Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,485 in Saint Joseph, MO, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Saint Joseph, MO
Learn more

Saint Joseph, MO Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Saint Joseph, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,485

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,485 in Saint Joseph, MO versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Saint Joseph, MO $2,485
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,629 in Saint Joseph, MO versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Saint Joseph, MO $3,629
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,773 in Saint Joseph, MO versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Saint Joseph, MO $4,773
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Saint Joseph, MO is roughly 61% 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 Joseph, MO 83% above, Mexico City 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.25 $20.25

$11.02 MX$204

83.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.1 $50.1

$48.68 MX$900

2.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 $10.79

$10.90 MX$201

-1.01%

Cappuccino

$5.09 $5.09

$3.68 MX$68.1

38.32%

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

$2.14 $2.14

$1.63 MX$30.18

31.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.25 MX$23.07

-12.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.92 $4.92

$3.25 MX$60.1

51.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.61 $7.61

$5.53 MX$102

37.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.70 MX$31.50

-47.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.02 MX$55.8

7.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.10 $6.10

$1.92 MX$35.53

217.71%

Eggs

$4.67 $4.67

$2.73 MX$50.5

71.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.63 $11.63

$11.77 MX$218

-1.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.39 $8.39

$9.53 MX$176

-11.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.71 $14.71

$14.41 MX$266

2.08%

Apples (1kg)

$6.98 $6.98

$3.02 MX$55.8

131.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.89 MX$35.01

14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.80 $5.80

$1.99 MX$36.70

191.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.19 MX$40.38

99.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.42 $3.42

$1.92 MX$35.43

78.13%

Onion (1kg)

$3.73 $3.73

$1.87 MX$34.49

99.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.44 MX$26.62

32.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.27 MX$23.39

99.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.74 $8.74

$5.22 MX$96.4

67.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.28 $17.28

$16.17 MX$299

6.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.90 MX$35.03

-1.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$4.22 MX$78.0

-41.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.34 MX$6.30

479.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.10 $5.10

$2.00 MX$36.90

155.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 $1.81

$0.52 MX$9.67

248.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.53 $35.53

$5.34 MX$98.7

565.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.52 MX$28.13

-31.58%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

25.36%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

7.71%

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

$147 $147

$61.1 MX$1,129

140.64%

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

$47.87 $47.87

$28.58 MX$528

67.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.0 $66.0

$34.47 MX$637

91.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.97 $40.97

$56.4 MX$1,042

-27.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$15.29 $15.29

$6.66 MX$123

129.58%

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

$812 $812

$427 MX$7,891

90.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.8K $20.8K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

79.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.92 $47.92

$67.8 MX$1,253

-29.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.63 $34.63

$52.0 MX$960

-33.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 $89.1

$106 MX$1,959

-15.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 $116

$113 MX$2,080

3.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,616 $1,616

$1,025 MX$18.9K

57.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,289 $1,289

$654 MX$12.1K

97.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,489 $2,489

$2,308 MX$42.7K

7.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,185 $2,185

$1,242 MX$22.9K

75.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,569 $1,569

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-56.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,566 $1,566

$1,936 MX$35.8K

-19.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,880 $2,880

$964 MX$17.8K

198.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

11.3

-43.63%

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

Last update for Saint Joseph, MO: 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 Joseph, MO

$1.3K 51.9%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 49.3% $635

Groceries & Markets

Saint Joseph, MO

$403 16.2%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 21.1% $85

Eating Out

Saint Joseph, MO

$308 12.4%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 33.9% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Joseph, MO

$261 10.5%

Mexico City

$124 8% 52.4% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Joseph, MO

$130 5.2%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 17.6% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Joseph, MO

$72 2.9%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 2.6% $1.9

Getting Around

Saint Joseph, MO

$22 * 0.9%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 16.2% $3.6

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 $1,616 in Saint Joseph, MO and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint Joseph, MO pays 199% 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: $50.0 in Saint Joseph, MO vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $318 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Saint Joseph, MO

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

03:47 3:47 AM

02:47 2:47 AM

1 h behind Saint Joseph, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

76,780

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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Saint Joseph, MO Mexico City 2,300 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Saint Joseph, MO and Mexico City differ by about 61% in total monthly costs ($2,485 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 199% higher in Saint Joseph, MO, 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: $1,616 in Saint Joseph, MO versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $812 in Saint Joseph, MO versus $427 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 $49.00 versus $50.0 in Saint Joseph, MO. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,485 in Saint Joseph, MO, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Saint Joseph, MO. 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 61% less than in Saint Joseph, MO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.