Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairns and Mexico City Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairns and Mexico City

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Cairns is 30.2% more expensive than Mexico City without rent, and 59.1% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Cairns is 32.5% more expensive than Mexico City without rent, and 41.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Cairns
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.88 A$16.87
$13.12 MX$232
-9.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$80.5 A$114
$53.8 MX$950
49.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.63 A$15.09
$9.40 MX$166
13.09%
Cappuccino
$3.93 A$5.58
$3.56 MX$62.9
10.39%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.76 A$3.92
$1.60 MX$28.29
72.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.23 A$3.16
$1.15 MX$20.38
93.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.51 A$9.25
$3.16 MX$55.7
106.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.08 A$10.05
$4.85 MX$85.5
45.98%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Cairns
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 A$2.45
$1.63 MX$28.84
5.52%
White Bread (500g)
$2.43 A$3.44
$2.73 MX$48.26
-10.99%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.67 A$3.80
$1.88 MX$33.16
42.02%
Eggs
$4.00 A$5.68
$2.63 MX$46.45
52.09%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.84 A$11.14
$9.89 MX$175
-20.73%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.37 A$13.31
$8.40 MX$148
11.55%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.90 A$18.31
$11.63 MX$205
10.92%
Apples (1kg)
$2.99 A$4.25
$2.97 MX$52.5
0.67%
Banana (1kg)
$2.23 A$3.17
$1.78 MX$31.50
25.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.77 A$3.93
$2.06 MX$36.28
34.47%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.35 A$10.44
$1.97 MX$34.86
273.10%
Potato (1kg)
$2.21 A$3.14
$2.09 MX$36.82
5.74%
Onion (1kg)
$2.21 A$3.14
$2.26 MX$39.87
-2.21%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.24 A$3.18
$1.46 MX$25.74
53.42%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.85 A$4.04
$1.09 MX$19.24
161.47%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$29.59 A$42.02
$4.34 MX$76.6
581.80%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.71 A$16.63
$13.62 MX$240
-14.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.32 A$4.71
$1.67 MX$29.54
98.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.55 A$5.04
$3.54 MX$62.5
0.28%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Cairns
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.16 A$4.49
$0.36 MX$6.35
777.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$66.3 A$94.2
$18.96 MX$335
249.68%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.57 A$9.34
$1.32 MX$23.36
397.73%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.19 A$4.53
$0.30 MX$5.32
963.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.36 A$47.37
$5.49 MX$96.9
507.65%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.16 A$1.65
$1.34 MX$23.59
-13.43%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.6K A$32.1K
$19.1K MX$337.4K
18.32%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.3K A$27.4K
$23.8K MX$419.4K
-18.77%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairns
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$149 A$211
$41.11 MX$726
261.81%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.44 A$53.2
$27.78 MX$490
34.77%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59.0 A$83.7
$30.00 MX$530
96.53%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Cairns
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.92 A$55.3
$53.5 MX$945
-27.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.66 A$22.23
$26.13 MX$461
-40.07%
Cinema Ticket
$12.88 A$18.30
$6.28 MX$111
105.10%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Cairns
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,607 A$2,283
$439 MX$7,755
265.83%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.2K A$17.3K
$10.7K MX$189.6K
13.59%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Cairns
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$85.7 A$122
$57.1 MX$1,008
50.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$66.1 A$93.8
$45.30 MX$800
45.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.3 A$141
$104 MX$1,840
-4.72%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$137 A$195
$108 MX$1,911
26.66%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Cairns
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,205 A$1,711
$996 MX$17.6K
20.93%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,080 A$1,534
$624 MX$11.0K
73.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,045 A$2,904
$2,106 MX$37.2K
-2.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,834 A$2,604
$1,218 MX$21.5K
50.49%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,552 A$9,303
$3,799 MX$67.0K
72.47%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,146 A$7,307
$2,230 MX$39.4K
130.72%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Cairns
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,603 A$6,536
$1,096 MX$19.4K
319.81%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.96
11.34
-38.62%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Cairns: March 2, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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