Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bellville and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Bellville: $1,153 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Bellville
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Bellville Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

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Bellville

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,153

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,153 in Bellville versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Bellville $1,153
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,785 in Bellville versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Bellville $1,785
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,418 in Bellville versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Bellville $2,418
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Bellville costs roughly 28% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bellville is 15% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.25 R 204

$10.62 MX$198

15.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.27 R 404

$48.35 MX$901

-49.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.08 R 101

$10.35 MX$193

-41.26%

Cappuccino

$1.96 R 32.66

$3.69 MX$68.8

-46.88%

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

$1.36 R 22.63

$1.67 MX$31.07

-18.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.13

$1.27 MX$23.59

-18.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 R 37.10

$3.19 MX$59.5

-30.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 R 61.2

$5.31 MX$98.9

-30.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 R 22.75

$1.72 MX$32.15

-20.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 R 21.00

$3.04 MX$56.7

-58.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 R 36.75

$1.94 MX$36.19

13.92%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.9

$2.89 MX$53.8

7.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.11 R 152

$10.97 MX$205

-16.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.96 R 116

$9.25 MX$172

-24.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.79 R 163

$15.13 MX$282

-35.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.87

$3.05 MX$56.8

-39.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.63

$1.94 MX$36.19

-2.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.36

$2.03 MX$37.75

-13.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 R 35.53

$2.31 MX$43.15

-7.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.30

$2.04 MX$37.94

-25.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.98

$1.80 MX$33.55

-16.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 R 21.85

$1.48 MX$27.58

-11.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 19.17

$1.27 MX$23.63

-9.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.73 R 62.2

$5.30 MX$98.9

-29.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 R 104

$16.10 MX$300

-61.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 R 22.58

$1.98 MX$36.97

-31.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.70

$4.25 MX$79.3

-49.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 R 24.85

$0.31 MX$5.69

380.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.58 R 9.67

$1.84 MX$34.25

-68.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 R 24.70

$0.53 MX$9.94

179.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 R 84.8

$5.30 MX$98.7

-3.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.71

$1.51 MX$28.16

1.99%

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

$35.3K R 588.7K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

62.40%

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

$34.4K R 573.9K

$24.0K MX$447.1K

43.57%

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

$119 R 1,988

$63.0 MX$1,174

89.44%

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

$28.93 R 482

$27.39 MX$511

5.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.84 R 664

$35.67 MX$665

11.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.04 R 551

$58.9 MX$1,099

-43.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.06 R 184

$23.64 MX$441

-53.21%

Cinema Ticket

$8.92 R 149

$6.40 MX$119

39.37%

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

$266 R 4,439

$432 MX$8,045

-38.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,949 R 115.8K

$11.4K MX$212.9K

-39.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.9 R 948

$68.2 MX$1,272

-16.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.09 R 535

$53.1 MX$990

-39.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 R 1,992

$108 MX$2,009

10.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,784

$117 MX$2,186

-8.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 R 6,553

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-64.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 R 6,038

$710 MX$13.2K

-49.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$727 R 12.1K

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-71.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$746 R 12.4K

$1,406 MX$26.2K

-46.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$879 R 14.6K

$3,631 MX$67.7K

-75.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$685 R 11.4K

$2,135 MX$39.8K

-67.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

11.35

-3.35%

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

Last update for Bellville: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bellville

$362 31.4%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 96.1% $348

Groceries & Markets

Bellville

$228 19.7%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 40.4% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bellville

$188 16.3%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 33% $62

Eating Out

Bellville

$168 14.6%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 18.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Bellville

$142 12.3%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 9.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Bellville

$51 4.4%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 41% $21

Getting Around

Bellville

$14 * 1.2%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 82.4% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $393 in Bellville and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24 in Bellville vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $228 vs $320 per month, with Bellville cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Bellville

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

17:05 5:05 PM

09:05 9:05 AM

8 h behind Bellville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

112,507

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 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 ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bellville Mexico City 13,720 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Bellville
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

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

Bellville wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bellville the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,729 in Bellville 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $393 in Bellville versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,153 per month in Bellville versus $1,608 in Mexico City – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Bellville is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bellville delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,153 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bellville hard to pass up.