Cost of living comparison
compared to
Mexico City vs. San Miguel de Allende Cost of Living Summary
Mexico City is 12.1% more expensive than San Miguel de Allende.
- Restaurants
-
pay 12.5% more in Mexico City
- Groceries
-
pay 13.0% less in Mexico City
- Transportation
-
pay 30.7% more in Mexico City
- Housing
-
pay 14.0% less in Mexico City
- Childcare
-
pay 73.0% more in Mexico City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 9.0% more in Mexico City
- Clothing
-
pay 13.6% less in Mexico City
The cost of childcare, transportation, restaurants, and entertainment and sports in Mexico City are more expensive than in San Miguel de Allende. Expenses including housing, clothing, and groceries are lower in Mexico City.
Mexico City vs. San Miguel de Allende Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Mexico City instead of San Miguel de Allende, you would:
pay 12.5% more for restaurants
|
San Miguel de Allende
|
Mexico City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$12.00
MX$218.10
|
$10.86
MX$197.31
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$8.12
MX$147.63
|
$8.82
MX$160.32
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.41
MX$25.59
|
$1.73
MX$31.47
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.02
MX$18.54
|
$1.30
MX$23.70
|
|
San Miguel de Allende vs. Mexico City - Cost of restaurants
pay 13.0% less for groceries
|
San Miguel de Allende
|
Mexico City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.87
MX$70.39
|
$2.63
MX$47.71
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.12
MX$74.80
|
$5.04
MX$91.60
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.37
MX$97.56
|
$6.54
MX$118.83
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.65
MX$48.23
|
$2.61
MX$47.38
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.53
MX$100.50
|
$3.80
MX$69.15
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.91
MX$34.73
|
$1.37
MX$24.88
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.75
MX$13.71
|
$0.80
MX$14.54
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.29
MX$23.44
|
$0.97
MX$17.69
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.28
MX$23.23
|
$0.91
MX$16.47
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.14
MX$20.77
|
$0.96
MX$17.42
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.41
MX$25.68
|
$0.99
MX$18.07
|
|
San Miguel de Allende vs. Mexico City - Cost of groceries
pay 30.7% more for transportation
|
San Miguel de Allende
|
Mexico City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.99
MX$90.63
|
$5.14
MX$93.37
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$6.50
MX$118.11
|
$19.54
MX$355.17
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$18,953.96
MX$344,480.68
|
$20,030.45
MX$364,045.47
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$33.33
MX$605.75
|
$4.42
MX$80.42
|
|
San Miguel de Allende vs. Mexico City - Cost of transportation
pay 14.0% less for housing
|
San Miguel de Allende
|
Mexico City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$35.42
MX$643.69
|
$30.93
MX$562.20
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,180.62
MX$21,457.31
|
$1,079.15
MX$19,613.07
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$778.19
MX$14,143.26
|
$677.25
MX$12,308.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$47.64
MX$865.87
|
$37.36
MX$679.03
|
|
San Miguel de Allende vs. Mexico City - Cost of housing
pay 73.0% more for childcare
|
San Miguel de Allende
|
Mexico City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$352.00
MX$6,397.50
|
$430.39
MX$7,822.12
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$4,873.88
MX$88,580.75
|
$10,897.53
MX$198,058.25
|
|
San Miguel de Allende vs. Mexico City - Cost of childcare
pay 9.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
San Miguel de Allende
|
Mexico City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.01
MX$54.62
|
$3.26
MX$59.19
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.62
MX$65.82
|
$3.81
MX$69.31
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.33
MX$78.74
|
$4.34
MX$78.93
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.65
MX$811.54
|
$58.44
MX$1,062.21
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$6.50
MX$118.11
|
$6.51
MX$118.39
|
|
San Miguel de Allende vs. Mexico City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 13.6% less for clothing
|
San Miguel de Allende
|
Mexico City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$64.99
MX$1,181.08
|
$60.95
MX$1,107.65
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$59.57
MX$1,082.65
|
$48.08
MX$873.77
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$111.92
MX$2,034.08
|
$105.72
MX$1,921.42
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$144.41
MX$2,624.61
|
$110.91
MX$2,015.75
|
|
San Miguel de Allende vs. Mexico City - 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: December 2025
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Mexico City or San Miguel de Allende. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.