Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Byron Bay and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,417 in Byron Bay, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Byron Bay
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Byron Bay Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Byron Bay

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,417

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,417 in Byron Bay versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Byron Bay $2,417
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,485 in Byron Bay versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Byron Bay $3,485
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,552 in Byron Bay versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Byron Bay $4,552
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Byron Bay is roughly 50% 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: Byron Bay 78% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 A$24.58

$10.62 MX$198

62.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.6 A$116

$48.35 MX$901

68.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 A$15.92

$10.35 MX$193

8.31%

Cappuccino

$3.63 A$5.16

$3.69 MX$68.8

-1.63%

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

$1.42 A$2.02

$1.67 MX$31.07

-14.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.50

$1.27 MX$23.59

93.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.27 A$11.76

$3.19 MX$59.5

159.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.49 A$12.06

$5.31 MX$98.9

59.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 A$2.34

$1.72 MX$32.15

-4.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.73 A$3.88

$3.04 MX$56.7

-10.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 A$3.32

$1.94 MX$36.19

20.10%

Eggs

$4.78 A$6.80

$2.89 MX$53.8

65.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 A$12.87

$10.97 MX$205

-17.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.27 A$13.17

$9.25 MX$172

0.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.45 A$20.53

$15.13 MX$282

-4.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.26 A$6.06

$3.05 MX$56.8

39.67%

Banana (1kg)

$3.01 A$4.28

$1.94 MX$36.19

55.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.34

$2.03 MX$37.75

50.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.76

$2.31 MX$43.15

106.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.04

$2.04 MX$37.94

39.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 A$3.34

$1.80 MX$33.55

30.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 A$3.37

$1.48 MX$27.58

60.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 A$1.78

$1.27 MX$23.63

-0.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$33.79 A$48.01

$5.30 MX$98.9

537.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.65 A$17.97

$16.10 MX$300

-21.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.42 A$7.69

$1.98 MX$36.97

173.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 A$6.95

$4.25 MX$79.3

15.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 A$3.88

$0.31 MX$5.69

780.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.3 A$117

$19.73 MX$368

316.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 A$4.23

$1.84 MX$34.25

61.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 A$2.69

$0.53 MX$9.94

256.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.61 A$59.1

$5.30 MX$98.7

685.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 A$2.01

$1.51 MX$28.16

-6.62%

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

$29.7K A$42.2K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

36.48%

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

$24.9K A$35.4K

$24.0K MX$447.1K

3.99%

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

$160 A$227

$63.0 MX$1,174

153.29%

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

$14.29 A$20.30

$27.39 MX$511

-47.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.53 A$60.4

$35.67 MX$665

19.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.3 A$80.0

$58.9 MX$1,099

-4.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.44 A$24.78

$23.64 MX$441

-26.23%

Cinema Ticket

$13.79 A$19.59

$6.40 MX$119

115.47%

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

$2,024 A$2,876

$432 MX$8,045

368.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K A$18.0K

$11.4K MX$212.9K

10.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.4 A$100.0

$68.2 MX$1,272

3.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.97 A$29.79

$53.1 MX$990

-60.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.1 A$101

$108 MX$2,009

-34.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 A$159

$117 MX$2,186

-4.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,392 A$1,978

$1,113 MX$20.8K

25.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,234 A$1,753

$710 MX$13.2K

73.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,283 A$3,244

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-11.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 A$2,604

$1,406 MX$26.2K

30.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,798 A$8,239

$3,631 MX$67.7K

59.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,944 A$7,024

$2,135 MX$39.8K

131.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,883 A$6,938

$946 MX$17.6K

416.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

-55.95%

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

Last update for Byron Bay: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Byron Bay

$1.2K 51.1%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 42.4% $523

Groceries & Markets

Byron Bay

$364 15.1%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 12.3% $45

Eating Out

Byron Bay

$290 12%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 31.4% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Byron Bay

$216 9%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 41.7% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Byron Bay

$123 5.1%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 26.4% $33

Getting Around

Byron Bay

$106 4.4%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 75.9% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Byron Bay

$84 3.5%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 14.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,392 in Byron Bay and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Byron Bay pays about 5.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $82 in Byron Bay vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $364 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Byron Bay

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

05:43 5:43 AM

12:43 12:43 PM

17 h behind Byron Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,538

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 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 AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Byron Bay Mexico City 12,660 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Byron Bay
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

Byron Bay vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Byron Bay and Mexico City differ by about 50% in total monthly costs ($2,417 vs $1,608 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Byron Bay is about 5.2 times higher, 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: $1,392 in Byron Bay versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,417 per month in Byron Bay versus $1,608 in Mexico City – a 50% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 76% less than in Byron Bay. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Byron Bay. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.