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 76.9% more expensive than Mexico City without rent, and 204.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Monica, CA is 75.3% more expensive than Mexico City without rent, and 192.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.98 $24.98

$13.29 MX$229

87.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$53.8 MX$928

89.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.56 $12.56

$9.29 MX$161

35.20%

Cappuccino

$5.76 $5.76

$3.61 MX$62.3

59.56%

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

$2.96 $2.96

$1.56 MX$26.89

89.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.12 MX$19.36

104.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.33 $8.33

$3.13 MX$54.0

166.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.43 $9.43

$4.71 MX$81.3

100.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.70 MX$29.39

-29.41%

White Bread (500g)

$4.46 $4.46

$2.77 MX$47.78

61.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$1.96 MX$33.88

126.02%

Eggs

$6.85 $6.85

$2.60 MX$44.98

163.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 $12.87

$9.94 MX$172

29.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.85 $13.85

$8.10 MX$140

70.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.56 $14.56

$11.50 MX$199

26.61%

Apples (1kg)

$5.41 $5.41

$2.87 MX$49.58

88.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.73 MX$29.91

12.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.14 $4.14

$2.00 MX$34.55

107.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$2.04 MX$35.20

175.98%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.08 MX$35.95

46.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.20 MX$37.92

12.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.45 MX$25.11

26.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.07 MX$18.54

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.04 $11.04

$4.27 MX$73.8

158.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.93 $14.93

$14.32 MX$247

4.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.76 MX$30.47

43.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 $5.16

$3.70 MX$63.9

39.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.35 MX$6.09

488.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.5 $79.5

$19.19 MX$331

314.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 $3.13

$1.34 MX$23.06

133.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.28 MX$4.81

492.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.09 $29.09

$5.33 MX$92.1

445.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.34 MX$23.15

-7.46%

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

$24.2K $24.2K

$19.1K MX$330.3K

26.49%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$23.9K MX$412.4K

7.99%

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

$189 $189

$39.86 MX$688

375.11%

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

$58.3 $58.3

$26.78 MX$463

117.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.0 $66.0

$29.36 MX$507

124.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$119 $119

$53.4 MX$923

122.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.85 $45.85

$26.09 MX$451

75.74%

Cinema Ticket

$17.73 $17.73

$6.40 MX$111

177.03%

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

$1,786 $1,786

$440 MX$7,607

305.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.3K $15.3K

$10.8K MX$185.7K

41.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.2 $63.2

$57.6 MX$995

9.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 $34.32

$45.02 MX$777

-23.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$104 MX$1,792

-2.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 $151

$108 MX$1,864

39.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,263 $3,263

$1,013 MX$17.5K

222.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,904 $2,904

$630 MX$10.9K

361.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,827 $6,827

$2,162 MX$37.3K

215.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,956 $5,956

$1,222 MX$21.1K

387.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.7K $10.7K

$3,793 MX$65.5K

181.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,974 $7,974

$2,332 MX$40.3K

241.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,856 $6,856

$1,075 MX$18.6K

537.85%

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: April 12, 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 Monica, CA vs other spots: cost of living compared

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