 MX$1,253

20.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.95 $49.95

$52.0 MX$960

-3.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.4 $83.4

$106 MX$1,959

-21.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.9 $99.9

$113 MX$2,080

-11.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,920 $3,920

$1,025 MX$18.9K

282.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,521 $3,521

$654 MX$12.1K

438.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,982 $4,982

$2,308 MX$42.7K

115.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,584 $4,584

$1,242 MX$22.9K

269.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,557 $4,557

$964 MX$17.8K

372.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

-38.05%

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

Last update for Saint John Island: 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 John Island

$3.5K 57.3%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 81.4% $2.9K

Groceries & Markets

Saint John Island

$989 16.1%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 67.8% $671

Eating Out

Saint John Island

$784 12.8%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 74% $580

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint John Island

$503 8.2%

Mexico City

$124 8% 75.3% $379

Getting Around

Saint John Island

$209 * 3.4%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 87.7% $183

Clothing & Footwear

Saint John Island

$142 2.3%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 7.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Saint John Island

- * 0%

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

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 $3,920 in Saint John Island and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint John Island pays 373% 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: $147 in Saint John Island vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $989 vs $318 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇮 Saint John Island

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

08:35 8:35 AM

06:35 6:35 AM

2 h behind Saint John Island

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,170

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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 John Island Mexico City 3,610 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint John Island
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 John Island vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saint John Island and Mexico City differ by about 297% in total monthly costs ($6,147 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 373% higher in Saint John Island, 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: $3,920 in Saint John Island versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $147 in Saint John Island. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 663% less than in Saint John Island. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $6,147 in Saint John Island, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Saint John Island. 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.

Safety-wise, Saint John Island 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 Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 297% less than in Saint John Island. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.