Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Thomas, Canada and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,436 in St. Thomas, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in St. Thomas
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St. Thomas Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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St. Thomas

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,436

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,436 in St. Thomas versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

St. Thomas $2,436
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,399 in St. Thomas versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

St. Thomas $3,399
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,363 in St. Thomas versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

St. Thomas $4,363
Mexico City $3,490

Living in St. Thomas is roughly 52% 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: St. Thomas 79% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.56 CA$30.13

$10.62 MX$199

103.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.6 CA$88.9

$48.35 MX$908

31.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.22 CA$15.67

$10.35 MX$194

8.41%

Cappuccino

$3.45 CA$4.82

$3.69 MX$69.3

-6.50%

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

$2.11 CA$2.95

$1.67 MX$31.29

26.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 CA$2.28

$1.27 MX$23.76

28.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.85 CA$6.77

$3.19 MX$59.9

52.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 CA$8.59

$5.31 MX$99.6

15.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.10

$1.72 MX$32.38

29.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 CA$3.85

$3.04 MX$57.1

-9.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.78 CA$5.28

$1.94 MX$36.44

94.85%

Eggs

$3.27 CA$4.57

$2.89 MX$54.2

13.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.05 CA$14.04

$10.97 MX$206

-8.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.80 CA$22.07

$9.25 MX$174

70.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.72 CA$27.56

$15.13 MX$284

30.34%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 CA$5.73

$3.05 MX$57.2

34.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 CA$1.78

$1.94 MX$36.45

-34.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.65 CA$5.10

$2.03 MX$38.02

79.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.68

$2.31 MX$43.46

75.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 CA$4.61

$2.04 MX$38.21

61.76%

Onion (1kg)

$3.06 CA$4.27

$1.80 MX$33.79

70.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 CA$4.01

$1.48 MX$27.77

93.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.17

$1.27 MX$23.80

22.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.23 CA$15.70

$5.30 MX$99.6

111.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.51 CA$17.48

$16.10 MX$302

-22.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.52

$1.98 MX$37.23

27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.06

$4.25 MX$79.8

-31.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 CA$3.06

$0.31 MX$5.73

606.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.2 CA$95.2

$19.73 MX$371

245.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.38 CA$3.32

$1.84 MX$34.50

29.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 CA$2.32

$0.53 MX$10.02

213.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.83 CA$31.91

$5.30 MX$99.4

330.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.64

$1.51 MX$28.36

-22.52%

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

$27.0K CA$37.8K

$21.8K MX$408.4K

24.21%

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

$23.1K CA$32.2K

$24.0K MX$450.3K

-3.90%

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

$126 CA$176

$63.0 MX$1,182

99.89%

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

$42.99 CA$60.1

$27.39 MX$514

56.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.4 CA$80.2

$35.67 MX$670

60.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.32 CA$55.0

$58.9 MX$1,107

-33.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 CA$23.84

$23.64 MX$444

-27.83%

Cinema Ticket

$10.65 CA$14.88

$6.40 MX$120

66.41%

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

$421 CA$588

$432 MX$8,103

-2.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K CA$24.2K

$11.4K MX$214.5K

51.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 CA$75.4

$68.2 MX$1,281

-20.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.85 CA$51.5

$53.1 MX$997

-30.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.4 CA$115

$108 MX$2,023

-23.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 CA$126

$117 MX$2,202

-22.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 CA$1,625

$1,113 MX$20.9K

4.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,245 CA$1,740

$710 MX$13.3K

75.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,276 CA$3,180

$2,588 MX$48.6K

-12.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,659 CA$2,319

$1,406 MX$26.4K

18.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,403 CA$6,152

$3,631 MX$68.2K

21.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,575 CA$4,996

$2,135 MX$40.1K

67.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,004 CA$4,197

$946 MX$17.8K

217.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.99

11.35

-56.04%

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

Last update for St. Thomas: 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

St. Thomas

$1.2K 51.1%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 42.9% $535

Groceries & Markets

St. Thomas

$399 16.4%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 19.9% $79

Eating Out

St. Thomas

$299 12.3%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 33.6% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Thomas

$226 9.3%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 44.3% $100

Clothing & Footwear

St. Thomas

$119 4.9%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 31.4% $37

Getting Around

St. Thomas

$88 3.6%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 70.9% $62

Sport & Entertainment

St. Thomas

$61 2.5%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 18.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,163 in St. Thomas and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

St. Thomas pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $64 in St. Thomas vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $399 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 St. Thomas

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

15:21 3:21 PM

14:21 2:21 PM

1 h behind St. Thomas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,909

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

St. Thomas Mexico City 3,090 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

St. Thomas
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

St. Thomas vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,436 in St. Thomas and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Mexico City is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in St. Thomas is about 3.2 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: $1,163 in St. Thomas 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 71% less than in St. Thomas. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $421 in St. Thomas 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 $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.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in St. Thomas. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.