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 74.4% more expensive than Mexico City without rent, and 187.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Cruz, CA is 69.2% more expensive than Mexico City without rent, and 143.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.89 $22.89

$13.12 MX$232

74.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.3 $79.3

$53.8 MX$950

47.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.68 $12.68

$9.40 MX$166

34.89%

Cappuccino

$5.97 $5.97

$3.56 MX$62.9

67.70%

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

$3.39 $3.39

$1.60 MX$28.29

111.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.15 MX$20.38

113.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.90 $6.90

$3.16 MX$55.7

118.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.34 $7.34

$4.85 MX$85.5

51.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.63 MX$28.84

-16.56%

White Bread (500g)

$4.96 $4.96

$2.73 MX$48.26

81.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.77 $6.77

$1.88 MX$33.16

260.11%

Eggs

$6.10 $6.10

$2.63 MX$46.45

131.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.51 $23.51

$9.89 MX$175

137.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.75 $14.75

$8.40 MX$148

75.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.74 $23.74

$11.63 MX$205

104.13%

Apples (1kg)

$7.23 $7.23

$2.97 MX$52.5

143.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.78 MX$31.50

63.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.20 $5.20

$2.06 MX$36.28

152.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.74 $7.74

$1.97 MX$34.86

292.89%

Potato (1kg)

$3.84 $3.84

$2.09 MX$36.82

83.73%

Onion (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$2.26 MX$39.87

71.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.46 MX$25.74

93.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.09 MX$19.24

159.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.84 $13.84

$4.34 MX$76.6

218.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$30.42 $30.42

$13.62 MX$240

123.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.67 MX$29.54

23.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 $2.77

$3.54 MX$62.5

-21.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.36 MX$6.35

469.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 $65.5

$18.96 MX$335

245.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.06 $4.06

$1.32 MX$23.36

207.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 $1.93

$0.30 MX$5.32

543.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.13 $39.13

$5.49 MX$96.9

612.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.34 MX$23.59

-3.73%

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

$35.3K $35.3K

$19.1K MX$337.4K

84.64%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$23.8K MX$419.4K

7.29%

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

$222 $222

$41.11 MX$726

439.38%

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

$47.69 $47.69

$27.78 MX$490

71.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.2 $66.2

$30.00 MX$530

120.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.6 $59.6

$53.5 MX$945

11.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.13 MX$461

Cinema Ticket

$16.77 $16.77

$6.28 MX$111

167.04%

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

$3,166 $3,166

$439 MX$7,755

620.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$38.5K $38.5K

$10.7K MX$189.6K

258.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 $62.4

$57.1 MX$1,008

9.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.11 $45.11

$45.30 MX$800

-0.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.2 $81.2

$104 MX$1,840

-22.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$108 MX$1,911

7.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,924 $2,924

$996 MX$17.6K

193.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,590 $2,590

$624 MX$11.0K

315.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,670 $5,670

$2,106 MX$37.2K

169.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,152 $4,152

$1,218 MX$21.5K

240.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,946 $7,946

$3,799 MX$67.0K

109.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.4K $11.4K

$2,230 MX$39.4K

410.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,566 $5,566

$1,096 MX$19.4K

407.68%

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: March 1, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: March 1, 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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