Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Staten Island, NY and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,998 in Staten Island, NY, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

146

Cost of Living Index in Staten Island, NY
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Staten Island, NY Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Staten Island, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,998

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,998 in Staten Island, NY versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Staten Island, NY $2,998
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,498 in Staten Island, NY versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Staten Island, NY $4,498
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,998 in Staten Island, NY versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Staten Island, NY $5,998
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Staten Island, NY is roughly 94% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Staten Island, NY 121% above, Mexico City 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.72 $23.72

$11.02 MX$204

115.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.8 $88.8

$48.68 MX$900

82.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.47 $13.47

$10.90 MX$201

23.58%

Cappuccino

$6.54 $6.54

$3.68 MX$68.1

77.72%

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

$2.67 $2.67

$1.63 MX$30.18

63.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.25 MX$23.07

31.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.83 $7.83

$3.25 MX$60.1

140.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.17 $8.17

$5.53 MX$102

47.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.70 MX$31.50

-27.06%

White Bread (500g)

$4.92 $4.92

$3.02 MX$55.8

62.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.76 $6.76

$1.92 MX$35.53

252.08%

Eggs

$5.84 $5.84

$2.73 MX$50.5

113.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.44 $17.44

$11.77 MX$218

48.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.00 $14.00

$9.53 MX$176

46.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.21 $19.21

$14.41 MX$266

33.31%

Apples (1kg)

$6.79 $6.79

$3.02 MX$55.8

124.83%

Banana (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$1.89 MX$35.01

84.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.09 $6.09

$1.99 MX$36.70

206.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.81 $6.81

$2.19 MX$40.38

210.96%

Potato (1kg)

$4.09 $4.09

$1.92 MX$35.43

113.02%

Onion (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$1.87 MX$34.49

129.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.44 MX$26.62

93.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.27 MX$23.39

124.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.80 $17.80

$5.22 MX$96.4

241.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.73 $14.73

$16.17 MX$299

-8.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.90 MX$35.03

-7.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 $3.67

$4.22 MX$78.0

-13.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 $2.98

$0.34 MX$6.30

776.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.00 MX$36.90

51.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 $2.21

$0.52 MX$9.67

325.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.69 $42.69

$5.34 MX$98.7

699.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.52 MX$28.13

-24.34%

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

$32.6K $32.6K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

47.50%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

7.23%

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

$213 $213

$61.1 MX$1,129

249.27%

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

$75.0 $75.0

$28.58 MX$528

162.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.2 $64.2

$34.47 MX$637

86.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$115 $115

$56.4 MX$1,042

103.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$20.36 $20.36

$6.66 MX$123

205.71%

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

$2,001 $2,001

$427 MX$7,891

368.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K $16.3K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

39.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 $71.9

$67.8 MX$1,253

6.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.12 $37.12

$52.0 MX$960

-28.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$106 MX$1,959

-3.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$113 MX$2,080

-5.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,851 $1,851

$1,025 MX$18.9K

80.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,423 $1,423

$654 MX$12.1K

117.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,379 $3,379

$2,308 MX$42.7K

46.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,470 $2,470

$1,242 MX$22.9K

98.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,817 $6,817

$964 MX$17.8K

607.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

11.3

-39.82%

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

Last update for Staten Island, NY: October 19, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Staten Island, NY

$1.4K 47.5%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 54% $769

Groceries & Markets

Staten Island, NY

$517 17.3%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 38.5% $199

Eating Out

Staten Island, NY

$381 12.7%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 46.5% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Staten Island, NY

$352 11.8%

Mexico City

$124 8% 64.8% $228

Sport & Entertainment

Staten Island, NY

$156 5.2%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 55.2% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Staten Island, NY

$143 4.8%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 6.7% $9.5

Getting Around

Staten Island, NY

$26 * 0.9%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 1.4% $0.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,851 in Staten Island, NY and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Staten Island, NY pays 607% 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: $89.0 in Staten Island, NY vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $517 vs $318 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Staten Island, NY

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

02:02 2:02 AM

00:02 12:02 AM

2 h behind Staten Island, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

495,747

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Staten Island, NY Mexico City 3,340 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Staten Island, NY
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

Staten Island, NY vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Staten Island, NY and Mexico City differ by about 94% in total monthly costs ($2,998 vs $1,548 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 607% higher in Staten Island, NY, 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: $1,851 in Staten Island, NY versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,001 in Staten Island, NY versus $427 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 $49.00 versus $89.0 in Staten Island, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,998 in Staten Island, NY, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Staten Island, NY. 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.

Safety-wise, Staten Island, NY and Mexico City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 94% less than in Staten Island, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.