Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Portland, ME and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $3,045 in South Portland, ME, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

148

Cost of Living Index in South Portland, ME
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South Portland, ME Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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South Portland, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$3,045

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,045 in South Portland, ME versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

South Portland, ME $3,045
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,568 in South Portland, ME versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

South Portland, ME $4,568
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,091 in South Portland, ME versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

South Portland, ME $6,091
Mexico City $3,490

Living in South Portland, ME is roughly 89% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: South Portland, ME 124% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.94 $24.94

$10.62 MX$198

134.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 $118

$48.35 MX$901

143.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.71 $14.71

$10.35 MX$193

42.13%

Cappuccino

$5.35 $5.35

$3.69 MX$68.8

44.99%

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

$3.09 $3.09

$1.67 MX$31.07

85.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.27 MX$23.59

86.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.81 $7.81

$3.19 MX$59.5

144.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 $7.95

$5.31 MX$98.9

49.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.72 MX$32.15

-37.79%

White Bread (500g)

$4.38 $4.38

$3.04 MX$56.7

44.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.96 $6.96

$1.94 MX$36.19

258.76%

Eggs

$4.03 $4.03

$2.89 MX$53.8

39.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.36 $15.36

$10.97 MX$205

40.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 $10.35

$9.25 MX$172

11.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.97 $15.97

$15.13 MX$282

5.55%

Apples (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$3.05 MX$56.8

56.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.94 MX$36.19

-14.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$2.03 MX$37.75

171.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.61 $7.61

$2.31 MX$43.15

229.44%

Potato (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.04 MX$37.94

114.71%

Onion (1kg)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.80 MX$33.55

110.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.48 MX$27.58

97.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.27 MX$23.63

103.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.31 $12.31

$5.30 MX$98.9

132.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$16.10 MX$300

-6.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.98 MX$36.97

-4.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$4.25 MX$79.3

-38.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 $1.91

$0.31 MX$5.69

516.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.3 $51.3

$19.73 MX$368

159.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.84 MX$34.25

11.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.53 MX$9.94

198.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.94 $10.94

$5.30 MX$98.7

106.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.51 MX$28.16

-27.81%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

26.37%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$24.0K MX$447.1K

11.42%

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

$239 $239

$63.0 MX$1,174

279.22%

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

$68.3 $68.3

$27.39 MX$511

149.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.6 $78.6

$35.67 MX$665

120.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.18 $40.18

$58.9 MX$1,099

-31.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.61 $29.61

$23.64 MX$441

25.25%

Cinema Ticket

$14.95 $14.95

$6.40 MX$119

133.59%

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

$401 $401

$432 MX$8,045

-7.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K $15.1K

$11.4K MX$212.9K

32.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.9 $51.9

$68.2 MX$1,272

-23.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 $51.2

$53.1 MX$990

-3.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$108 MX$2,009

-4.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$117 MX$2,186

11.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,972 $1,972

$1,113 MX$20.8K

77.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 $1,537

$710 MX$13.2K

116.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,166 $3,166

$2,588 MX$48.2K

22.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,605 $2,605

$1,406 MX$26.2K

85.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,784 $2,784

$3,631 MX$67.7K

-23.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,332 $2,332

$2,135 MX$39.8K

9.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,169 $4,169

$946 MX$17.6K

340.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

11.35

-41.41%

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

Last update for South Portland, ME: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Portland, ME

$1.5K 50.5%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 53.8% $827

Groceries & Markets

South Portland, ME

$446 14.7%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 28.4% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Portland, ME

$386 12.7%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 67.3% $260

Eating Out

South Portland, ME

$385 12.6%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 48.4% $186

Clothing & Footwear

South Portland, ME

$152 5%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 2.7% $4

Sport & Entertainment

South Portland, ME

$70 2.3%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 2.4% $1.7

Getting Around

South Portland, ME

$69 2.3%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 63% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,972 in South Portland, ME and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

South Portland, ME pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $118 in South Portland, ME vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $446 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 South Portland, ME

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

10:11 10:11 AM

08:11 8:11 AM

2 h behind South Portland, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,498

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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South Portland, ME Mexico City 3,800 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

South Portland, ME
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

South Portland, ME vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

South Portland, ME and Mexico City differ by about 89% in total monthly costs ($3,045 vs $1,608 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in South Portland, ME is about 4.4 times higher, 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: $1,972 in South Portland, ME 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 62% less than in South Portland, ME. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $401 in South Portland, ME versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,608 in Mexico City versus $3,045 in South Portland, ME, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in South Portland, ME. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City 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 Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in South Portland, ME. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.