Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vacaville, CA and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $3,635 in Vacaville, CA, rent and utilities included – about $25,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

177

Cost of Living Index in Vacaville, CA
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Vacaville, CA Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Vacaville, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,635

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,635 in Vacaville, CA versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Vacaville, CA $3,635
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,771 in Vacaville, CA versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Vacaville, CA $4,771
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,907 in Vacaville, CA versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Vacaville, CA $5,907
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Vacaville, CA is roughly 135% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vacaville, CA 168% above, Mexico City 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.25 $20.25

$11.02 MX$204

83.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.54 $45.54

$48.68 MX$900

-6.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.24 $13.24

$10.90 MX$201

21.47%

Cappuccino

$5.98 $5.98

$3.68 MX$68.1

62.50%

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

$3.11 $3.11

$1.63 MX$30.18

90.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.25 MX$23.07

120.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 $7.13

$3.25 MX$60.1

119.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.94 $6.94

$5.53 MX$102

25.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.70 MX$31.50

White Bread (500g)

$4.83 $4.83

$3.02 MX$55.8

59.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$1.92 MX$35.53

154.69%

Eggs

$4.85 $4.85

$2.73 MX$50.5

77.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.50 $16.50

$11.77 MX$218

40.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.34 $15.34

$9.53 MX$176

60.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.83 $22.83

$14.41 MX$266

58.43%

Apples (1kg)

$6.09 $6.09

$3.02 MX$55.8

101.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.89 MX$35.01

2.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$1.99 MX$36.70

104.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.76 $6.76

$2.19 MX$40.38

208.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.92 MX$35.43

57.81%

Onion (1kg)

$3.60 $3.60

$1.87 MX$34.49

92.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.44 MX$26.62

94.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.27 MX$23.39

107.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.09 $12.09

$5.22 MX$96.4

131.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.43 $14.43

$16.17 MX$299

-10.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.90 MX$35.03

62.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 $3.65

$4.22 MX$78.0

-13.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.26 $4.26

$2.00 MX$36.90

113.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 $2.07

$0.52 MX$9.67

298.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.61 $38.61

$5.34 MX$98.7

623.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.52 MX$28.13

-0.66%

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

$34.8K $34.8K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

57.57%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

6.17%

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

$211 $211

$61.1 MX$1,129

245.60%

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

$60.3 $60.3

$28.58 MX$528

110.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.8 $76.8

$34.47 MX$637

122.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.20 $45.20

$56.4 MX$1,042

-19.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$17.82 $17.82

$6.66 MX$123

167.57%

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

$2,963 $2,963

$427 MX$7,891

593.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$43.1K $43.1K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

270.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.7 $74.7

$67.8 MX$1,253

10.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.57 $48.57

$52.0 MX$960

-6.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$106 MX$1,959

-4.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 $141

$113 MX$2,080

24.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,349 $2,349

$1,025 MX$18.9K

129.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,179 $2,179

$654 MX$12.1K

233.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,901 $2,901

$2,308 MX$42.7K

25.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,865 $2,865

$1,242 MX$22.9K

130.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,750 $3,750

$3,613 MX$66.8K

3.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,315 $5,315

$964 MX$17.8K

451.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.76

11.3

-40.18%

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

Last update for Vacaville, CA: October 17, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vacaville, CA

$2.2K 60%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 70% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Vacaville, CA

$502 13.8%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 36.6% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vacaville, CA

$348 9.6%

Mexico City

$124 8% 64.3% $224

Eating Out

Vacaville, CA

$346 9.5%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 41.2% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Vacaville, CA

$164 4.5%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 7.2% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Vacaville, CA

$81 2.2%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 13.8% $11

Getting Around

Vacaville, CA

$15 * 0.4%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 75.3% $11

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 $2,349 in Vacaville, CA and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vacaville, CA pays 451% 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: $46.00 in Vacaville, CA vs $49.00 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $502 vs $318, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Vacaville, CA

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

05:33 5:33 AM

06:33 6:33 AM

1 h ahead of Vacaville, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,670

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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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Vacaville, CA Mexico City 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Vacaville, CA
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

Vacaville, CA vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vacaville, CA and Mexico City differ by about 135% in total monthly costs ($3,635 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 451% higher in Vacaville, CA, 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: $2,349 in Vacaville, CA versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,963 in Vacaville, CA 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 $46.00 in Vacaville, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $3,635 in Vacaville, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Vacaville, CA. 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, Vacaville, CA 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 135% less than in Vacaville, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.