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

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Cairns is 36.4% more expensive than Mexico City without rent, and 59.2% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Cairns is 44.1% more expensive than Mexico City without rent, and 40.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Cairns
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.67 A$17.88
$13.38 MX$253
-12.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$81.9 A$125
$52.7 MX$997
55.24%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.66 A$16.33
$9.31 MX$176
14.50%
Cappuccino
$3.92 A$6.01
$3.61 MX$68.3
8.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.73 A$4.19
$1.64 MX$30.91
66.46%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 A$3.46
$1.12 MX$21.14
101.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.58 A$10.09
$3.26 MX$61.7
101.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.07 A$10.83
$4.82 MX$91.1
46.68%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Cairns
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.7 A$2.61
$1.65 MX$31.24
3.03%
White Bread (500g)
$2.51 A$3.85
$2.74 MX$51.7
-8.39%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.71 A$4.15
$1.92 MX$36.28
41.15%
Eggs
$3.93 A$6.02
$2.51 MX$47.53
56.57%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.87 A$12.06
$9.89 MX$187
-20.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.19 A$14.08
$8.39 MX$159
9.54%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.84 A$19.67
$11.95 MX$226
7.45%
Apples (1kg)
$2.99 A$4.58
$2.87 MX$54.3
4.18%
Banana (1kg)
$2.31 A$3.53
$1.74 MX$32.85
32.76%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.66 A$4.07
$2 MX$37.81
33.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.39 A$11.32
$2.07 MX$39.14
257.00%
Potato (1kg)
$2.28 A$3.5
$2.05 MX$38.78
11.22%
Onion (1kg)
$2.23 A$3.42
$2.18 MX$41.22
2.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.27 A$3.47
$1.38 MX$26.16
64.49%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.88 A$4.42
$1.11 MX$21.06
159.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$29.83 A$45.69
$4.16 MX$78.6
617.07%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.03 A$16.89
$11.05 MX$209
-0.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.39 A$5.2
$1.75 MX$33.16
93.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.52 A$5.39
$3.7 MX$70
-4.86%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Cairns
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.22 A$4.94
$0.38 MX$7.25
747.37%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$65.4 A$100
$18.97 MX$359
244.97%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.44 A$9.86
$1.36 MX$25.72
373.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.13 A$4.8
$0.28 MX$5.25
1017.86%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.86 A$51.9
$5.3 MX$100
538.87%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 A$1.77
$1.36 MX$25.63
-15.44%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.7K A$34.8K
$18.8K MX$354.6K
21.02%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.2K A$29.4K
$23.4K MX$441.7K
-17.92%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairns
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$153 A$234
$39.97 MX$756
282.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.09 A$56.8
$27.48 MX$519
34.97%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59 A$90.3
$30.22 MX$571
95.14%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Cairns
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.89 A$59.6
$52.6 MX$994
-26.06%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.92 A$24.39
$26.84 MX$507
-40.69%
Cinema Ticket
$12.98 A$19.88
$6.32 MX$120
105.38%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Cairns
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,628 A$2,494
$437 MX$8,258
272.75%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.1K A$18.5K
$10.6K MX$199.9K
14.49%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Cairns
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$83 A$127
$57.2 MX$1,082
45.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$66.2 A$101
$45.14 MX$853
46.68%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.2 A$150
$102 MX$1,928
-3.72%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$135 A$206
$109 MX$2,056
23.89%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Cairns
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,193 A$1,828
$1,000 MX$18.9K
19.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,110 A$1,701
$622 MX$11.8K
78.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,042 A$3,128
$2,160 MX$40.8K
-5.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,858 A$2,847
$1,235 MX$23.3K
50.47%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,035 A$9,246
$3,566 MX$67.4K
69.25%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,795 A$7,346
$2,480 MX$46.9K
93.34%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Cairns
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,813 A$4,310
$867 MX$16.4K
224.32%
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: October 27, 2025

Last update for Mexico City: October 28, 2025

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