Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Francisco, CA and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $4,342 in San Francisco, CA, rent and utilities included – about $33,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

211

Cost of Living Index in San Francisco, CA
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San Francisco, CA Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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San Francisco, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,342

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,342 in San Francisco, CA versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

San Francisco, CA $4,342
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,433 in San Francisco, CA versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

San Francisco, CA $6,433
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,523 in San Francisco, CA versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

San Francisco, CA $8,523
Mexico City $3,333

Living in San Francisco, CA is roughly 177% 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 Francisco, CA 222% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.11 $27.11

$10.75 MX$199

152.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 $120

$50.3 MX$929

139.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.06 $15.06

$11.10 MX$205

35.68%

Cappuccino

$6.06 $6.06

$3.68 MX$68.1

64.67%

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

$3.22 $3.22

$1.65 MX$30.42

95.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.30 MX$24.08

111.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.83 $7.83

$3.32 MX$61.3

135.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.25 $9.25

$5.54 MX$102

66.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.77 MX$32.68

-2.82%

White Bread (500g)

$5.39 $5.39

$3.05 MX$56.4

76.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.76 $4.76

$2.01 MX$37.20

136.82%

Eggs

$4.87 $4.87

$2.77 MX$51.1

75.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.10 $16.10

$11.91 MX$220

35.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.32 $15.32

$9.33 MX$172

64.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.69 $22.69

$15.02 MX$278

51.07%

Apples (1kg)

$6.20 $6.20

$3.08 MX$56.8

101.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.95 MX$35.97

45.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$2.03 MX$37.54

112.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.66 $6.66

$2.21 MX$40.92

201.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$2.02 MX$37.41

43.56%

Onion (1kg)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.82 MX$33.67

104.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.52 MX$28.07

84.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.28 MX$23.65

102.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.79 $11.79

$5.27 MX$97.4

123.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.62 $14.62

$16.12 MX$298

-9.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.95 MX$36.05

59.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 $3.56

$4.25 MX$78.6

-16.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 $2.91

$0.31 MX$5.82

838.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.8 $95.8

$19.85 MX$367

382.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.00 MX$36.93

111.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 $1.99

$0.53 MX$9.86

275.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.06 $39.06

$5.62 MX$104

595.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.52 MX$28.07

-0.66%

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

$37.6K $37.6K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

78.99%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

1.00%

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

$214 $214

$62.5 MX$1,155

242.84%

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

$62.2 $62.2

$28.77 MX$532

116.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.8 $76.8

$34.45 MX$637

122.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$122 $122

$57.1 MX$1,055

114.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.47 $21.47

$24.81 MX$458

-13.46%

Cinema Ticket

$17.99 $17.99

$6.67 MX$123

169.72%

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

$2,943 $2,943

$431 MX$7,964

583.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.7K $42.7K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

263.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.5 $76.5

$70.8 MX$1,308

8.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.33 $47.33

$51.8 MX$958

-8.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$109 MX$2,011

-6.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$112 MX$2,076

24.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,749 $3,749

$1,051 MX$19.4K

256.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,617 $2,617

$665 MX$12.3K

293.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,734 $5,734

$2,346 MX$43.3K

144.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,530 $4,530

$1,227 MX$22.7K

269.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,861 $9,861

$3,554 MX$65.7K

177.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,520 $7,520

$1,977 MX$36.5K

280.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,548 $6,548

$975 MX$18.0K

571.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.76

11.3

-40.18%

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

Last update for San Francisco, CA: 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

San Francisco, CA

$2.6K 60.3%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 74.6% $2K

Groceries & Markets

San Francisco, CA

$512 11.8%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 36.9% $189

Eating Out

San Francisco, CA

$416 9.6%

Mexico City

$203 13% 51.2% $213

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Francisco, CA

$353 8.1%

Mexico City

$126 8% 64.4% $227

Clothing & Footwear

San Francisco, CA

$164 3.8%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 5.8% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

San Francisco, CA

$158 3.6%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 55.5% $88

Getting Around

San Francisco, CA

$122 2.8%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 78.8% $96

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,749 in San Francisco, CA and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Francisco, CA pays 572% 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: $120 in San Francisco, CA vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $512 vs $323 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Francisco, CA

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

09:18 9:18 AM

10:18 10:18 AM

1 h ahead of San Francisco, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

873,965

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

San Francisco, CA Mexico City 3,040 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

San Francisco, CA
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 Francisco, CA vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Francisco, CA and Mexico City differ by about 177% in total monthly costs ($4,342 vs $1,567 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 572% higher in San Francisco, CA, 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: $3,749 in San Francisco, CA 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 Mexico City runs roughly 382% less than in San Francisco, CA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,943 in San Francisco, CA versus $431 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $4,342 in San Francisco, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in San Francisco, CA. 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 177% less than in San Francisco, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.