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

😐 Solo nomad: Santa Monica, CA is 62.6% more expensive than Mexico City without rent, and 204.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Monica, CA is 62.5% more expensive than Mexico City without rent, and 195.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.57 $24.57

$13.19 MX$233

86.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.0 $99.0

$53.5 MX$944

85.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.31 $12.31

$9.37 MX$165

31.38%

Cappuccino

$5.76 $5.76

$3.75 MX$66.2

53.60%

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

$2.93 $2.93

$1.57 MX$27.71

86.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.11 MX$19.61

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.70 $8.70

$3.12 MX$55.1

178.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.31 $9.31

$4.81 MX$84.9

93.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.65 MX$29.16

-27.88%

White Bread (500g)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.77 MX$48.87

60.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.91 MX$33.67

127.23%

Eggs

$7.07 $7.07

$2.60 MX$45.81

171.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.51 $12.51

$10.21 MX$180

22.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.02 $14.02

$8.46 MX$149

65.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.45 $14.45

$11.60 MX$205

24.57%

Apples (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$3.00 MX$52.9

87.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.73 MX$30.49

12.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.03 $4.03

$2.04 MX$36.05

97.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.71 $5.71

$2.00 MX$35.34

185.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.15 MX$37.91

38.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.25 MX$39.71

12.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.39 MX$24.57

31.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.07 MX$18.88

109.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.19 $11.19

$4.13 MX$73.0

170.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.76 $14.76

$12.35 MX$218

19.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.70 MX$30.02

51.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.32 $5.32

$3.56 MX$62.8

49.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.11 $2.11

$0.36 MX$6.35

486.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.4 $79.4

$18.70 MX$330

324.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 $3.18

$1.36 MX$24.05

133.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.28 MX$4.88

492.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.43 $29.43

$5.44 MX$96.0

440.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.34 MX$23.64

-8.21%

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

$24.2K $24.2K

$19.0K MX$335.5K

27.52%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$23.3K MX$411.1K

11.66%

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

$192 $192

$40.62 MX$717

372.40%

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

$58.4 $58.4

$26.92 MX$475

116.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.7 $65.7

$29.98 MX$529

119.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$122 $122

$52.2 MX$922

133.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.13 $45.13

$25.91 MX$457

74.18%

Cinema Ticket

$18.14 $18.14

$6.39 MX$113

183.88%

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

$1,781 $1,781

$431 MX$7,603

313.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K $15.2K

$10.4K MX$184.0K

45.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.0 $61.0

$58.4 MX$1,031

4.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.70 $34.70

$44.65 MX$788

-22.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 $100

$103 MX$1,823

-2.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 $149

$106 MX$1,876

39.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,261 $3,261

$998 MX$17.6K

226.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,910 $2,910

$624 MX$11.0K

366.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,761 $6,761

$2,108 MX$37.2K

220.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,908 $5,908

$1,231 MX$21.7K

379.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.8K $10.8K

$3,647 MX$64.4K

196.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,153 $8,153

$2,169 MX$38.3K

275.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,769 $6,769

$1,044 MX$18.4K

548.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

11.34

-42.77%

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

Last update for Santa Monica, CA: January 10, 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

Similar cities

Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

San Francisco, CA

🇺🇸 United States

San Jose, CA

🇺🇸 United States

Zug

🇨🇭 Switzerland

George Town

🇰🇾 Cayman Islands

Maui, HI

🇺🇸 United States

St Thomas

🇻🇮 Us Virgin Islands