Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zaragoza, El Salvador and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Zaragoza: $635 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Zaragoza
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Zaragoza Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Zaragoza

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$635

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $635 in Zaragoza versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Zaragoza $635
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,036 in Zaragoza versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Zaragoza $1,036
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,437 in Zaragoza versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Zaragoza $1,437
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Zaragoza costs roughly 60% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Zaragoza is 53% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.95 $6.95

$10.62 MX$199

-34.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.51 $29.51

$48.35 MX$904

-38.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.96 $6.96

$10.35 MX$193

-32.75%

Cappuccino

$1.54 $1.54

$3.69 MX$69.0

-58.27%

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

$1.11 $1.11

$1.67 MX$31.14

-33.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.27 MX$23.65

-36.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 $1.24

$3.19 MX$59.7

-61.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$5.31 MX$99.2

-60.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.72 MX$32.23

3.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 $2.27

$3.04 MX$56.8

-25.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.94 MX$36.27

-50.00%

Eggs

$2.50 $2.50

$2.89 MX$54.0

-13.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.49 $7.49

$10.97 MX$205

-31.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

$9.25 MX$173

-57.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$15.13 MX$283

-64.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$3.05 MX$57.0

30.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.94 MX$36.27

-26.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.03 MX$37.85

27.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.31 MX$43.25

-7.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.04 MX$38.03

45.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.80 MX$33.63

1.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.48 MX$27.64

-35.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 $0.79

$1.27 MX$23.69

-37.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 $3.77

$5.30 MX$99.1

-28.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.20 $8.20

$16.10 MX$301

-49.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.98 MX$37.06

-19.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$4.25 MX$79.5

-48.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 $1.48

$0.31 MX$5.70

377.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$369

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 $4.90

$1.84 MX$34.34

166.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.93 $2.93

$0.53 MX$9.97

452.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.10 $20.10

$5.30 MX$99.0

279.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.51 MX$28.23

-25.83%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$21.8K MX$406.5K

13.88%

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

$24.6K $24.6K

$24.0K MX$448.2K

2.69%

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

$46.09 $46.09

$63.0 MX$1,177

-26.82%

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

$21.21 $21.21

$27.39 MX$512

-22.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.34 $35.34

$35.67 MX$666

-0.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.94 $34.94

$58.9 MX$1,101

-40.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$442

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 $5.03

$6.40 MX$120

-21.41%

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

$150 $150

$432 MX$8,065

-65.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,759 $4,759

$11.4K MX$213.5K

-58.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.3 $67.3

$68.2 MX$1,275

-1.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.68 $46.68

$53.1 MX$993

-12.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 $112

$108 MX$2,014

3.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.5 $69.5

$117 MX$2,191

-40.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

11.35

-25.11%

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

Last update for Zaragoza: October 24, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zaragoza

$217 34.1%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 47.5% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Zaragoza

$133 20.9%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 17.4% $23

Eating Out

Zaragoza

$113 17.8%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 75.8% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zaragoza

$103 16.2%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 22.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Zaragoza

$45 7.1%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 59.4% $27

Getting Around

Zaragoza

$25 * 4%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 0% $0

Accommodation & Living

Zaragoza

- * 0%

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $30 in Zaragoza vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $217 vs $320 per month, with Zaragoza cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇻 Zaragoza

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

06:00 6:00 AM

Same time as Zaragoza

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,749

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zaragoza Mexico City 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Zaragoza
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

Zaragoza vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zaragoza and Mexico City differ by about 153% in total monthly costs ($635 vs $1,608 including rent). Zaragoza is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $953 in Zaragoza 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.

Childcare runs $150 in Zaragoza 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 Zaragoza – a meal for two runs $30 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $635 in Zaragoza versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $800 budget is realistic in Zaragoza but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Zaragoza 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.