Cost of living comparison

compared to

San Miguel de Allende vs. Mexico City Cost of Living Summary

San Miguel de Allende is 20.7% more expensive than Mexico City.

Restaurants
pay 9.5% less in San Miguel de Allende
Groceries
pay 20.6% more in San Miguel de Allende
Transportation
pay 2.4 times more in San Miguel de Allende
Housing
pay 16.6% more in San Miguel de Allende
Childcare
pay 36.8% less in San Miguel de Allende
Entertainment and Sports
pay 7.3% less in San Miguel de Allende
Clothing
pay 16.6% more in San Miguel de Allende

The cost of transportation, groceries, housing, and clothing in San Miguel de Allende are more expensive than in Mexico City. Expenses including childcare, restaurants, and entertainment and sports are lower in San Miguel de Allende. Notably, transportation is significantly more expensive in San Miguel de Allende.

San Miguel de Allende vs. Mexico City Cost Breakdown

If you lived in San Miguel de Allende instead of Mexico City, you would:

pay 9.5% less for restaurants

 
Mexico City
San Miguel de Allende
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $10.86
MX$197.31
$12.00
MX$218.10
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$8.82
MX$160.32
$8.12
MX$147.63
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.73
MX$31.47
$1.41
MX$25.59

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pay 20.6% more for groceries

 
Mexico City
San Miguel de Allende
Bread
1 loaf
$2.63
MX$47.71
$3.87
MX$70.39
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.04
MX$91.60
$4.12
MX$74.80
Milk (1 gallon) $6.54
MX$118.83
$5.37
MX$97.56

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pay 2.4 times more for transportation

 
Mexico City
San Miguel de Allende
Gasoline (1 gallon) $5.14
MX$93.37
$4.99
MX$90.63
Monthly public transit pass $19.54
MX$355.17
$6.50
MX$118.11
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $20,030.45
MX$364,045.47
$18,953.96
MX$344,480.68

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pay 16.6% more for housing

 
Mexico City
San Miguel de Allende
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$30.93
MX$562.20
$35.42
MX$643.69
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,079.15
MX$19,613.07
$1,180.62
MX$21,457.31
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $677.25
MX$12,308.67
$778.19
MX$14,143.26

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pay 36.8% less for childcare

 
Mexico City
San Miguel de Allende
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $430.39
MX$7,822.12
$352.00
MX$6,397.50
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $10,897.53
MX$198,058.25
$4,873.88
MX$88,580.75

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pay 7.3% less for entertainment and sports

 
Mexico City
San Miguel de Allende
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $3.26
MX$59.19
$3.01
MX$54.62
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.81
MX$69.31
$3.62
MX$65.82
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$4.34
MX$78.93
$4.33
MX$78.74

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pay 16.6% more for clothing

 
Mexico City
San Miguel de Allende
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$60.95
MX$1,107.65
$64.99
MX$1,181.08
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$48.08
MX$873.77
$59.57
MX$1,082.65
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$105.72
MX$1,921.42
$111.92
MX$2,034.08

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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