Cost of living comparison
compared to
Santa Monica vs. Mexico City Cost of Living Summary
Santa Monica is 2.1 times more expensive than Mexico City.
- Restaurants
- pay 72.2% more in Santa Monica
- Groceries
- pay 56.4% more in Santa Monica
- Transportation
- pay 2.5 times more in Santa Monica
- Housing
- pay 3.3 times more in Santa Monica
- Childcare
- pay 2.7 times more in Santa Monica
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 2.2 times more in Santa Monica
- Clothing
- pay 5.5% more in Santa Monica
Santa Monica vs. Mexico City Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Santa Monica instead of Mexico City, you would:
pay 72.2% more for restaurants
Mexico City | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $10.86 MX$190.04 | $25.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $8.82 MX$154.40 | $12.50 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $1.73 MX$30.31 | $2.83 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $1.30 MX$22.83 | $2.00 | |
Mexico City vs. Santa Monica - Cost of restaurants
pay 56.4% more for groceries
Mexico City | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $2.63 MX$45.95 | $4.41 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $5.04 MX$88.22 | $6.67 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $6.54 MX$114.45 | $4.71 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $2.61 MX$45.63 | $5.00 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $3.80 MX$66.60 | $6.33 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.37 MX$23.97 | $2.00 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.80 MX$14.00 | $0.87 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $0.97 MX$17.04 | $1.84 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $0.91 MX$15.86 | $2.53 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.96 MX$16.78 | $1.38 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.99 MX$17.40 | $1.22 | |
Mexico City vs. Santa Monica - Cost of groceries
pay 2.5 times more for transportation
Mexico City | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $5.14 MX$89.93 | $4.74 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $19.54 MX$342.07 | $67.50 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $20,030.45 MX$351K | $32,727.50 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $4.42 MX$77.45 | $18.01 | |
Mexico City vs. Santa Monica - Cost of transportation
pay 3.3 times more for housing
Mexico City | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $30.93 MX$541.46 | $69.00 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,079.15 MX$18,889.61 | $3,175.00 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $677.25 MX$11,854.65 | $2,533.33 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $37.36 MX$653.98 | $155.53 | |
Mexico City vs. Santa Monica - Cost of housing
pay 2.7 times more for childcare
Mexico City | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $430.39 MX$7,533.58 | $1,762.50 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $10,897.53 MX$191K | $15,000.00 | |
Mexico City vs. Santa Monica - Cost of childcare
pay 2.2 times more for entertainment and sports
Mexico City | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $3.26 MX$57.01 | $8.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $3.81 MX$66.76 | $5.58 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $4.34 MX$76.01 | $11.00 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $58.44 MX$1,023.03 | $90.00 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $6.51 MX$114.02 | $18.00 | |
Mexico City vs. Santa Monica - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 5.5% more for clothing
Mexico City | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $60.95 MX$1,066.79 | $61.25 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $48.08 MX$841.54 | $44.15 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $105.72 MX$1,850.55 | $100.09 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $110.91 MX$1,941.39 | $149.85 | |
Mexico City vs. Santa Monica - Cost of clothing
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: June 2026
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Compare further: Mexico City vs. Santa Monica
Compare countries by overall cost of living
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