Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Apia and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Apia: $853 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Apia

🇼🇸 Samoa

$853

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Apia 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 Apia and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $853 in Apia versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Apia $853
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,282 in Apia versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Apia $2,282
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,711 in Apia versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Apia $3,711
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Apia costs roughly 47% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Apia is 37% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$47.10 WST 130

$10.62 MX$198

343.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.32 WST 100

$48.35 MX$901

-24.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.46 WST 39.98

$10.35 MX$193

39.71%

Cappuccino

$2.87 WST 7.92

$3.69 MX$68.8

-22.22%

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

$1.77 WST 4.89

$1.67 MX$31.07

5.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 WST 3.67

$1.27 MX$23.59

4.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 WST 9.49

$3.19 MX$59.5

7.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 WST 9.95

$5.31 MX$98.9

-32.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 WST 5.08

$1.72 MX$32.15

6.98%

White Bread (500g)

$0.83 WST 2.31

$3.04 MX$56.7

-72.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 WST 4.99

$1.94 MX$36.19

-7.22%

Eggs

$4.39 WST 12.15

$2.89 MX$53.8

51.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$0.94 WST 2.60

$10.97 MX$205

-91.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 WST 10.11

$9.25 MX$172

-60.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.34 WST 23.06

$15.13 MX$282

-44.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.99 WST 13.79

$3.05 MX$56.8

63.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 WST 5.13

$1.94 MX$36.19

-4.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 WST 5.10

$2.03 MX$37.75

-9.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 WST 12.38

$2.31 MX$43.15

93.94%

Potato (1kg)

$3.54 WST 9.79

$2.04 MX$37.94

73.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 WST 3.04

$1.80 MX$33.55

-38.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 WST 3.35

$1.27 MX$23.63

-4.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.36 WST 17.58

$5.30 MX$98.9

20.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.29 WST 45.04

$16.10 MX$300

1.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 WST 5.08

$1.98 MX$36.97

-7.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 WST 10.18

$4.25 MX$79.3

-13.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.70 WST 10.24

$0.31 MX$5.69

1093.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.50 WST 15.20

$1.84 MX$34.25

198.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.55 WST 15.36

$0.53 MX$9.94

947.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.64 WST 59.8

$5.30 MX$98.7

308.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 WST 2.98

$1.51 MX$28.16

-28.48%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

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

$18.50 WST 51.2

$63.0 MX$1,174

-70.63%

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

$18.38 WST 50.8

$27.39 MX$511

-32.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.62 WST 101

$35.67 MX$665

2.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

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

$432 MX$8,045

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,738 WST 4,805

$1,406 MX$26.2K

23.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

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

Last update for Apia: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Apia

–

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Groceries & Markets

Apia

–

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Eating Out

Apia

–

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Apia

–

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Apia

–

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Sport & Entertainment

Apia

–

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Getting Around

Apia

–

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $36 in Apia vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $240 vs $320 per month, with Apia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇼🇸 Apia

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

06:48 6:48 AM

11:48 11:48 AM

19 h behind Apia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,000 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Samoan Tala WST T

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 WST = 0.362 USD

1 WST = 0.325 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to WST – Samoan Tala Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇼🇸 Samoan Tala (T)

Samoan Tala exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2.77 WST (1 WST = 0.362 USD). 1 EUR = 3.08 WST (1 WST = 0.325 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to WST in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Apia Mexico City 8,760 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Apia
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

Apia vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Apia wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Apia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,279 in Apia and $2,412 in Mexico City to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

All in, you’ll spend $853 per month in Apia versus $1,608 in Mexico City – a 89% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Apia is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.