Which place is cheaper, Mexico City or Recife?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Recife or Mexico City?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Recife and Mexico City can help. It includes a travel cost comparison in addition to other factors. For many travelers, the cost of a destination is a primary consideration when choosing where to go.
Where Should I go: Recife or Mexico City?
Recife
One of the largest cities on Brazil's northeast coast, Recife is also the capital of the state of Pernambuco. The city gets its name from the Portuguese word for "reef," as it was built around a landscape of natural reef beaches. Many people visit to enjoy these beaches, experience the culture, and explore the history of this important Brazilian city.
Mexico City
Mexico City is one of the largest and most populated cities in the world. There are an estimated 26 million people living in the greater Mexico City metropolitan area. The area is about 60 kilometers by 40 kilometers and is surrounded by tall mountains and volcanoes on three sides. Mexico City proper has about 8.8 million people and is the capital of the country. More than a third of the country's economy is based here, making it the wealthiest city in all of Latin America.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Jungle Trekking Tours in Brazil, The Best Luxury Tours to Brazil, The Best 2-Week Tours in Mexico, and Tours for Outdoor and Nature Lovers in Mexico.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayRecife $166Mexico City $214
The average daily cost (per person) in Recife is $166, while the average daily cost in Mexico City is $214. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Recife and Mexico City in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personRecife $88Mexico City $41
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomRecife $176Mexico City $82
Compare Hotels in Recife and Mexico City
Looking for a hotel in Recife or Mexico City? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.
Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.
Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Recife Hotel Prices and Mexico City Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Recife $8.47Mexico City $13
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Recife
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Recife:
- Shared Transfer from Recife to Cabo de Santo Agostinho: $33
- Airport to Porto de Galinhas Transfer: $65
- Airport to Maragogi Hotels Private Transfer: $85
- Recife Boat Tour with Transfers: $72
- Private Transfer from Recife to Tamandare Beach: $114
- Private Transfer from Recife to Serrambi Beach: $101
- Private Transfer from Recife to Olinda: $46
- Private Transfer from Recife to Carneiros Beach: $114
- Private Transfer from Olinda to Recife (REC) Airport: $46
- Private Transfer from Igarassu to Recife (REC) Airport : $101
- Instituto Ricardo Brennand with transfers from Recife: $41
- Departure Transfer from Olinda to Recife Airport: $100
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Mexico City
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Mexico City:
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Metro$1.20
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Uber Ride$4.21
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Mexico City
Also for Mexico City, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Transfer Mexico city Airport - Mexico city Downtown hotels: $18
- Private One way Transfer from Mexico Airport to Mexico City: $21
- Aguascalientes to Aguascalientes Airport (AGU) Departure Transfer: $24
- Transfer to and from Mexico City Airport: $30
- Private Departure Transfer: Hotel to Mexico City Airport: $34
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer service in Mexico APT-HTL (MEX) : $36
- Transfer & assistance one-way from/to Mexico City Airport/hotel : $36
- Mexico City Private Airport Transfer : $36
- Private Transfer From Mexico City Airport to Downtown: $37
- Mexico Airport (MEX) Cuernavaca Thermal Resorts Arrival Transfer: $38
- Transfer in private vehicle from Mexico City - Mexico Airport (MEX): $43
- Ixtapan de La Sal to Mexico Airport (MEX)-Departure Transfer: $44
Is it cheaper to fly into Recife or Mexico City?
Prices for flights to both Mexico City and Recife change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Food
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Food Meals for one dayRecife $70Mexico City $27
Typical Food Prices in Mexico City
For Mexico City, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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Lunch for Two$13
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Coffee and Snacks$4.69
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Dinner for 2$27
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Mexico City
For Mexico City, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Traveling Spoon Mexican Tacos and Tortillas Private Online Cooking Class: $40
- Virtual Mexican Cooking Class (private and personalized): $50
- Veracruz and Boca del Rio Food Tour with Mangroves Boat Trip: $50
- Local Markets & Food Tour in Mexico City: $50
- Tortilla Crawl: Food Tour in Mexico City: $55
- Uruapan Food Tour: $60
- 3 Hours Food Tour Best Vegan Tacos in Mexico City: $66
- Muchos moles: Multi-variety mole cooking class and feast: $70
- Mexico City Vegan & Veggie Market Explorer plus Cooking Lesson: $72
- Street Food Tour with Friends: $75
- La Roma Authentic Downtown Food Tour: Tacos and Local Flavors: $78
- Food Tour with Ride an Electric Bike in Mexico: $80
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Recife $11Mexico City $15
Tours and Activities in Recife
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Recife are as follows:
- City Tour Recife with Catamaran included: $150
- Colonial North Coast beaches - Full-Day Tour: $35
- Olinda City Tour and Instituto Ricardo Brennand: $94
- Olinda Scavenger Hunt and Sights Self-Guided Tour: $7.86
- Recife (Historic Centre) Scavenger Hunt and Self-Guided Tour: $7.65
- City Tour Recife & Olinda: $27
Tours and Activities in Mexico City
For Mexico City, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- MUCHO Museum of Chocolate Entrance Ticket: $4.66
- Double Decker Bus Night Tour: $5.83
- Franz Mayer Museum Admission Ticket: $5.83
- Self-Guided Audio Tour-Moctezuma and the Zocalo:The Aztec Empire : $6.99
- Night Bus Tour Knowing Mexico City: $7.18
- La Roma's Famous Sights and Local Lore: A Self-Guided Audio Tour: $7.99
- Private Tour to the Capuchin Convent Chapel made by Luis Barragan : $8.00
- Memory and Tolerance Museum Entry Ticket: $8.16
- Mexico City (Coyoacan) City Sights Self-Guided Tour: $8.75
- Mexico City (Historic Centre) City Sights Self-Guided Tour: $8.75
- Mexico City (Historic Centre) Scavenger Hunt and Self-Guided Tour: $8.95
- Self-Guided Audio Tour: $11
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayRecife -Mexico City $21
Sample the Local Flavors in Mexico City
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Mexico City:
- Mexico City Pub Crawl: $27
- CDMX Pub Crawl: Mexico City Bar Crawl: $29
- Mexico City Bar Crawl: $39
- Best Bar Crawl at Downtown: $49
- Nightly Historic Center From Above© Rooftop Bar Crawl +Taco Snack: $129
- 2 Hours Private Mexican Wine Tasting in Polanco: $155
- Third Largest Monolith in the World:Bernal with wine tasting: $235
- Cavas Freixenet Wine Tour from Mexico City: $255
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Recife and Mexico City, we can see that Mexico City is more expensive. And not only is Recife much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Recife is in South America and Mexico City is in North America, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Recife would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Recife and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Mexico City would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Mexico City than you might in Recife.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Recife Expensive? and Is Mexico City Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Recife or Mexico City?
Mexico City has a larger population, and is about 8 times larger than the population of Recife. When comparing the sizes of Recife and Mexico City, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.