Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan de Pasto and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan de Pasto: $1,463 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in San Juan de Pasto
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San Juan de Pasto Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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San Juan de Pasto

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,463

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,463 in San Juan de Pasto versus $1,674 in Mexico City.

San Juan de Pasto $1,463
Mexico City $1,674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,144 in San Juan de Pasto versus $2,606 in Mexico City.

San Juan de Pasto $2,144
Mexico City $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,825 in San Juan de Pasto versus $3,537 in Mexico City.

San Juan de Pasto $2,825
Mexico City $3,537

Living in San Juan de Pasto costs roughly 13% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Juan de Pasto 8% above, Mexico City 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.83 COP 28.5K

$10.59 MX$198

-16.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$52.0 MX$972

-9.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.50 COP 33.9K

$10.73 MX$201

-2.14%

Cappuccino

$2.89 COP 9,347

$3.80 MX$71.0

-23.95%

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

$1.42 COP 4,595

$1.61 MX$30.16

-11.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 COP 3,898

$1.21 MX$22.67

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 COP 11.1K

$3.18 MX$59.4

8.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 COP 11.7K

$5.44 MX$102

-33.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 COP 5,202

$1.72 MX$32.13

-6.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.39 COP 7,712

$2.97 MX$55.5

-19.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 COP 6,654

$1.93 MX$36.02

6.74%

Eggs

$3.46 COP 11.2K

$2.77 MX$51.9

24.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.16 COP 23.1K

$11.67 MX$218

-38.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.11 COP 32.7K

$9.48 MX$177

6.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.84 COP 38.2K

$15.37 MX$288

-22.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 COP 12.1K

$3.10 MX$58.1

20.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 COP 4,424

$1.96 MX$36.67

-30.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,533

$1.98 MX$37.07

-13.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.86 COP 6,010

$2.34 MX$43.68

-20.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 COP 5,794

$2.02 MX$37.85

-11.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 COP 5,566

$1.82 MX$34.13

-5.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 COP 3,321

$1.54 MX$28.89

-33.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,253

$1.31 MX$24.54

0.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.72 COP 15.2K

$5.35 MX$100

-11.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 COP 40.7K

$16.19 MX$303

-22.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 COP 4,113

$1.96 MX$36.64

-35.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 COP 8,421

$4.35 MX$81.4

-40.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 COP 3,586

$0.30 MX$5.70

270.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.9 COP 216.0K

$19.49 MX$365

243.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 COP 5,267

$1.92 MX$35.86

-15.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 COP 6,752

$0.47 MX$8.84

344.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.85 COP 25.4K

$5.41 MX$101

45.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 COP 4,159

$1.48 MX$27.75

-12.84%

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

$39.0K COP 126.1M

$21.4K MX$399.7K

82.70%

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

$33.3K COP 107.5M

$23.8K MX$444.3K

40.20%

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

$129 COP 415.6K

$62.0 MX$1,160

107.63%

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

$13.90 COP 44.9K

$28.47 MX$533

-51.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.01 COP 96.9K

$34.11 MX$638

-12.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.00 COP 106.6K

$58.4 MX$1,092

-43.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 COP 25.3K

$6.59 MX$123

18.97%

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

$581 COP 1.9M

$434 MX$8,122

33.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.9K COP 44.8M

$14.0K MX$262.5K

-1.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.9 COP 303.2K

$68.4 MX$1,278

37.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.34 COP 159.3K

$54.8 MX$1,025

-9.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 COP 394.3K

$111 MX$2,073

10.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 COP 306.4K

$116 MX$2,169

-18.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$780 COP 2.5M

$1,179 MX$22.1K

-33.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 COP 1.8M

$771 MX$14.4K

-29.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,459 COP 4.7M

$2,570 MX$48.1K

-43.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$796 COP 2.6M

$1,420 MX$26.6K

-43.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,112 COP 6.8M

$3,586 MX$67.1K

-41.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,582 COP 5.1M

$2,064 MX$38.6K

-23.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

5.73%

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

Last update for San Juan de Pasto: October 31, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan de Pasto

$546 37.3%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 41.3% $225

Groceries & Markets

San Juan de Pasto

$278 19%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 16.3% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan de Pasto

$173 11.8%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 27.8% $48

Eating Out

San Juan de Pasto

$172 11.8%

Mexico City

$201 12% 16.7% $29

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan de Pasto

$162 11.1%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 2.8% $4.6

Getting Around

San Juan de Pasto

$83 5.7%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 70% $58

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan de Pasto

$49 3.3%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 47% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $780 in San Juan de Pasto and $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in San Juan de Pasto vs $52 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $278 vs $324 per month, with San Juan de Pasto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 San Juan de Pasto

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

19:31 7:31 PM

18:31 6:31 PM

1 h behind San Juan de Pasto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

392,930

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,609 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Juan de Pasto Mexico City 3,120 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

San Juan de Pasto
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 Juan de Pasto vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,463 in San Juan de Pasto and $1,674 in Mexico City, so San Juan de Pasto is about 13% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,194 in San Juan de Pasto and $2,510 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: $780 in San Juan de Pasto versus $1,179 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 71% less than in San Juan de Pasto. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $581 in San Juan de Pasto versus $434 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. San Juan de Pasto is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.