Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salto and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Salto: $1,327 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Salto
Learn more

Salto Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Salto

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,327

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,327 in Salto versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Salto $1,327
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,946 in Salto versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Salto $1,946
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,565 in Salto versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Salto $2,565
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Salto costs roughly 15% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Salto is 2% below, Mexico City is 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.15 UYU 648

$10.75 MX$199

50.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.91 UYU 1,481

$50.3 MX$929

-26.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.70 UYU 470

$11.10 MX$205

5.41%

Cappuccino

$3.34 UYU 134

$3.68 MX$68.1

-9.24%

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

$2.16 UYU 86.7

$1.65 MX$30.42

30.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 UYU 64.2

$1.30 MX$24.08

23.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 UYU 178

$3.32 MX$61.3

33.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 UYU 122

$5.54 MX$102

-45.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 UYU 56.1

$1.77 MX$32.68

-20.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 UYU 86.5

$3.05 MX$56.4

-29.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 UYU 60.6

$2.01 MX$37.20

-24.88%

Eggs

$5.15 UYU 207

$2.77 MX$51.1

85.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.85 UYU 596

$11.91 MX$220

24.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.59 UYU 345

$9.33 MX$172

-7.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.20 UYU 410

$15.02 MX$278

-32.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.22 UYU 49.03

$3.08 MX$56.8

-60.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 UYU 90.6

$1.95 MX$35.97

15.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 UYU 48.25

$2.03 MX$37.54

-40.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.87 UYU 75.0

$2.21 MX$40.92

-15.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 UYU 33.76

$2.02 MX$37.41

-58.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 UYU 68.4

$1.82 MX$33.67

-6.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 UYU 38.05

$1.52 MX$28.07

-37.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 UYU 61.1

$1.28 MX$23.65

18.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.13 UYU 206

$5.27 MX$97.4

-2.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.43 UYU 298

$16.12 MX$298

-53.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 UYU 75.1

$1.95 MX$36.05

-4.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 UYU 108

$4.25 MX$78.6

-36.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 UYU 25.63

$0.31 MX$5.82

106.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.03 UYU 1,205

$19.85 MX$367

51.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.80 UYU 152

$0.53 MX$9.86

616.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 UYU 76.0

$1.52 MX$28.07

24.34%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

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

$200 UYU 8,024

$62.5 MX$1,155

219.94%

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

$21.57 UYU 866

$28.77 MX$532

-25.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.06 UYU 1,207

$34.45 MX$637

-12.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.99 UYU 1,445

$57.1 MX$1,055

-36.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.49 UYU 501

$24.81 MX$458

-49.66%

Cinema Ticket

$10.07 UYU 404

$6.67 MX$123

50.97%

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

$431 MX$7,964

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,494 UYU 180.4K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

-61.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.6 UYU 3,557

$70.8 MX$1,308

25.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 UYU 2,246

$51.8 MX$958

7.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 UYU 4,525

$109 MX$2,011

3.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.1 UYU 2,652

$112 MX$2,076

-41.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$444 UYU 17.8K

$1,051 MX$19.4K

-57.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$303 UYU 12.2K

$665 MX$12.3K

-54.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$738 UYU 29.6K

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-68.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 UYU 17.0K

$1,227 MX$22.7K

-65.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$612 UYU 24.6K

$975 MX$18.0K

-37.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

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

Last update for Salto: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Salto

$303 22.8%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 120% $362

Groceries & Markets

Salto

$272 20.5%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 18.8% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salto

$252 19%

Mexico City

$126 8% 50% $126

Eating Out

Salto

$248 18.7%

Mexico City

$203 13% 18% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Salto

$146 11%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 6.3% $9.2

Sport & Entertainment

Salto

$56 4.2%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 25.5% $14

Getting Around

Salto

$52 * 3.9%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 50% $26

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 $444 in Salto and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 59% 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: $37.00 in Salto vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $323 per month, with Salto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Salto

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

07:48 7:48 AM

04:48 4:48 AM

3 h behind Salto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

104,028

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Salto Mexico City 7,160 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Salto
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

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

Salto and Mexico City differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($1,327 vs $1,567 including rent). Salto is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 59% 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: $444 in Salto versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Salto – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $50.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Salto runs roughly 51% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,327 in Salto versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Salto but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Salto 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, Salto 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 Salto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.