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

😐 Solo nomad: San Jose, CA is 76.7% more expensive than Mexico City without rent, and 203.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: San Jose, CA is 82.5% more expensive than Mexico City without rent, and 157.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
San Jose, CA
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.48 $20.48
$13.12 MX$231
56.10%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$101 $101
$53.8 MX$946
87.88%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.66 $11.66
$9.40 MX$165
24.04%
Cappuccino
$5.85 $5.85
$3.56 MX$62.7
64.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.20 $3.20
$1.60 MX$28.20
100.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 $2.48
$1.15 MX$20.31
115.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.82 $8.82
$3.16 MX$55.5
179.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$10.94 $10.94
$4.85 MX$85.2
125.57%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
San Jose, CA
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 $1.41
$1.63 MX$28.74
-13.50%
White Bread (500g)
$5.01 $5.01
$2.73 MX$48.09
83.52%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.31 $3.31
$1.88 MX$33.04
76.06%
Eggs
$4.80 $4.80
$2.63 MX$46.29
82.51%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$21.28 $21.28
$9.89 MX$174
115.17%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$15.69 $15.69
$8.40 MX$148
86.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$22.51 $22.51
$11.63 MX$205
93.55%
Apples (1kg)
$6.06 $6.06
$2.97 MX$52.3
104.04%
Banana (1kg)
$2.56 $2.56
$1.78 MX$31.39
43.82%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.00 $5.00
$2.06 MX$36.16
142.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.44 $6.44
$1.97 MX$34.74
226.90%
Potato (1kg)
$3.43 $3.43
$2.09 MX$36.69
64.11%
Onion (1kg)
$4.47 $4.47
$2.26 MX$39.74
97.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.96 $2.96
$1.46 MX$25.65
102.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.90 $2.90
$1.09 MX$19.17
166.06%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.06 $11.06
$4.34 MX$76.3
154.84%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.84 $14.84
$13.62 MX$240
8.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.32 $2.32
$1.67 MX$29.44
38.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.47 $3.47
$3.54 MX$62.3
-1.98%
🚌 Getting Around
San Jose, CA
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.52 $2.52
$0.36 MX$6.33
600.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$91.1 $91.1
$18.96 MX$333
380.38%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.53 $3.53
$1.32 MX$23.28
167.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.84 $1.84
$0.30 MX$5.30
513.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$30.59 $30.59
$5.49 MX$96.5
457.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.27 $1.27
$1.34 MX$23.51
-5.22%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.4K $29.4K
$19.1K MX$336.2K
53.84%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K $26.7K
$23.8K MX$418.0K
12.48%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
San Jose, CA
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$294 $294
$41.11 MX$723
614.01%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$48.63 $48.63
$27.78 MX$489
75.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$69.1 $69.1
$30.00 MX$528
130.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
San Jose, CA
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$125 $125
$53.5 MX$942
133.92%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$30.46 $30.46
$26.13 MX$460
16.57%
Cinema Ticket
$15.63 $15.63
$6.28 MX$111
148.89%
🧸 Childcare & Education
San Jose, CA
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,978 $1,978
$439 MX$7,729
350.07%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$26.5K $26.5K
$10.7K MX$188.9K
146.47%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
San Jose, CA
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.0 $53.0
$57.1 MX$1,005
-7.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.59 $43.59
$45.30 MX$797
-3.77%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.0 $89.0
$104 MX$1,834
-14.63%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$138 $138
$108 MX$1,904
27.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
San Jose, CA
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,055 $3,055
$996 MX$17.5K
206.73%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,711 $2,711
$624 MX$11.0K
334.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,223 $5,223
$2,106 MX$37.1K
147.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$4,634 $4,634
$1,218 MX$21.4K
280.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$9,163 $9,163
$3,799 MX$66.8K
141.22%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$9,844 $9,844
$2,230 MX$39.2K
341.39%
💵 Salaries & Financials
San Jose, CA
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,685 $5,685
$1,096 MX$19.3K
418.50%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.51
11.34
-42.59%

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

Last update for San Jose, CA: March 1, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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