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 66.4% more expensive than Mexico City without rent, and 187.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Cruz, CA is 84.4% more expensive than Mexico City without rent, and 142.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.77 $22.77

$13.19 MX$233

72.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.7 $79.7

$53.5 MX$944

48.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.36 $12.36

$9.37 MX$165

31.91%

Cappuccino

$5.98 $5.98

$3.75 MX$66.2

59.47%

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

$3.22 $3.22

$1.57 MX$27.71

105.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.11 MX$19.61

131.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 $7.13

$3.12 MX$55.1

128.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.47 $7.47

$4.81 MX$84.9

55.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.65 MX$29.16

-13.33%

White Bread (500g)

$4.95 $4.95

$2.77 MX$48.87

78.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.88 $6.88

$1.91 MX$33.67

260.21%

Eggs

$6.18 $6.18

$2.60 MX$45.81

137.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.84 $23.84

$10.21 MX$180

133.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.73 $14.73

$8.46 MX$149

74.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.71 $23.71

$11.60 MX$205

104.40%

Apples (1kg)

$7.01 $7.01

$3.00 MX$52.9

133.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.73 MX$30.49

67.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$2.04 MX$36.05

160.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.63 $7.63

$2.00 MX$35.34

281.50%

Potato (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$2.15 MX$37.91

79.53%

Onion (1kg)

$3.82 $3.82

$2.25 MX$39.71

69.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.39 MX$24.57

107.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.07 MX$18.88

157.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.81 $13.81

$4.13 MX$73.0

234.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$30.56 $30.56

$12.35 MX$218

147.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.70 MX$30.02

22.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$3.56 MX$62.8

-24.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.36 MX$6.35

444.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.8 $64.8

$18.70 MX$330

246.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.13 $4.13

$1.36 MX$24.05

203.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 $1.89

$0.28 MX$4.88

575.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.48 $38.48

$5.44 MX$96.0

607.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.34 MX$23.64

-5.97%

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

$35.4K $35.4K

$19.0K MX$335.5K

86.00%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$23.3K MX$411.1K

10.09%

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

$218 $218

$40.62 MX$717

436.93%

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

$47.68 $47.68

$26.92 MX$475

77.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.5 $67.5

$29.98 MX$529

125.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.5 $59.5

$52.2 MX$922

13.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.91 MX$457

Cinema Ticket

$17.18 $17.18

$6.39 MX$113

168.86%

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

$3,217 $3,217

$431 MX$7,603

646.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$38.0K $38.0K

$10.4K MX$184.0K

264.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.1 $64.1

$58.4 MX$1,031

9.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.47 $46.47

$44.65 MX$788

4.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 $79.4

$103 MX$1,823

-23.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$106 MX$1,876

8.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,933 $2,933

$998 MX$17.6K

194.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,600 $2,600

$624 MX$11.0K

316.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,642 $5,642

$2,108 MX$37.2K

167.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,175 $4,175

$1,231 MX$21.7K

239.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,981 $7,981

$3,647 MX$64.4K

118.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.0K $11.0K

$2,169 MX$38.3K

407.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,545 $5,545

$1,044 MX$18.4K

431.12%

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: January 12, 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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