San Francisco vs Mexico City Cost of Living

San Francisco (United States) · Overall index 95.1Mexico City (Mexico) · Overall index 37.8

Summary

  • Overall, Mexico City is 60% cheaper than San Francisco.
  • Rent in Mexico City is 75% cheaper than in San Francisco.
  • Transport in Mexico City is 61% cheaper than in San Francisco.
ItemSan FranciscoMexico CityDiff
Rent-75%
1-bedroom apartment, city centre (monthly)$3,208$924-71%
1-bedroom apartment, outside centre (monthly)$2,609$635-76%
3-bedroom apartment, city centre (monthly)$7,487$1,690-77%
3-bedroom apartment, outside centre (monthly)$4,864$1,185-76%
Groceries-52%
Milk (1L)$1.31$0.68-48%
White bread (500g)$4.2$1.82-57%
Rice (1kg)$5.82$2.56-56%
Eggs (12)$4.57$2.37-48%
Local cheese (1kg)$16.3$7.11-56%
Chicken fillets (1kg)$12.6$5.9-53%
Beef round (1kg)$22.3$9.82-56%
Apples (1kg)$5.88$2.54-57%
Bananas (1kg)$2.46$1.15-53%
Oranges (1kg)$4.54$2.12-53%
Tomatoes (1kg)$5.5$2.73-50%
Potatoes (1kg)$3.06$1.52-50%
Onions (1kg)$2.72$1.5-45%
Lettuce (1 head)$2.75$1.36-51%
Water (1.5L bottle)$2.41$1.33-45%
Bottle of wine (mid-range)$15.4$8.57-44%
Transport-61%
Public transport, one-way ticket$3.1$1.01-67%
Public transport, monthly pass$139$47.9-66%
Taxi, base fare$4.48$1.65-63%
Taxi, per km$1.91$0.9-53%
Gasoline (1L)$0.99$0.39-61%
New compact car (e.g., VW Golf)$27,640$12,089-56%
Dining out-60%
Meal, inexpensive restaurant$21.5$10.6-51%
Meal for 2, mid-range restaurant (3 courses)$115$47.4-59%
Fast food combo meal$11.6$4.77-59%
Cappuccino$5.52$2.1-62%
Coke/Pepsi (0.33L, restaurant)$3.04$1.12-63%
Domestic beer (0.5L, restaurant)$8.59$3.03-65%
Imported beer (0.33L, restaurant)$8.71$3.88-55%
Water (0.33L, restaurant)$2.32$0.89-62%
Telecom-45%
Mobile plan, calls + 10GB+ data (monthly)$68.5$37.9-45%
Broadband internet 60Mbps+ (monthly)$71.8$33.6-53%
Prepaid mobile tariff (1 min)$0.37$0.21-43%
Video streaming subscription (monthly)$15.8$9.43-40%
Utilities & household-56%
Basic utilities, 85m² apartment (monthly)$176$86.4-51%
Electricity (1 kWh)$0.23$0.12-48%
Tap water (1m³)$5.1$2.23-56%
Natural gas (1m³)$1.47$0.69-53%
Waste collection (monthly)$25.8$10.5-59%
Fitness club (monthly)$94.8$38.6-59%
Cinema ticket (1 seat)$17.5$6.92-60%
Men's haircut$33.2$15.5-53%
Domestic cleaning (1 hour)$29.6$11.8-60%
Private kindergarten (monthly)$2,199$1,062-52%

3,230 total data points · Price data as of 2026-07-01 · Exchange rates as of 2026-07-15

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