Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Fernando, Mexico and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in San Fernando: $1,140 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in San Fernando
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San Fernando Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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San Fernando

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,140

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,140 in San Fernando versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

San Fernando $1,140
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,826 in San Fernando versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

San Fernando $1,826
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,511 in San Fernando versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

San Fernando $2,511
Mexico City $3,490

Living in San Fernando costs roughly 29% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Fernando is 16% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.16 MX$172

$10.62 MX$199

-13.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.49 MX$703

$48.35 MX$906

-22.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.41 MX$158

$10.35 MX$194

-18.74%

Cappuccino

$3.99 MX$74.7

$3.69 MX$69.2

8.13%

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

$1.32 MX$24.71

$1.67 MX$31.23

-20.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 MX$18.75

$1.27 MX$23.71

-21.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 MX$42.02

$3.19 MX$59.8

-29.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 MX$70.1

$5.31 MX$99.5

-29.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 MX$32.36

$1.72 MX$32.32

0.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.78

$3.04 MX$57.0

-26.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.52

$1.94 MX$36.38

-2.06%

Eggs

$2.56 MX$47.91

$2.89 MX$54.1

-11.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.94 MX$130

$10.97 MX$206

-36.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.85 MX$147

$9.25 MX$173

-15.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.96 MX$224

$15.13 MX$283

-20.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 MX$56.4

$3.05 MX$57.1

-1.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 MX$32.16

$1.94 MX$36.38

-11.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 MX$39.49

$2.03 MX$37.95

3.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 MX$28.77

$2.31 MX$43.38

-33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 MX$40.87

$2.04 MX$38.14

6.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 MX$34.28

$1.80 MX$33.73

1.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.52

$1.48 MX$27.72

2.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$20.19

$1.27 MX$23.75

-14.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 MX$78.8

$5.30 MX$99.4

-20.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.40 MX$176

$16.10 MX$302

-41.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 MX$35.28

$1.98 MX$37.16

-5.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 MX$61.3

$4.25 MX$79.7

-23.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MX$13.56

$0.31 MX$5.72

132.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.05 MX$563

$19.73 MX$370

52.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 MX$47.37

$1.84 MX$34.44

37.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 MX$32.07

$0.53 MX$10.00

222.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.21 MX$229

$5.30 MX$99.2

130.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.37

$1.51 MX$28.31

-6.62%

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

$22.8K MX$426.9K

$21.8K MX$407.7K

4.72%

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

$21.8K MX$409.3K

$24.0K MX$449.5K

-8.95%

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

$61.8 MX$1,157

$63.0 MX$1,180

-1.95%

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

$25.25 MX$473

$27.39 MX$513

-7.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.39 MX$495

$35.67 MX$668

-26.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.84 MX$578

$58.9 MX$1,105

-47.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.41 MX$383

$23.64 MX$443

-13.66%

Cinema Ticket

$5.02 MX$94.1

$6.40 MX$120

-21.56%

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

$218 MX$4,086

$432 MX$8,088

-49.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,259 MX$79.8K

$11.4K MX$214.1K

-62.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 MX$998

$68.2 MX$1,278

-21.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.76 MX$764

$53.1 MX$996

-23.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 MX$1,921

$108 MX$2,020

-4.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.1 MX$1,801

$117 MX$2,198

-18.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$668 MX$12.5K

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-40.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$377 MX$7,064

$710 MX$13.3K

-46.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.6K

$2,588 MX$48.5K

-61.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$755 MX$14.2K

$1,406 MX$26.3K

-46.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,008 MX$37.6K

$3,631 MX$68.0K

-44.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,178 MX$22.1K

$2,135 MX$40.0K

-44.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.31

11.35

-0.35%

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

Last update for San Fernando: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Fernando

$377 33.1%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 88.5% $334

Groceries & Markets

San Fernando

$259 22.7%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 23.5% $61

Eating Out

San Fernando

$174 15.3%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 14% $24

Clothing & Footwear

San Fernando

$132 11.6%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 18.4% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Fernando

$113 10%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 11.1% $13

Getting Around

San Fernando

$44 3.9%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 42.2% $19

Sport & Entertainment

San Fernando

$41 3.6%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 75.5% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $668 in San Fernando and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37 in San Fernando vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $259 vs $320 per month, with San Fernando cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 San Fernando

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

17:26 5:26 PM

Same time as San Fernando

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,867

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

San Fernando Mexico City 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

San Fernando
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 Fernando vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,140 in San Fernando and $1,608 in Mexico City, so San Fernando is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,710 in San Fernando and $2,412 in Mexico City to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $668 in San Fernando versus $1,113 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 34% less than in San Fernando. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $218 in San Fernando versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,140 in San Fernando versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in San Fernando but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes San Fernando 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.