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

😐 Solo nomad: Santa Barbara, CA is 64.9% more expensive than Mexico City without rent, and 161.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Barbara, CA is 59.8% more expensive than Mexico City without rent, and 138.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.27 $25.27

$13.19 MX$233

91.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100.0 $100.0

$53.5 MX$944

86.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.83 $9.83

$9.37 MX$165

4.91%

Cappuccino

$5.56 $5.56

$3.75 MX$66.2

48.27%

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

$2.66 $2.66

$1.57 MX$27.71

69.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.11 MX$19.61

85.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 $8.18

$3.12 MX$55.1

162.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.80 $8.80

$4.81 MX$84.9

82.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.65 MX$29.16

-22.42%

White Bread (500g)

$5.00 $5.00

$2.77 MX$48.87

80.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$1.91 MX$33.67

150.26%

Eggs

$5.48 $5.48

$2.60 MX$45.81

110.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.21 $12.21

$10.21 MX$180

19.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.51 $11.51

$8.46 MX$149

36.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.63 $14.63

$11.60 MX$205

26.12%

Apples (1kg)

$6.21 $6.21

$3.00 MX$52.9

107.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.73 MX$30.49

6.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$2.04 MX$36.05

84.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.33 $5.33

$2.00 MX$35.34

166.50%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$2.15 MX$37.91

53.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.25 MX$39.71

31.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.39 MX$24.57

53.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.07 MX$18.88

96.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.92 $12.92

$4.13 MX$73.0

212.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.17 $17.17

$12.35 MX$218

39.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.70 MX$30.02

2.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 $3.89

$3.56 MX$62.8

9.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 $1.70

$0.36 MX$6.35

372.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.3 $64.3

$18.70 MX$330

243.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.12 $6.12

$1.36 MX$24.05

350.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 $2.07

$0.28 MX$4.88

639.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.2 $51.2

$5.44 MX$96.0

840.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.34 MX$23.64

-8.21%

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

$28.4K $28.4K

$19.0K MX$335.5K

49.64%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$23.3K MX$411.1K

11.08%

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

$199 $199

$40.62 MX$717

389.36%

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

$55.1 $55.1

$26.92 MX$475

104.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.3 $71.3

$29.98 MX$529

137.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.9 $66.9

$52.2 MX$922

28.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.01 $18.01

$25.91 MX$457

-30.49%

Cinema Ticket

$12.53 $12.53

$6.39 MX$113

96.09%

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

$1,430 $1,430

$431 MX$7,603

232.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.5K $36.5K

$10.4K MX$184.0K

250.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 $68.8

$58.4 MX$1,031

17.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.27 $40.27

$44.65 MX$788

-9.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 $76.9

$103 MX$1,823

-25.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 $144

$106 MX$1,876

35.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,683 $2,683

$998 MX$17.6K

168.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 $2,241

$624 MX$11.0K

258.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,110 $5,110

$2,108 MX$37.2K

142.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,322 $4,322

$1,231 MX$21.7K

251.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,965 $9,965

$3,647 MX$64.4K

173.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.2K $10.2K

$2,169 MX$38.3K

371.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,148 $5,148

$1,044 MX$18.4K

393.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

11.34

-41.09%

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

Last update for Santa Barbara, CA: January 11, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: January 13, 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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