Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan del Sur and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan del Sur: $1,058 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in San Juan del Sur
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San Juan del Sur Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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San Juan del Sur

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$1,058

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,058 in San Juan del Sur versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

San Juan del Sur $1,058
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,682 in San Juan del Sur versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

San Juan del Sur $1,682
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,307 in San Juan del Sur versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

San Juan del Sur $2,307
Mexico City $3,333

Living in San Juan del Sur costs roughly 33% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Juan del Sur is 22% below, Mexico City is 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.17 NIO 153

$10.75 MX$199

-61.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.08 NIO 1,248

$50.3 MX$929

-32.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 NIO 204

$11.10 MX$205

-49.82%

Cappuccino

$2.56 NIO 93.7

$3.68 MX$68.1

-30.43%

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

$0.86 NIO 31.37

$1.65 MX$30.42

-47.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 NIO 25.02

$1.30 MX$24.08

-47.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 NIO 53.8

$3.32 MX$61.3

-55.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 NIO 81.8

$5.54 MX$102

-59.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 NIO 45.36

$1.77 MX$32.68

-29.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 NIO 55.9

$3.05 MX$56.4

-49.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 NIO 43.56

$2.01 MX$37.20

-40.80%

Eggs

$2.44 NIO 89.2

$2.77 MX$51.1

-11.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.71 NIO 283

$11.91 MX$220

-35.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.15 NIO 225

$9.33 MX$172

-34.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.84 NIO 287

$15.02 MX$278

-47.80%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 NIO 150

$3.08 MX$56.8

33.12%

Banana (1kg)

$0.62 NIO 22.71

$1.95 MX$35.97

-68.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 NIO 67.3

$2.03 MX$37.54

-9.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 NIO 89.9

$2.21 MX$40.92

10.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.11 NIO 114

$2.02 MX$37.41

53.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 NIO 79.9

$1.82 MX$33.67

19.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 NIO 38.54

$1.52 MX$28.07

-30.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 NIO 38.52

$1.28 MX$23.65

-17.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.76 NIO 101

$5.27 MX$97.4

-47.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.76 NIO 357

$16.12 MX$298

-39.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 NIO 51.9

$1.95 MX$36.05

-27.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 NIO 79.7

$4.25 MX$78.6

-48.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 NIO 58.0

$2.00 MX$36.93

-21.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 NIO 60.3

$0.53 MX$9.86

209.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.87 NIO 252

$5.62 MX$104

22.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 NIO 49.13

$1.52 MX$28.07

-11.84%

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

$22.8K NIO 836.8K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

8.63%

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

$26.7K NIO 977.1K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

5.96%

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

$60.8 NIO 2,225

$62.5 MX$1,155

-2.77%

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

$10.32 NIO 378

$28.77 MX$532

-64.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.01 NIO 1,209

$34.45 MX$637

-4.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.51 NIO 1,118

$57.1 MX$1,055

-46.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$9.23 NIO 338

$6.67 MX$123

38.38%

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

$233 NIO 8,530

$431 MX$7,964

-45.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,128 NIO 224.4K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

-47.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.1 NIO 2,237

$70.8 MX$1,308

-13.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.1 NIO 2,421

$51.8 MX$958

27.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 NIO 4,500

$109 MX$2,011

12.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 NIO 5,331

$112 MX$2,076

29.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$423 NIO 15.5K

$1,051 MX$19.4K

-59.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 NIO 14.4K

$665 MX$12.3K

-40.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$930 NIO 34.1K

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-60.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$797 NIO 29.2K

$1,227 MX$22.7K

-34.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 NIO 12.7K

$975 MX$18.0K

-64.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.92

11.3

5.49%

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

Last update for San Juan del Sur: October 12, 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 Juan del Sur

$393 37.2%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 69.1% $272

Groceries & Markets

San Juan del Sur

$225 21.3%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 43.5% $98

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan del Sur

$178 16.8%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 13.1% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan del Sur

$104 9.8%

Mexico City

$126 8% 20.8% $22

Eating Out

San Juan del Sur

$99 9.3%

Mexico City

$203 13% 106% $104

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan del Sur

$49 4.6%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 43.8% $21

Getting Around

San Juan del Sur

$9.8 * 0.9%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 163% $16

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $423 in San Juan del Sur and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 182% 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: $34.00 in San Juan del Sur vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $323 per month, with San Juan del Sur cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇮 San Juan del Sur

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

22:32 10:32 PM

Same time as San Juan del Sur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,741

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.43 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to NIO – Nicaraguan Córdoba Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇮 Nicaraguan Córdoba (C$)

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 41.17 NIO (100 NIO = 2.43 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to NIO in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Juan del Sur Mexico City 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

San Juan del Sur
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 del Sur vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Juan del Sur and Mexico City differ by about 48% in total monthly costs ($1,058 vs $1,567 including rent). San Juan del Sur is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 182% lower in Mexico City. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $423 in San Juan del Sur versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $233 in San Juan del Sur versus $431 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Juan del Sur – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $50.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,058 in San Juan del Sur versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in San Juan del Sur but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes San Juan del Sur 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 San Juan del Sur gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.