Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Pedro Sula and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in San Pedro Sula: $1,221 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

San Pedro Sula
🇭🇳 Honduras
$1,221
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,567
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,221 in San Pedro Sula versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

  • San Pedro Sula $1,221
  • Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,818 in San Pedro Sula versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

  • San Pedro Sula $1,818
  • Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,414 in San Pedro Sula versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

  • San Pedro Sula $2,414
  • Mexico City $3,333

Living in San Pedro Sula costs roughly 22% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Pedro Sula is 10% below, Mexico City is 16% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
San Pedro Sula
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.43 HNL 200
$10.75 MX$199
-30.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$33.86 HNL 910
$50.3 MX$929
-32.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.36 HNL 252
$11.10 MX$205
-15.68%
Cappuccino
$2.34 HNL 62.9
$3.68 MX$68.1
-36.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.06 HNL 28.52
$1.65 MX$30.42
-35.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 HNL 20.90
$1.30 MX$24.08
-40.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.85 HNL 49.68
$3.32 MX$61.3
-44.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.62 HNL 97.3
$5.54 MX$102
-34.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
San Pedro Sula
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 HNL 41.10
$1.77 MX$32.68
-13.56%
White Bread (500g)
$2.03 HNL 54.6
$3.05 MX$56.4
-33.44%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.62 HNL 43.56
$2.01 MX$37.20
-19.40%
Eggs
$2.35 HNL 63.0
$2.77 MX$51.1
-15.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.85 HNL 238
$11.91 MX$220
-25.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.66 HNL 179
$9.33 MX$172
-28.62%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.23 HNL 248
$15.02 MX$278
-38.55%
Apples (1kg)
$3.49 HNL 93.7
$3.08 MX$56.8
13.31%
Banana (1kg)
$1.27 HNL 34.12
$1.95 MX$35.97
-34.87%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.20 HNL 86.0
$2.03 MX$37.54
57.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.72 HNL 46.31
$2.21 MX$40.92
-22.17%
Potato (1kg)
$2.43 HNL 65.4
$2.02 MX$37.41
20.30%
Onion (1kg)
$2.35 HNL 63.0
$1.82 MX$33.67
29.12%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.43 HNL 38.37
$1.52 MX$28.07
-5.92%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 HNL 44.45
$1.28 MX$23.65
28.91%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.04 HNL 81.8
$5.27 MX$97.4
-42.31%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.93 HNL 347
$16.12 MX$298
-19.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.86 HNL 22.99
$1.95 MX$36.05
-55.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.39 HNL 37.44
$4.25 MX$78.6
-67.29%
🚌 Getting Around
San Pedro Sula
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.64 HNL 17.07
$0.31 MX$5.82
106.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$35.87 HNL 963
$19.85 MX$367
80.71%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.73 HNL 73.3
$2.00 MX$36.93
36.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.85 HNL 49.63
$0.53 MX$9.86
249.06%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.07 HNL 297
$5.62 MX$104
96.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.93 HNL 25.03
$1.52 MX$28.07
-38.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.0K HNL 617.0K
$21.0K MX$388.7K
9.21%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.4K HNL 655.8K
$25.2K MX$465.3K
-3.04%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
San Pedro Sula
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$129 HNL 3,478
$62.5 MX$1,155
107.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.29 HNL 303
$28.77 MX$532
-60.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.72 HNL 1,174
$34.45 MX$637
26.91%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
San Pedro Sula
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.53 HNL 1,008
$57.1 MX$1,055
-34.27%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.08 HNL 378
$24.81 MX$458
-43.25%
Cinema Ticket
$5.76 HNL 155
$6.67 MX$123
-13.64%
🧸 Childcare & Education
San Pedro Sula
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$148 HNL 3,971
$431 MX$7,964
-65.70%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,203 HNL 86.0K
$11.7K MX$216.9K
-72.71%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
San Pedro Sula
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$73.2 HNL 1,965
$70.8 MX$1,308
3.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.91 HNL 1,072
$51.8 MX$958
-23.00%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.4 HNL 2,107
$109 MX$2,011
-27.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$74.9 HNL 2,013
$112 MX$2,076
-33.29%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
San Pedro Sula
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$568 HNL 15.3K
$1,051 MX$19.4K
-45.95%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$421 HNL 11.3K
$665 MX$12.3K
-36.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$819 HNL 22.0K
$2,346 MX$43.3K
-65.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$706 HNL 19.0K
$1,227 MX$22.7K
-42.46%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$992 HNL 26.6K
$3,554 MX$65.7K
-72.09%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$426 HNL 11.4K
$1,977 MX$36.5K
-78.45%
💵 Salaries & Financials
San Pedro Sula
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$608 HNL 16.3K
$975 MX$18.0K
-37.59%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.33
11.3
9.12%

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

Last update for San Pedro Sula: 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 Pedro Sula
$421
Mexico City
$665 57.8% $244
Groceries & Markets
San Pedro Sula
$256
Mexico City
$323 26.1% $67
Monthly Utilities & Internet
San Pedro Sula
$185
Mexico City
$126 31.9% $59
Eating Out
San Pedro Sula
$139
Mexico City
$203 45.5% $63
Clothing & Footwear
San Pedro Sula
$120
Mexico City
$155 29% $35
Getting Around
San Pedro Sula
$50
Mexico City
$26 48.8% $25
Sport & Entertainment
San Pedro Sula
$49
Mexico City
$70 43.6% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $568 in San Pedro Sula and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 60% 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 Pedro Sula vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $256 vs $323 per month, with San Pedro Sula cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇭🇳 San Pedro Sula
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🕒 Local time
04:26 4:26 AM
04:26 4:26 AM
Same time as San Pedro Sula
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
719,064
9,209,944 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to HNL – Honduran Lempira Converter

Honduran Lempira exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 26.86 HNL (100 HNL = 3.72 USD). 1 EUR = 30.2 HNL (100 HNL = 3.31 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • San Pedro Sula Mexico City 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • San Pedro Sula
  • 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 Pedro Sula vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in San Pedro Sula and in Mexico City?
San Pedro Sula and Mexico City differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($1,221 vs $1,567 including rent). San Pedro Sula is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 60% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in San Pedro Sula and in Mexico City?
Rent for a central apartment: $568 in San Pedro Sula versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in San Pedro Sula and in Mexico City?
A monthly transit pass in San Pedro Sula runs roughly 81% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
What is the difference in childcare costs between San Pedro Sula and Mexico City?
Childcare runs $148 in San Pedro Sula versus $431 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,221 in San Pedro Sula versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in San Pedro Sula but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes San Pedro Sula the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between San Pedro Sula and Mexico City?
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.
Where should expats move: San Pedro Sula or Mexico City?
Expats usually find San Pedro Sula gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

San Pedro Sula vs other spots: cost of living compared

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