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

😐 Solo nomad: Santa Cruz, CA is 52% more expensive than Mexico City without rent, and 193.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Santa Cruz, CA is 65.1% more expensive than Mexico City without rent, and 136.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santa Cruz, CA
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.44 $22.44
$13.38 MX$253
67.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.7 $79.7
$52.7 MX$997
51.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.36 $12.36
$9.31 MX$176
32.76%
Cappuccino
$5.85 $5.85
$3.61 MX$68.3
62.05%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.41 $3.41
$1.64 MX$30.91
107.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 $2.54
$1.12 MX$21.14
126.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.93 $6.93
$3.26 MX$61.7
112.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.46 $7.46
$4.82 MX$91.1
54.77%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Santa Cruz, CA
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.43 $1.43
$1.65 MX$31.24
-13.33%
White Bread (500g)
$5.16 $5.16
$2.74 MX$51.7
88.32%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$6.65 $6.65
$1.92 MX$36.28
246.35%
Eggs
$5.96 $5.96
$2.51 MX$47.53
137.45%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$23.24 $23.24
$9.89 MX$187
134.98%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.85 $14.85
$8.39 MX$159
77.00%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$23.7 $23.7
$11.95 MX$226
98.33%
Apples (1kg)
$7.05 $7.05
$2.87 MX$54.3
145.64%
Banana (1kg)
$2.78 $2.78
$1.74 MX$32.85
59.77%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.32 $5.32
$2 MX$37.81
166.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.49 $7.49
$2.07 MX$39.14
261.84%
Potato (1kg)
$3.88 $3.88
$2.05 MX$38.78
89.27%
Onion (1kg)
$3.93 $3.93
$2.18 MX$41.22
80.28%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.9 $2.9
$1.38 MX$26.16
110.14%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.86 $2.86
$1.11 MX$21.06
157.66%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.16 $14.16
$4.16 MX$78.6
240.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.02 $12.02
$11.05 MX$209
8.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.15 $2.15
$1.75 MX$33.16
22.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 $2.67
$3.7 MX$70
-27.84%
🚌 Getting Around
Santa Cruz, CA
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.05 $2.05
$0.38 MX$7.25
439.47%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$65.2 $65.2
$18.97 MX$359
243.81%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.09 $4.09
$1.36 MX$25.72
200.74%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.93 $1.93
$0.28 MX$5.25
589.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$38.9 $38.9
$5.3 MX$100
633.96%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 $1.24
$1.36 MX$25.63
-8.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.9K $34.9K
$18.8K MX$354.6K
86.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.5K $26.5K
$23.4K MX$441.7K
13.25%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Cruz, CA
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$221 $221
$39.97 MX$756
452.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$47.05 $47.05
$27.48 MX$519
71.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$67.8 $67.8
$30.22 MX$571
124.42%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Santa Cruz, CA
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.2 $60.2
$52.6 MX$994
14.47%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$26.84 MX$507
-
Cinema Ticket
$17.04 $17.04
$6.32 MX$120
169.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santa Cruz, CA
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,225 $3,225
$437 MX$8,258
638.33%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$38.5K $38.5K
$10.6K MX$199.9K
263.79%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Santa Cruz, CA
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.2 $63.2
$57.2 MX$1,082
10.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.64 $46.64
$45.14 MX$853
3.32%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.3 $79.3
$102 MX$1,928
-22.29%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$115 $115
$109 MX$2,056
6.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santa Cruz, CA
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,893 $2,893
$1,000 MX$18.9K
189.47%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,648 $2,648
$622 MX$11.8K
325.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,700 $5,700
$2,160 MX$40.8K
163.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$4,219 $4,219
$1,235 MX$23.3K
241.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$9,235 $9,235
$3,566 MX$67.4K
158.99%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,116 $8,116
$2,480 MX$46.9K
227.28%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Santa Cruz, CA
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,594 $5,594
$867 MX$16.4K
544.93%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.36
11.34
-43.92%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz, CA: October 27, 2025

Last update for Mexico City: October 28, 2025

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