Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Barbara, CA and Mexico City Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Barbara, CA and Mexico City

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Santa Barbara, CA is 67.3% more expensive than Mexico City without rent, and 158.1% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Santa Barbara, CA is 38.4% more expensive than Mexico City without rent, and 142% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Santa Barbara, CA
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$24.82 $24.82
$13.38 MX$253
85.50%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$100 $100
$52.7 MX$997
89.66%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.17 $10.17
$9.31 MX$176
9.24%
Cappuccino
$5.62 $5.62
$3.61 MX$68.3
55.68%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.73 $2.73
$1.64 MX$30.91
66.46%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.1 $2.1
$1.12 MX$21.14
87.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.16 $8.16
$3.26 MX$61.7
150.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.1 $9.1
$4.82 MX$91.1
88.80%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Santa Barbara, CA
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.3 $1.3
$1.65 MX$31.24
-21.21%
White Bread (500g)
$4.89 $4.89
$2.74 MX$51.7
78.47%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.83 $4.83
$1.92 MX$36.28
151.56%
Eggs
$5.43 $5.43
$2.51 MX$47.53
116.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.51 $12.51
$9.89 MX$187
26.49%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.62 $11.62
$8.39 MX$159
38.50%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.26 $14.26
$11.95 MX$226
19.33%
Apples (1kg)
$6.24 $6.24
$2.87 MX$54.3
117.42%
Banana (1kg)
$1.91 $1.91
$1.74 MX$32.85
9.77%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.84 $3.84
$2 MX$37.81
92.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.35 $5.35
$2.07 MX$39.14
158.45%
Potato (1kg)
$3.31 $3.31
$2.05 MX$38.78
61.46%
Onion (1kg)
$3.04 $3.04
$2.18 MX$41.22
39.45%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.18 $2.18
$1.38 MX$26.16
57.97%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.02 $2.02
$1.11 MX$21.06
81.98%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.02 $13.02
$4.16 MX$78.6
212.98%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.26 $15.26
$11.05 MX$209
38.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 $1.76
$1.75 MX$33.16
0.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.07 $4.07
$3.7 MX$70
10.00%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Santa Barbara, CA
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.8 $1.8
$0.38 MX$7.25
373.68%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$65.2 $65.2
$18.97 MX$359
243.70%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.82 $5.82
$1.36 MX$25.72
327.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2 $2
$0.28 MX$5.25
614.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$50.9 $50.9
$5.3 MX$100
860.38%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.22 $1.22
$1.36 MX$25.63
-10.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.5K $28.5K
$18.8K MX$354.6K
51.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.5K $25.5K
$23.4K MX$441.7K
9.25%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Barbara, CA
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$201 $201
$39.97 MX$756
403.03%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$54.1 $54.1
$27.48 MX$519
96.91%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$72.4 $72.4
$30.22 MX$571
139.41%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Santa Barbara, CA
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$66.1 $66.1
$52.6 MX$994
25.59%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 $18.29
$26.84 MX$507
-31.86%
Cinema Ticket
$12.64 $12.64
$6.32 MX$120
100.00%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Santa Barbara, CA
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,445 $1,445
$437 MX$8,258
230.71%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$37.3K $37.3K
$10.6K MX$199.9K
252.98%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Santa Barbara, CA
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.4 $68.4
$57.2 MX$1,082
19.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.33 $41.33
$45.14 MX$853
-8.44%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.7 $77.7
$102 MX$1,928
-23.81%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$146 $146
$109 MX$2,056
33.92%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Santa Barbara, CA
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,643 $2,643
$1,000 MX$18.9K
164.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,296 $2,296
$622 MX$11.8K
269.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,146 $5,146
$2,160 MX$40.8K
138.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$4,439 $4,439
$1,235 MX$23.3K
259.40%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$10.4K $10.4K
$3,566 MX$67.4K
190.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$9,888 $9,888
$2,480 MX$46.9K
298.73%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Santa Barbara, CA
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,242 $5,242
$867 MX$16.4K
504.31%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.68
11.34
-41.09%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Santa Barbara, CA: October 29, 2025

Last update for Mexico City: October 28, 2025

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