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 98.7% more expensive than Mexico City without rent, and 184.1% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Cruz, CA is 56.4% more expensive than Mexico City without rent, and 141.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.67 $22.67

$13.29 MX$229

70.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.2 $80.2

$53.8 MX$928

49.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.29 $12.29

$9.29 MX$161

32.29%

Cappuccino

$5.94 $5.94

$3.61 MX$62.3

64.54%

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

$3.34 $3.34

$1.56 MX$26.89

114.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.12 MX$19.36

126.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.98 $6.98

$3.13 MX$54.0

123.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.45 $7.45

$4.71 MX$81.3

58.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.70 MX$29.39

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$5.17 $5.17

$2.77 MX$47.78

86.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.81 $6.81

$1.96 MX$33.88

247.45%

Eggs

$5.94 $5.94

$2.60 MX$44.98

128.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.83 $23.83

$9.94 MX$172

139.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.71 $14.71

$8.10 MX$140

81.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.70 $23.70

$11.50 MX$199

106.09%

Apples (1kg)

$7.27 $7.27

$2.87 MX$49.58

153.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.73 MX$29.91

63.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$2.00 MX$34.55

166.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.33 $7.33

$2.04 MX$35.20

259.31%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.08 MX$35.95

80.29%

Onion (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$2.20 MX$37.92

76.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.45 MX$25.11

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 $2.77

$1.07 MX$18.54

158.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 $14.11

$4.27 MX$73.8

230.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$27.97 $27.97

$14.32 MX$247

95.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.76 MX$30.47

21.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$3.70 MX$63.9

-23.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.35 MX$6.09

485.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.3 $65.3

$19.19 MX$331

240.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.08 $4.08

$1.34 MX$23.06

204.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 $1.84

$0.28 MX$4.81

557.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.91 $38.91

$5.33 MX$92.1

630.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.34 MX$23.15

-2.24%

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

$35.3K $35.3K

$19.1K MX$330.3K

84.62%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$23.9K MX$412.4K

9.71%

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

$222 $222

$39.86 MX$688

456.12%

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

$47.02 $47.02

$26.78 MX$463

75.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.6 $67.6

$29.36 MX$507

130.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.4 $59.4

$53.4 MX$923

11.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.09 MX$451

Cinema Ticket

$17.22 $17.22

$6.40 MX$111

169.06%

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

$3,211 $3,211

$440 MX$7,607

628.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$38.4K $38.4K

$10.8K MX$185.7K

257.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 $63.7

$57.6 MX$995

10.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.07 $46.07

$45.02 MX$777

2.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.5 $80.5

$104 MX$1,792

-22.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$108 MX$1,864

5.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,895 $2,895

$1,013 MX$17.5K

185.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,674 $2,674

$630 MX$10.9K

324.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,516 $5,516

$2,162 MX$37.3K

155.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,288 $4,288

$1,222 MX$21.1K

250.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,202 $8,202

$3,793 MX$65.5K

116.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.0K $11.0K

$2,332 MX$40.3K

372.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,539 $5,539

$1,075 MX$18.6K

415.33%

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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: April 11, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Santa Cruz, CA vs other spots: cost of living compared

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