Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canberra and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,886 in Canberra, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Canberra
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Canberra Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Canberra

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,886

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,886 per month in Canberra vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

Canberra $2,886
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $4,020 per month in Canberra vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

Canberra $4,020
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $5,153 per month in Canberra vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

Canberra $5,153
Mexico City $3,490

Canberra costs about 80% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Canberra and Mexico City sit above the global median – Canberra by 112%, Mexico City by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 A$29.53

$10.62 MX$199

95.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.8 A$128

$48.35 MX$904

85.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.43 A$14.83

$10.35 MX$193

0.77%

Cappuccino

$3.99 A$5.67

$3.69 MX$69.0

8.13%

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

$3.12 A$4.44

$1.67 MX$31.14

86.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 A$3.75

$1.27 MX$23.65

107.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.32 A$11.83

$3.19 MX$59.7

160.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.11 A$14.37

$5.31 MX$99.2

90.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.12

$1.72 MX$32.23

-13.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 A$4.47

$3.04 MX$56.8

3.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 A$3.59

$1.94 MX$36.27

30.41%

Eggs

$5.32 A$7.57

$2.89 MX$54.0

84.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.15 A$18.69

$10.97 MX$205

19.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.98 A$14.19

$9.25 MX$173

7.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.08 A$21.44

$15.13 MX$283

-0.33%

Apples (1kg)

$4.03 A$5.72

$3.05 MX$57.0

32.13%

Banana (1kg)

$3.17 A$4.50

$1.94 MX$36.27

63.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.54 A$5.04

$2.03 MX$37.85

74.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 A$7.29

$2.31 MX$43.25

122.08%

Potato (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.58

$2.04 MX$38.03

57.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 A$4.03

$1.80 MX$33.63

57.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$1.48 MX$27.64

67.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 A$2.00

$1.27 MX$23.69

10.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.06 A$62.7

$5.30 MX$99.1

731.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.26 A$20.28

$16.10 MX$301

-11.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.81 A$6.85

$1.98 MX$37.06

142.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 A$8.08

$4.25 MX$79.5

33.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 A$3.60

$0.31 MX$5.70

716.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.8 A$135

$19.73 MX$369

380.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 A$5.68

$1.84 MX$34.34

116.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 A$2.35

$0.53 MX$9.97

211.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.56 A$60.5

$5.30 MX$99.0

703.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.89

$1.51 MX$28.23

-11.92%

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

$28.0K A$39.8K

$21.8K MX$406.5K

28.63%

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

$26.3K A$37.4K

$24.0K MX$448.2K

9.61%

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

$184 A$262

$63.0 MX$1,177

192.57%

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

$26.57 A$37.78

$27.39 MX$512

-2.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.9 A$79.5

$35.67 MX$666

56.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.4 A$113

$58.9 MX$1,101

34.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.81 A$39.55

$23.64 MX$442

17.64%

Cinema Ticket

$16.02 A$22.78

$6.40 MX$120

150.31%

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

$2,460 A$3,498

$432 MX$8,065

470.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K A$29.3K

$11.4K MX$213.5K

80.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.1 A$108

$68.2 MX$1,275

11.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.4 A$81.7

$53.1 MX$993

8.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 A$153

$108 MX$2,014

-0.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$189

$117 MX$2,191

13.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,749 A$2,486

$1,113 MX$20.8K

57.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,495 A$2,126

$710 MX$13.3K

110.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,065 A$4,358

$2,588 MX$48.4K

18.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,978 A$2,813

$1,406 MX$26.3K

40.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.1K A$15.8K

$3,631 MX$67.8K

205.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,790 A$11.1K

$2,135 MX$39.9K

264.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,317 A$6,139

$946 MX$17.7K

356.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

11.35

-47.58%

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

Last update for Canberra: 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

Canberra

$1.5K 51.8%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 52.5% $785

Groceries & Markets

Canberra

$397 13.8%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 19.6% $78

Eating Out

Canberra

$330 11.4%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 39.8% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canberra

$267 9.2%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 52.7% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Canberra

$168 5.8%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 7.3% $12

Getting Around

Canberra

$117 4.1%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 78.3% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Canberra

$111 3.9%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 35.6% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,749 in Canberra versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Canberra are about 4.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Canberra versus $48 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $397 vs $320 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Canberra

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

04:59 4:59 AM

11:59 11:59 AM

17 h behind Canberra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

466,566 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Canberra Mexico City 13,180 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Canberra
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,886 in Canberra, $1,608 in Mexico City – roughly 80% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,329 per month in Canberra and $2,412 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mexico City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,113 there versus $1,749 in Canberra.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,886 in Canberra and $1,608 in Mexico City. That’s a gap of about 80%.

Public transport costs about 79% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Families tend to lean toward Mexico City – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Canberra makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.