Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz do Sul and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz do Sul: $866 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz do Sul
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Santa Cruz do Sul Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Santa Cruz do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$866

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Cruz do Sul and in Mexico City

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Santa Cruz do Sul and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $866 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $1,674 in Mexico City.

Santa Cruz do Sul $866
Mexico City $1,674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,393 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $2,606 in Mexico City.

Santa Cruz do Sul $1,393
Mexico City $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,919 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $3,537 in Mexico City.

Santa Cruz do Sul $1,919
Mexico City $3,537

Living in Santa Cruz do Sul costs roughly 48% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Cruz do Sul is 36% below, Mexico City is 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.50 R$30.00

$10.59 MX$197

-48.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.04 R$197

$52.0 MX$967

-30.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.30 R$34.41

$10.73 MX$200

-41.29%

Cappuccino

$2.33 R$12.70

$3.80 MX$70.6

-38.68%

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

$1.24 R$6.77

$1.61 MX$30.01

-22.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 R$5.59

$1.21 MX$22.55

-15.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 R$12.27

$3.18 MX$59.1

-29.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 R$14.77

$5.44 MX$101

-50.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 R$4.94

$1.72 MX$31.96

-47.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 R$8.34

$2.97 MX$55.2

-48.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 R$5.35

$1.93 MX$35.84

-49.22%

Eggs

$2.21 R$12.05

$2.77 MX$51.6

-20.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.89 R$54.0

$11.67 MX$217

-15.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 R$23.89

$9.48 MX$176

-53.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.10 R$49.68

$15.37 MX$286

-40.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 R$12.19

$3.10 MX$57.8

-28.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 R$7.39

$1.96 MX$36.49

-31.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.79

$1.98 MX$36.88

-37.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 R$8.05

$2.34 MX$43.46

-36.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 R$6.04

$2.02 MX$37.66

-45.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 R$5.50

$1.82 MX$33.95

-44.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 R$4.31

$1.54 MX$28.74

-48.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 R$4.01

$1.31 MX$24.42

-43.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 R$12.44

$5.35 MX$99.6

-57.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.34 R$40.07

$16.19 MX$301

-54.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.94

$1.96 MX$36.46

-44.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 R$10.86

$4.35 MX$81.0

-54.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$5.14

$0.30 MX$5.67

213.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 R$7.20

$1.92 MX$35.68

-31.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 R$4.01

$0.47 MX$8.80

55.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.69 R$41.99

$5.41 MX$101

42.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 R$6.68

$1.48 MX$27.61

-17.57%

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

$21.7K R$118.5K

$21.4K MX$397.7K

1.52%

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

$32.3K R$176.2K

$23.8K MX$442.1K

35.83%

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

$72.7 R$397

$62.0 MX$1,154

17.33%

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

$11.41 R$62.3

$28.47 MX$530

-59.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.47 R$112

$34.11 MX$635

-39.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.21 R$143

$58.4 MX$1,087

-55.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

Cinema Ticket

$6.74 R$36.79

$6.59 MX$123

2.28%

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

$520 R$2,838

$434 MX$8,081

19.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K R$124.7K

$14.0K MX$261.2K

62.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.12 R$252

$68.4 MX$1,272

-32.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 R$290

$54.8 MX$1,020

-3.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.2 R$514

$111 MX$2,063

-15.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 R$400

$116 MX$2,158

-36.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 R$2,862

$1,179 MX$21.9K

-55.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$288 R$1,570

$771 MX$14.3K

-62.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$890 R$4,860

$2,570 MX$47.8K

-65.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$591 R$3,224

$1,420 MX$26.4K

-58.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$372 R$2,029

$1,003 MX$18.7K

-62.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.5

11.35

1.32%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz do Sul: October 31, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz do Sul

$288 33.2%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 168% $483

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz do Sul

$189 21.8%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 71.2% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz do Sul

$120 13.9%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 31.2% $37

Eating Out

Santa Cruz do Sul

$116 13.5%

Mexico City

$201 12% 72.2% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz do Sul

$105 12.1%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 19.1% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz do Sul

$40 4.6%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 80.3% $32

Getting Around

Santa Cruz do Sul

$8.8 * 1%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 186% $16

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $524 in Santa Cruz do Sul and $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $36 in Santa Cruz do Sul vs $52 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $189 vs $324 per month, with Santa Cruz do Sul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Santa Cruz do Sul

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

04:25 4:25 AM

3 h behind Santa Cruz do Sul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,246

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Cruz do Sul Mexico City 7,410 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Cruz do Sul
Mexico City

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 do Sul vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $866 in Santa Cruz do Sul and $1,674 in Mexico City, so Santa Cruz do Sul is about 48% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 63% lower in Santa Cruz do Sul. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $524 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $520 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $434 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Santa Cruz do Sul – a meal for two runs $36 versus $52 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $866 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Santa Cruz do Sul but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Cruz do Sul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Santa Cruz do Sul wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.