Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alice Springs and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $1,798 in Alice Springs, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Alice Springs
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Alice Springs Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Alice Springs

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,798

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alice Springs and in Mexico City

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Alice Springs and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,798 in Alice Springs versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Alice Springs $1,798
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,720 in Alice Springs versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Alice Springs $2,720
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,641 in Alice Springs versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Alice Springs $3,641
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Alice Springs is roughly 16% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alice Springs 33% above, Mexico City 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.27 A$24.85

$11.02 MX$204

56.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.0 A$119

$48.68 MX$900

70.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.70 A$15.40

$10.90 MX$201

-1.83%

Cappuccino

$4.28 A$6.16

$3.68 MX$68.1

16.30%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 A$4.13

$1.63 MX$30.18

76.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 A$4.06

$1.25 MX$23.07

125.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.48 A$9.33

$3.25 MX$60.1

99.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.54 A$13.72

$5.53 MX$102

72.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 A$2.05

$1.70 MX$31.50

-15.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 A$3.03

$3.02 MX$55.8

-30.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 A$2.57

$1.92 MX$35.53

-7.29%

Eggs

$5.10 A$7.33

$2.73 MX$50.5

86.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.17 A$14.63

$11.77 MX$218

-13.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.29 A$11.94

$9.53 MX$176

-13.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.50 A$20.87

$14.41 MX$266

0.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.84 A$5.53

$3.02 MX$55.8

27.15%

Banana (1kg)

$3.00 A$4.32

$1.89 MX$35.01

58.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 A$3.78

$1.99 MX$36.70

32.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.85 A$9.86

$2.19 MX$40.38

212.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.58

$1.92 MX$35.43

29.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 A$3.28

$1.87 MX$34.49

21.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 A$3.50

$1.44 MX$26.62

68.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 A$3.40

$1.27 MX$23.39

85.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$28.22 A$40.60

$5.22 MX$96.4

440.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.77 A$19.82

$16.17 MX$299

-14.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 A$4.64

$1.90 MX$35.03

69.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.59 A$8.04

$4.22 MX$78.0

32.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.79 A$4.02

$0.34 MX$6.30

720.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.9 A$99.1

$19.65 MX$363

250.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.84 A$6.97

$2.00 MX$36.90

142.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 A$2.24

$0.52 MX$9.67

198.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.74 A$39.92

$5.34 MX$98.7

419.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.94

$1.52 MX$28.13

-11.18%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$37.6K A$54.1K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

70.37%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.0K A$33.0K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

-6.30%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$213 A$306

$61.1 MX$1,129

248.03%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$28.21 A$40.59

$28.58 MX$528

-1.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.86 A$66.0

$34.47 MX$637

33.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.9 A$81.9

$56.4 MX$1,042

0.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.95 A$25.83

$24.88 MX$460

-27.85%

Cinema Ticket

$13.94 A$20.06

$6.66 MX$123

109.31%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,941 A$2,793

$427 MX$7,891

354.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K A$29.6K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

76.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.1 A$105

$67.8 MX$1,253

7.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.03 A$17.31

$52.0 MX$960

-76.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 A$198

$106 MX$1,959

29.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 A$173

$113 MX$2,080

6.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,405 A$2,022

$1,025 MX$18.9K

37.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$518 A$746

$654 MX$12.1K

-20.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 A$1,823

$2,308 MX$42.7K

-45.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$765 A$1,101

$1,242 MX$22.9K

-38.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,502 A$6,478

$3,613 MX$66.8K

24.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,696 A$6,757

$1,936 MX$35.8K

142.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,301 A$6,189

$964 MX$17.8K

346.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

11.3

-47.79%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Alice Springs: October 19, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Alice Springs

$518 28.8%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 26.2% $136

Groceries & Markets

Alice Springs

$365 20.3%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 12.9% $47

Eating Out

Alice Springs

$296 16.5%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 31.1% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alice Springs

$287 15.9%

Mexico City

$124 8% 56.7% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Alice Springs

$154 8.6%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 1.3% $2

Getting Around

Alice Springs

$93 5.2%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 72.3% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Alice Springs

$85 4.7%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 17.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,405 in Alice Springs and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alice Springs pays 346% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $83.0 in Alice Springs vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $318 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Alice Springs

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

11:16 11:16 AM

19:46 7:46 PM

15 h 30 min behind Alice Springs

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,855

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Alice Springs Mexico City 14,540 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Alice Springs
Mexico City

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Alice Springs vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Alice Springs. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mexico City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 346% higher in Alice Springs, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,405 in Alice Springs versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Alice Springs. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $83.0 in Alice Springs. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,798 in Alice Springs, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Alice Springs. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Mexico City delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,548 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mexico City hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Alice Springs and Mexico City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Alice Springs. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.