Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santos and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Santos: $1,150 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Santos
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Santos Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Santos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,150

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,150 in Santos versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Santos $1,150
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,736 in Santos versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Santos $1,736
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,322 in Santos versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Santos $2,322
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Santos costs roughly 26% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santos is 15% below, Mexico City is 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.12 R$41.18

$11.02 MX$204

-26.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.84 R$161

$48.68 MX$900

-34.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.14 R$36.19

$10.90 MX$201

-34.50%

Cappuccino

$2.75 R$13.96

$3.68 MX$68.1

-25.27%

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

$1.43 R$7.24

$1.63 MX$30.18

-12.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R$4.68

$1.25 MX$23.07

-26.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.52 R$12.76

$3.25 MX$60.1

-22.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 R$14.79

$5.53 MX$102

-47.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.50

$1.70 MX$31.50

-35.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 R$9.39

$3.02 MX$55.8

-38.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.91

$1.92 MX$35.53

-29.17%

Eggs

$2.49 R$12.61

$2.73 MX$50.5

-8.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.14 R$61.6

$11.77 MX$218

3.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.86 R$24.63

$9.53 MX$176

-49.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.91 R$50.2

$14.41 MX$266

-31.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 R$10.69

$3.02 MX$55.8

-30.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.23

$1.89 MX$35.01

-34.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 R$10.07

$1.99 MX$36.70

Tomato (1kg)

$1.85 R$9.37

$2.19 MX$40.38

-15.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 R$6.86

$1.92 MX$35.43

-29.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.56

$1.87 MX$34.49

-31.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 R$5.87

$1.44 MX$26.62

-19.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.80

$1.27 MX$23.39

-25.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.35 R$11.89

$5.22 MX$96.4

-54.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.46

$16.17 MX$299

-50.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 R$6.76

$1.90 MX$35.03

-30.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R$9.83

$4.22 MX$78.0

-54.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 R$5.66

$0.34 MX$6.30

229.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.37 R$250

$19.65 MX$363

151.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 R$7.89

$2.00 MX$36.90

-22.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 R$8.16

$0.52 MX$9.67

209.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.80 R$90.2

$5.34 MX$98.7

233.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.31

$1.52 MX$28.13

-18.42%

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

$23.7K R$120.3K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

7.46%

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

$33.5K R$169.6K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

36.52%

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

$104 R$529

$61.1 MX$1,129

70.77%

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

$11.95 R$60.6

$28.58 MX$528

-58.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.90 R$111

$34.47 MX$637

-36.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.96 R$147

$56.4 MX$1,042

-48.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$57.0 R$289

$24.88 MX$460

129.18%

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 R$43.55

$6.66 MX$123

28.98%

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

$280 R$1,418

$427 MX$7,891

-34.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K R$52.0K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

-11.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 R$281

$67.8 MX$1,253

-18.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.69 R$186

$52.0 MX$960

-29.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.7 R$485

$106 MX$1,959

-9.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.7 R$307

$113 MX$2,080

-46.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$543 R$2,754

$1,025 MX$18.9K

-46.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$424 R$2,148

$654 MX$12.1K

-35.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$992 R$5,031

$2,308 MX$42.7K

-57.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$686 R$3,478

$1,242 MX$22.9K

-44.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,413 R$12.2K

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-33.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,776 R$9,004

$1,936 MX$35.8K

-8.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$584 R$2,958

$964 MX$17.8K

-39.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.79

11.3

13.19%

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

Last update for Santos: October 20, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santos

$424 36.9%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 54.4% $230

Groceries & Markets

Santos

$219 19.1%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 44.9% $99

Eating Out

Santos

$147 12.8%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 38.4% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santos

$138 12%

Mexico City

$124 8% 10.1% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Santos

$112 9.7%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 36.1% $40

Getting Around

Santos

$63 5.5%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 59.6% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Santos

$46 4%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 51% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $543 in Santos and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 65% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Santos vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $219 vs $318 per month, with Santos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Santos

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

07:50 7:50 AM

04:50 4:50 AM

3 h behind Santos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

418,608

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santos Mexico City 7,480 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Santos
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

Santos vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santos and Mexico City differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($1,150 vs $1,548 including rent). Santos is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 65% lower in Mexico City. 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: $543 in Santos versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Santos runs roughly 151% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $280 in Santos versus $427 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,150 in Santos versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Santos but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Santos 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.

Expats usually find Santos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.