Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago de Compostela and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago de Compostela: $1,443 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Santiago de Compostela
Learn more

Santiago de Compostela Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Santiago de Compostela

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,443

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santiago de Compostela 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 Santiago de Compostela and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,443 in Santiago de Compostela versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Santiago de Compostela $1,443
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,226 in Santiago de Compostela versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Santiago de Compostela $2,226
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,008 in Santiago de Compostela versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Santiago de Compostela $3,008
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Santiago de Compostela costs roughly 10% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Santiago de Compostela 6% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.64 €12.25

$10.62 MX$199

28.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.6 €60.7

$48.35 MX$904

39.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 €8.47

$10.35 MX$193

-8.89%

Cappuccino

$1.94 €1.74

$3.69 MX$69.0

-47.43%

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

$2.78 €2.50

$1.67 MX$31.14

66.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.92

$1.27 MX$23.65

67.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 €2.66

$3.19 MX$59.7

-7.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 €3.55

$5.31 MX$99.2

-25.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.09

$1.72 MX$32.23

-29.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 €1.04

$3.04 MX$56.8

-61.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.94 MX$36.27

-30.93%

Eggs

$2.80 €2.52

$2.89 MX$54.0

-3.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.15 €8.22

$10.97 MX$205

-16.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 €6.06

$9.25 MX$173

-27.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.50 €14.83

$15.13 MX$283

9.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$3.05 MX$57.0

-31.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 €1.91

$1.94 MX$36.27

9.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 €1.34

$2.03 MX$37.85

-26.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.84 €2.55

$2.31 MX$43.25

22.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 €1.78

$2.04 MX$38.03

-2.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.80 MX$33.63

-18.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 €1.03

$1.48 MX$27.64

-22.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$1.27 MX$23.69

-34.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.75 €5.17

$5.30 MX$99.1

8.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.91 €4.41

$16.10 MX$301

-69.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.29

$1.98 MX$37.06

-27.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.13

$4.25 MX$79.5

-44.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.26 €1.13

$0.31 MX$5.70

306.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.86 €29.53

$19.73 MX$369

66.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 €4.40

$1.84 MX$34.34

166.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.53 MX$9.97

156.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.97 €17.05

$5.30 MX$99.0

257.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.51 MX$28.23

17.22%

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

$34.9K €31.3K

$21.8K MX$406.5K

60.21%

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

$29.7K €26.7K

$24.0K MX$448.2K

23.79%

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

$152 €137

$63.0 MX$1,177

142.08%

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

$21.57 €19.38

$27.39 MX$512

-21.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.85 €29.51

$35.67 MX$666

-7.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.7 €45.56

$58.9 MX$1,101

-13.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.27 €2.04

$23.64 MX$442

-90.40%

Cinema Ticket

$10.20 €9.17

$6.40 MX$120

59.37%

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

$335 €301

$432 MX$8,065

-22.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,280 €7,440

$11.4K MX$213.5K

-27.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.1 €81.0

$68.2 MX$1,275

32.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.1 €57.6

$53.1 MX$993

20.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.1

$108 MX$2,014

-4.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.8 €84.3

$117 MX$2,191

-20.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$739 €664

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-33.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$515 €463

$710 MX$13.3K

-27.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,070 €962

$2,588 MX$48.4K

-58.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$868 €780

$1,406 MX$26.3K

-38.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,100 €2,786

$3,631 MX$67.8K

-14.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,153 €1,934

$2,135 MX$39.9K

0.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,886 €1,694

$946 MX$17.7K

99.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.96

11.35

-73.92%

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

Last update for Santiago de Compostela: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago de Compostela

$515 35.7%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 37.9% $195

Groceries & Markets

Santiago de Compostela

$239 16.6%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 33.5% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago de Compostela

$207 14.3%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 39.1% $81

Eating Out

Santiago de Compostela

$203 14.1%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 2.1% $4.3

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago de Compostela

$158 10.9%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 1.2% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago de Compostela

$71 4.9%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 0.9% $0.6

Getting Around

Santiago de Compostela

$50 3.4%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 48.7% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $739 in Santiago de Compostela and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santiago de Compostela pays 99% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68 in Santiago de Compostela vs $48 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $239 vs $320, with Santiago de Compostela cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Santiago de Compostela

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

17:04 5:04 PM

10:04 10:04 AM

7 h behind Santiago de Compostela

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,687

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santiago de Compostela Mexico City 8,600 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Santiago de Compostela
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

Santiago de Compostela vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santiago de Compostela and Mexico City differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($1,443 vs $1,608 including rent). Santiago de Compostela is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 99% higher in Santiago de Compostela, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $739 in Santiago de Compostela versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 40% less than in Santiago de Compostela. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $335 in Santiago de Compostela versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Santiago de Compostela gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.