Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Rico and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,716 in Puerto Rico, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Rico
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Puerto Rico Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Puerto Rico

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,716

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,716 in Puerto Rico versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Puerto Rico $1,716
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,564 in Puerto Rico versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Puerto Rico $2,564
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,412 in Puerto Rico versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Puerto Rico $3,412
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Puerto Rico is roughly 7% 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: Puerto Rico 26% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.45 €18.38

$10.62 MX$199

92.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.9

$48.35 MX$904

26.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.30 €10.15

$10.35 MX$193

9.18%

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.84

$3.69 MX$69.0

-44.72%

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

$1.89 €1.70

$1.67 MX$31.14

13.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.16

$1.27 MX$23.65

1.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 €2.44

$3.19 MX$59.7

-14.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 €3.07

$5.31 MX$99.2

-35.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 €1.24

$1.72 MX$32.23

-19.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 €2.16

$3.04 MX$56.8

-21.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.94 MX$36.27

-21.13%

Eggs

$4.25 €3.82

$2.89 MX$54.0

47.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.32 €17.36

$10.97 MX$205

76.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.01 €8.99

$9.25 MX$173

8.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.41 €15.64

$15.13 MX$283

15.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 €2.40

$3.05 MX$57.0

-12.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 €2.09

$1.94 MX$36.27

19.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 €1.93

$2.03 MX$37.85

5.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.49 €2.24

$2.31 MX$43.25

7.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 €1.95

$2.04 MX$38.03

6.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.82

$1.80 MX$33.63

12.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 €1.46

$1.48 MX$27.64

9.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$1.27 MX$23.69

-23.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.63 €4.16

$5.30 MX$99.1

-12.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 €7.08

$16.10 MX$301

-51.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.53

$1.98 MX$37.06

-14.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.51

$4.25 MX$79.5

-60.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 €1.49

$0.31 MX$5.70

435.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.24 €28.97

$19.73 MX$369

63.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 €3.89

$1.84 MX$34.34

135.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 €1.50

$0.53 MX$9.97

215.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.83 €15.13

$5.30 MX$99.0

217.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.51 MX$28.23

15.23%

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

$34.9K €31.3K

$21.8K MX$406.5K

60.32%

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

$31.9K €28.7K

$24.0K MX$448.2K

33.18%

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

$129 €116

$63.0 MX$1,177

104.87%

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

$22.38 €20.11

$27.39 MX$512

-18.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.85 €32.22

$35.67 MX$666

0.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.45 €39.94

$58.9 MX$1,101

-24.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.59 €14.01

$23.64 MX$442

-34.05%

Cinema Ticket

$9.91 €8.90

$6.40 MX$120

54.84%

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

$403 €362

$432 MX$8,065

-6.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,970 €4,466

$11.4K MX$213.5K

-56.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.8 €82.5

$68.2 MX$1,275

34.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.61 €38.28

$53.1 MX$993

-19.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 €81.4

$108 MX$2,014

-15.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €102

$117 MX$2,191

-3.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$874 €785

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-21.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$679 €610

$710 MX$13.3K

-4.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,331 €1,196

$2,588 MX$48.4K

-48.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,010 €908

$1,406 MX$26.3K

-28.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,233 €2,905

$3,631 MX$67.8K

-10.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,186 €1,964

$2,135 MX$39.9K

2.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

11.35

-68.63%

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

Last update for Puerto Rico: 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

Puerto Rico

$679 39.6%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 4.6% $31

Groceries & Markets

Puerto Rico

$326 19%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 1.9% $6.3

Eating Out

Puerto Rico

$255 14.9%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 22.2% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto Rico

$187 10.9%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 32.7% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto Rico

$152 8.9%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 2.3% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto Rico

$64 3.8%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 11.6% $7.5

Getting Around

Puerto Rico

$52 3%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 50.6% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $874 in Puerto Rico and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Puerto Rico vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $326 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Puerto Rico

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

10:04 10:04 AM

6 h behind Puerto Rico

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,500

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

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Puerto Rico Mexico City 8,390 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Puerto Rico vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puerto Rico and Mexico City differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($1,716 vs $1,608 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,574 in Puerto Rico and $2,412 in Mexico City to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $874 in Puerto Rico versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $403 in Puerto Rico versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $48 versus $61 in Puerto Rico. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City 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.