Guest Post: At Least We Have Pizza – The Cost of Living in Mexico vs. New York City

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By Julie Doherty Meade

When I moved from the small town of San Miguel de Allende in Mexico to New York City two years ago, I suffered from a bit of sticker shock. “The avocados cost $3 each,” my husband and I would marvel while grocery shopping at Whole Foods on Second Avenue, glumly remembering the days when we could make a big bowl of guacamole for less than the cost of a ride on the subway. Even when I lived in Mexico City, a world-class metropolis far bigger than the Big Apple, my monthly spending was about half of what it is in New York.

It’s irresistible—if a little painful—to tease out these comparisons, so I put together a scratch pad with the cost of common expenditures (and some little luxuries) in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico City, and New York. It’s not a full cost-of-living index, of course, but the numbers are revealing. Here’s how they stack up.

Cost of mangoes at the grocery store/market (in season)
San Miguel de Allende: $0.50/pound
Mexico City: $0.50/pound
New York City: $2 each (and I can’t bring myself to buy them!)

Six-pack of Corona from the corner store
San Miguel de Allende: $5
Mexico City: $6
New York City: $14

Routine visit to the doctor’s office
San Miguel de Allende: $25
Mexico City: $40
New York City: $120

Routine visit to the vet (for one hypochondriac Chihuahua)
San Miguel de Allende: $20
Mexico City: $35
New York City: $120

Cost of one ride on public transportation
San Miguel de Allende (city bus): $0.40
Mexico City (metro): $0.25
New York City (subway): $2.50

Monthly electricity bill
San Miguel de Allende: $15
Mexico City: $25
New York City: $40

Kilo of fresh tortillas from the tortilleria
San Miguel de Allende: $0.80
Mexico City: $1
New York City: N/A (grrr)

Movie ticket
San Miguel de Allende: $3.50
Mexico City: $4.50
New York City: $15

Typical quick bite
San Miguel de Allende (handmade gordita): $1
Mexico City (three tacos de guisado): $3.50
New York City (slice of cheese pizza): $2.50

Typical quick breakfast
San Miguel de Allende (pan de dulce): $0.50
Mexico City (tamal): $0.80
New York City (bagel and cream cheese): $3

Brunch for two
San Miguel de Allende (huevos rancheros, refried beans, bread, coffee, juice): $15
Mexico City (one plate of chilaquiles, one plate of molletes, bread, coffee, juice): $20
New York City (one cheese blintz, one omelet, one gratuitous croissant, coffee): $35

Dollar for dollar (or peso for peso), Mexico clearly has the advantage... and that’s just comparing the little things! Our monthly rent for a tiny 600-square-foot apartment in Brooklyn was more than twice what we’d paid for a three-bedroom house in the historic center of San Miguel.

I’m not the first person to make this observation, of course. The lower cost of living is one of the major reasons many expatriates first consider relocating to Mexico. In many parts of the country, the cost of living can run you anywhere from 25 to 50 percent less than in the United States or Canada, and extras like going to the movies, traveling, or eating out can be far more economical.

Still, life doesn’t boil down to cold hard numbers, or even pizza slices versus tacos. For me, the warmth of the people, the sunny skies, the vibrant local culture, and the easygoing atmosphere—that is to say, the overall lifestyle—are what made Mexico such a wonderful place to live.

Moon San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato & the Bajío and Moon Living Abroad in Mexico author Julie Doherty Meade visited Mexico for the first time after college, and was immediately drawn to the country’s warm people and fascinating culture. For the next 10 years, she lived, worked, and traveled throughout Mexico before settling in San Miguel de Allende. She currently lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Arturo, and her transplanted chihuahua, Tequila.

Photo credit © Julie Doherty Meade