Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Union, SC and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,296 in Union, SC, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Union, SC
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Union, SC Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Union, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,296

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,296 in Union, SC versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Union, SC $2,296
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,597 in Union, SC versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Union, SC $3,597
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,897 in Union, SC versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Union, SC $4,897
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Union, SC is roughly 48% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Union, SC 69% above, Mexico City 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.15 $9.15

$11.02 MX$204

-16.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.0 $99.0

$48.68 MX$900

103.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.51 $8.51

$10.90 MX$201

-21.93%

Cappuccino

$5.98 $5.98

$3.68 MX$68.1

62.50%

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

$2.33 $2.33

$1.63 MX$30.18

42.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.25 MX$23.07

55.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.25 MX$60.1

-13.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 $3.42

$5.53 MX$102

-38.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.70 MX$31.50

-37.06%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.02 MX$55.8

7.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.92 MX$35.53

27.60%

Eggs

$3.30 $3.30

$2.73 MX$50.5

20.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 $8.96

$11.77 MX$218

-23.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.31 $13.31

$9.53 MX$176

39.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.71 $14.71

$14.41 MX$266

2.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$3.02 MX$55.8

-6.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.89 MX$35.01

-30.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 $3.24

$1.99 MX$36.70

62.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.19 MX$40.38

102.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.92 MX$35.43

23.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.87 MX$34.49

13.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.44 MX$26.62

21.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.27 MX$23.39

1.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.35 $8.35

$5.22 MX$96.4

59.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.75 $8.75

$16.17 MX$299

-45.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.90 MX$35.03

-5.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 $5.16

$4.22 MX$78.0

22.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.09 $2.09

$0.34 MX$6.30

514.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.62 $4.62

$2.00 MX$36.90

131.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.02 $3.02

$0.52 MX$9.67

480.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.96 $34.96

$5.34 MX$98.7

554.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.52 MX$28.13

-40.13%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

26.71%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

2.98%

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

$177 $177

$61.1 MX$1,129

189.93%

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

$64.9 $64.9

$28.58 MX$528

127.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.72 $45.72

$34.47 MX$637

32.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.73 $41.73

$56.4 MX$1,042

-25.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$13.17 $13.17

$6.66 MX$123

97.75%

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

$2,585 $2,585

$427 MX$7,891

505.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K $23.0K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

97.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.21 $47.21

$67.8 MX$1,253

-30.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.96 $20.96

$52.0 MX$960

-59.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.6 $85.6

$106 MX$1,959

-19.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.0 $99.0

$113 MX$2,080

-12.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 $1,390

$1,025 MX$18.9K

35.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,259 $1,259

$654 MX$12.1K

92.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,203 $2,203

$2,308 MX$42.7K

-4.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,419 $2,419

$1,242 MX$22.9K

94.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,700 $2,700

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-25.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,125 $2,125

$1,936 MX$35.8K

9.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,496 $2,496

$964 MX$17.8K

158.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

-64.60%

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

Last update for Union, SC: October 18, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Union, SC

$1.3K 54.8%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 48% $604

Groceries & Markets

Union, SC

$332 14.4%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 4.1% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Union, SC

$288 12.5%

Mexico City

$124 8% 56.9% $164

Eating Out

Union, SC

$208 9.1%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 2.2% $4.5

Clothing & Footwear

Union, SC

$114 5%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 33.9% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Union, SC

$68 3%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 2.4% $1.6

Getting Around

Union, SC

$28 * 1.2%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 8.7% $2.4

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 $1,390 in Union, SC and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Union, SC pays 159% 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: $99.0 in Union, SC vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $318 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Union, SC

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

06:20 6:20 AM

04:20 4:20 AM

2 h behind Union, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

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

Union, SC Mexico City 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Union, SC
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

Union, SC vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Union, SC and Mexico City differ by about 48% in total monthly costs ($2,296 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 159% higher in Union, SC, 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: $1,390 in Union, SC versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,585 in Union, SC 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 $99.0 in Union, SC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,296 in Union, SC, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Union, SC. 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 48% less than in Union, SC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.