Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Antonio, TX and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,561 a month against $2,418 in San Antonio, TX, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in San Antonio, TX
Learn more

San Antonio, TX Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

San Antonio, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,418

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,418 in San Antonio, TX versus $1,561 in Mexico City.

San Antonio, TX $2,418
Mexico City $1,561

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,672 in San Antonio, TX versus $2,440 in Mexico City.

San Antonio, TX $3,672
Mexico City $2,440

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,926 in San Antonio, TX versus $3,319 in Mexico City.

San Antonio, TX $4,926
Mexico City $3,319

Living in San Antonio, TX is roughly 55% 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: San Antonio, TX 80% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.28 $18.28

$11.12 MX$204

64.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.3 $75.3

$48.99 MX$900

53.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.10 $10.10

$11.23 MX$206

-10.06%

Cappuccino

$5.18 $5.18

$3.76 MX$69.0

37.77%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$1.65 MX$30.34

59.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.28 MX$23.48

32.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.47 $5.47

$3.26 MX$59.8

67.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.11 $6.11

$5.66 MX$104

7.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.81 MX$33.23

-33.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.39 $3.39

$2.94 MX$54.0

15.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$2.05 MX$37.62

115.12%

Eggs

$3.82 $3.82

$2.93 MX$53.7

30.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.94 $11.94

$11.95 MX$219

-0.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.49 $11.49

$9.51 MX$175

20.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.96 $17.96

$14.84 MX$273

21.02%

Apples (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$3.14 MX$57.7

49.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$2.01 MX$36.99

-19.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$2.08 MX$38.10

105.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.22 MX$40.72

54.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.06 MX$37.82

22.82%

Onion (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.88 MX$34.46

62.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.48 MX$27.18

27.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.35 MX$24.70

69.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.56 $9.56

$5.41 MX$99.3

76.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.73 $14.73

$16.86 MX$310

-12.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.98 MX$36.43

40.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$4.32 MX$79.4

-19.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.26 $1.26

$0.34 MX$6.33

270.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.51 $37.51

$20.23 MX$371

85.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 $3.47

$2.10 MX$38.47

65.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.53 MX$9.74

232.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.13 $24.13

$5.41 MX$99.3

346.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.52 MX$27.91

-39.47%

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

$36.5K $36.5K

$21.7K MX$399.0K

67.89%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$24.8K MX$455.6K

4.38%

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

$216 $216

$63.0 MX$1,156

243.51%

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

$71.3 $71.3

$28.88 MX$530

146.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.5 $78.5

$33.93 MX$623

131.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.92 $36.92

$55.8 MX$1,024

-33.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.24 $21.24

$24.90 MX$457

-14.70%

Cinema Ticket

$14.43 $14.43

$6.77 MX$124

113.15%

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

$1,306 $1,306

$428 MX$7,854

205.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K $19.2K

$11.9K MX$218.0K

62.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 $52.1

$70.0 MX$1,286

-25.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 $50.6

$53.7 MX$986

-5.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 $135

$110 MX$2,016

22.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 $148

$115 MX$2,115

28.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 $1,460

$1,062 MX$19.5K

37.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 $1,054

$671 MX$12.3K

57.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,925 $2,925

$2,379 MX$43.7K

22.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,021 $2,021

$1,260 MX$23.1K

60.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,389 $4,389

$3,716 MX$68.2K

18.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,854 $1,854

$1,976 MX$36.3K

-6.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,095 $4,095

$997 MX$18.3K

310.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.44

11.3

-43.01%

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

Last update for San Antonio, TX: October 4, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Antonio, TX

$1.1K 43.9%

Mexico City

$671 42.4% 36.4% $383

Groceries & Markets

San Antonio, TX

$393 16.3%

Mexico City

$327 20.7% 16.7% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Antonio, TX

$366 15.2%

Mexico City

$126 8% 65.6% $240

Eating Out

San Antonio, TX

$296 12.3%

Mexico City

$207 13.1% 29.9% $88

Clothing & Footwear

San Antonio, TX

$173 7.2%

Mexico City

$157 9.9% 9.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

San Antonio, TX

$66 2.7%

Mexico City

$69 4.4% 5.4% $3.6

Getting Around

San Antonio, TX

$55 2.3%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 51.9% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,460 in San Antonio, TX and $1,062 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Antonio, TX pays 311% 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: $75.0 in San Antonio, TX vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $393 vs $327 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Antonio, TX

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

03:50 3:50 AM

1 h behind San Antonio, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,434,625

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Antonio, TX Mexico City 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

San Antonio, TX
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

San Antonio, TX vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Antonio, TX and Mexico City differ by about 55% in total monthly costs ($2,418 vs $1,561 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 311% higher in San Antonio, TX, 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: $1,460 in San Antonio, TX versus $1,062 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 85% less than in San Antonio, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,306 in San Antonio, TX versus $428 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,561 in Mexico City versus $2,418 in San Antonio, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in San Antonio, TX. 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 55% less than in San Antonio, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.