Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saltillo and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Saltillo: $1,313 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Saltillo
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Saltillo Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Saltillo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,313

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,313 in Saltillo versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Saltillo $1,313
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,095 in Saltillo versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Saltillo $2,095
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,877 in Saltillo versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Saltillo $2,877
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Saltillo costs roughly 16% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Saltillo is 3% below, Mexico City is 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.88 MX$201

$10.75 MX$199

1.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 MX$912

$50.3 MX$929

-1.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.49 MX$120

$11.10 MX$205

-41.53%

Cappuccino

$3.50 MX$64.7

$3.68 MX$68.1

-4.89%

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

$1.32 MX$24.35

$1.65 MX$30.42

-20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$19.73

$1.30 MX$24.08

-17.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 MX$39.72

$3.32 MX$61.3

-35.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 MX$69.5

$5.54 MX$102

-32.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$27.98

$1.77 MX$32.68

-14.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.60 MX$66.6

$3.05 MX$56.4

18.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.27

$2.01 MX$37.20

-2.49%

Eggs

$2.34 MX$43.32

$2.77 MX$51.1

-15.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 MX$199

$11.91 MX$220

-9.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.34 MX$154

$9.33 MX$172

-10.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.76 MX$180

$15.02 MX$278

-35.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.69 MX$49.79

$3.08 MX$56.8

-12.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 MX$23.10

$1.95 MX$35.97

-35.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 MX$31.97

$2.03 MX$37.54

-14.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.26

$2.21 MX$40.92

-11.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 MX$40.65

$2.02 MX$37.41

8.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 MX$45.80

$1.82 MX$33.67

36.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 MX$23.22

$1.52 MX$28.07

-17.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$19.79

$1.28 MX$23.65

-16.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.0

$5.27 MX$97.4

-18.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.45 MX$193

$16.12 MX$298

-35.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 MX$42.44

$1.95 MX$36.05

17.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 MX$26.72

$4.25 MX$78.6

-65.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 MX$14.95

$0.31 MX$5.82

161.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.67 MX$308

$19.85 MX$367

-16.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 MX$49.42

$2.00 MX$36.93

33.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 MX$36.75

$0.53 MX$9.86

275.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 MX$308

$5.62 MX$104

196.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.60

$1.52 MX$28.07

-5.26%

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

$18.9K MX$349.5K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

-10.08%

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

$24.0K MX$442.9K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

-4.82%

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

$47.87 MX$885

$62.5 MX$1,155

-23.40%

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

$33.45 MX$618

$28.77 MX$532

16.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.82 MX$551

$34.45 MX$637

-13.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 MX$1,034

$57.1 MX$1,055

-2.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.65 MX$252

$24.81 MX$458

-44.98%

Cinema Ticket

$5.86 MX$108

$6.67 MX$123

-12.14%

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

$249 MX$4,600

$431 MX$7,964

-42.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,673 MX$49.4K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

-77.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 MX$1,048

$70.8 MX$1,308

-19.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.7 MX$1,028

$51.8 MX$958

7.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.2 MX$1,612

$109 MX$2,011

-19.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 MX$2,310

$112 MX$2,076

11.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$561 MX$10.4K

$1,051 MX$19.4K

-46.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$506 MX$9,344

$665 MX$12.3K

-23.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$967 MX$17.9K

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-58.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$962 MX$17.8K

$1,227 MX$22.7K

-21.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$545 MX$10.1K

$3,554 MX$65.7K

-84.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$891 MX$16.5K

$1,977 MX$36.5K

-54.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$796 MX$14.7K

$975 MX$18.0K

-18.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.53

11.3

-6.81%

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

Last update for Saltillo: October 10, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saltillo

$506 38.5%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 31.5% $159

Groceries & Markets

Saltillo

$274 20.9%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 17.7% $49

Eating Out

Saltillo

$176 13.4%

Mexico City

$203 13% 15.1% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Saltillo

$146 11.1%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 5.9% $8.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saltillo

$111 8.5%

Mexico City

$126 8% 13.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Saltillo

$68 5.2%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 4.1% $2.8

Getting Around

Saltillo

$33 2.5%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 20.8% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $561 in Saltillo and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 22% 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: $49.00 in Saltillo vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $274 vs $323 per month, with Saltillo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Saltillo

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

17:46 5:46 PM

Same time as Saltillo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

864,431

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Saltillo Mexico City 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Saltillo
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

Saltillo vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saltillo and Mexico City differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($1,313 vs $1,567 including rent). Saltillo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 22% lower in Mexico City. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $561 in Saltillo versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Saltillo runs roughly 19% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $249 in Saltillo versus $431 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,313 in Saltillo versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Saltillo but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Saltillo 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, Saltillo 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 Saltillo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.