Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Joseph, MI and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,920 in Saint Joseph, MI, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Saint Joseph, MI
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Saint Joseph, MI Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Saint Joseph, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$1,920

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,920 in Saint Joseph, MI versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Saint Joseph, MI $1,920
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,070 in Saint Joseph, MI versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Saint Joseph, MI $3,070
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,219 in Saint Joseph, MI versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Saint Joseph, MI $4,219
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Saint Joseph, MI is roughly 19% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Saint Joseph, MI 41% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.89 $13.89

$10.62 MX$198

30.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.9 $73.9

$48.35 MX$901

52.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.74 $8.74

$10.35 MX$193

-15.56%

Cappuccino

$4.01 $4.01

$3.69 MX$68.8

8.67%

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

$3.00 $3.00

$1.67 MX$31.07

79.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.27 MX$23.59

60.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.91 $3.91

$3.19 MX$59.5

22.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.97 $4.97

$5.31 MX$98.9

-6.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.72 MX$32.15

-52.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 $2.86

$3.04 MX$56.7

-5.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.94 MX$36.19

52.58%

Eggs

$3.53 $3.53

$2.89 MX$53.8

22.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.85 $7.85

$10.97 MX$205

-28.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.53 $10.53

$9.25 MX$172

13.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.36 $8.36

$15.13 MX$282

-44.75%

Apples (1kg)

$5.71 $5.71

$3.05 MX$56.8

87.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.94 MX$36.19

-14.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.53 $3.53

$2.03 MX$37.75

73.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.39 $5.39

$2.31 MX$43.15

133.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.04 MX$37.94

-14.22%

Onion (1kg)

$3.22 $3.22

$1.80 MX$33.55

78.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.48 MX$27.58

10.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.27 MX$23.63

93.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.15 $12.15

$5.30 MX$98.9

129.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.21 $8.21

$16.10 MX$300

-49.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.98 MX$36.97

-14.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 $3.30

$4.25 MX$79.3

-22.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.31 MX$5.69

551.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 $53.9

$19.73 MX$368

173.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.84 MX$34.25

65.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 $1.79

$0.53 MX$9.94

237.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.76 $29.76

$5.30 MX$98.7

461.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 $0.80

$1.51 MX$28.16

-47.02%

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

$24.4K $24.4K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

12.35%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$24.0K MX$447.1K

8.00%

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

$172 $172

$63.0 MX$1,174

172.50%

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

$51.1 $51.1

$27.39 MX$511

86.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.9 $51.9

$35.67 MX$665

45.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.52 $41.52

$58.9 MX$1,099

-29.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 $10.59

$6.40 MX$119

65.47%

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

$1,521 $1,521

$432 MX$8,045

252.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.4K $23.4K

$11.4K MX$212.9K

105.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.22 $40.22

$68.2 MX$1,272

-41.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.07 $49.07

$53.1 MX$990

-7.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.1 $76.1

$108 MX$2,009

-29.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.6 $75.6

$117 MX$2,186

-35.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 $1,075

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-3.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$842 $842

$710 MX$13.2K

18.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 $1,887

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-27.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,791 $1,791

$1,406 MX$26.2K

27.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 $2,773

$3,631 MX$67.7K

-23.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,380 $2,380

$2,135 MX$39.8K

11.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,999 $4,999

$946 MX$17.6K

428.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

11.35

-43.35%

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

Last update for Saint Joseph, MI: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Joseph, MI

$842 43.9%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 15.7% $132

Groceries & Markets

Saint Joseph, MI

$323 16.8%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 1% $3.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Joseph, MI

$275 14.3%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 54.1% $148

Eating Out

Saint Joseph, MI

$235 12.3%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 15.5% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Joseph, MI

$108 5.7%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 43.7% $47

Getting Around

Saint Joseph, MI

$74 3.9%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 65.6% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Joseph, MI

$63 3.3%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 14.4% $9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,075 in Saint Joseph, MI and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint Joseph, MI pays about 5.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $74 in Saint Joseph, MI vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Saint Joseph, MI

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

10:25 10:25 AM

08:25 8:25 AM

2 h behind Saint Joseph, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

76,780

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Saint Joseph, MI Mexico City 2,790 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint Joseph, MI
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 Joseph, MI vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saint Joseph, MI and Mexico City differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($1,920 vs $1,608 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Saint Joseph, MI is about 5.3 times higher, 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: $1,075 in Saint Joseph, MI versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,521 in Saint Joseph, MI versus $432 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 Mexico City – a meal for two runs $48 versus $74 in Saint Joseph, MI. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Mexico City wins on affordability, Saint Joseph, MI on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.