Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canterbury, New Zealand and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Canterbury: $915 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Canterbury
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Canterbury Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Canterbury

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$915

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $915 per month in Canterbury vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

Canterbury $915
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $1,521 per month in Canterbury vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

Canterbury $1,521
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $2,127 per month in Canterbury vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

Canterbury $2,127
Mexico City $3,490

Canterbury is about 43% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Canterbury sits 33% below the global median, while Mexico City is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.95 NZ$24.76

$10.62 MX$199

31.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.7 NZ$113

$48.35 MX$908

31.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.52 NZ$20.45

$10.35 MX$194

11.30%

Cappuccino

$3.06 NZ$5.44

$3.69 MX$69.3

-17.07%

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

$2.07 NZ$3.67

$1.67 MX$31.29

23.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 NZ$3.75

$1.27 MX$23.76

66.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.94 NZ$7.00

$3.19 MX$59.9

23.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 NZ$10.82

$5.31 MX$99.6

14.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 NZ$3.93

$1.72 MX$32.38

29.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 NZ$3.42

$3.04 MX$57.1

-36.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 NZ$3.01

$1.94 MX$36.44

-12.89%

Eggs

$5.53 NZ$9.82

$2.89 MX$54.2

91.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.34 NZ$14.81

$10.97 MX$206

-23.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.17 NZ$16.28

$9.25 MX$174

-0.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.50 NZ$29.30

$15.13 MX$284

9.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 NZ$5.16

$3.05 MX$57.2

-4.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 NZ$3.93

$1.94 MX$36.45

13.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 NZ$5.85

$2.03 MX$38.02

62.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.19 NZ$9.21

$2.31 MX$43.46

124.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.29

$2.04 MX$38.21

-9.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 NZ$3.32

$1.80 MX$33.79

3.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 NZ$4.14

$1.48 MX$27.77

57.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 NZ$1.06

$1.27 MX$23.80

-53.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.06 NZ$37.39

$5.30 MX$99.6

297.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.26 NZ$16.44

$16.10 MX$302

-42.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 NZ$5.71

$1.98 MX$37.23

62.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 NZ$2.13

$4.25 MX$79.8

-71.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.73 NZ$10.17

$1.84 MX$34.50

211.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.19 NZ$50.1

$5.30 MX$99.4

431.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 NZ$2.84

$1.51 MX$28.36

5.96%

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

$28.5K NZ$50.6K

$21.8K MX$408.4K

31.00%

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

$23.3K NZ$41.3K

$24.0K MX$450.3K

-3.00%

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

$113 NZ$201

$63.0 MX$1,182

79.53%

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

$29.09 NZ$51.6

$27.39 MX$514

6.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 NZ$91.8

$35.67 MX$670

44.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$11.46 NZ$20.34

$6.40 MX$120

79.06%

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

$590 NZ$1,048

$432 MX$8,103

36.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 NZ$106

$68.2 MX$1,281

-12.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.35 NZ$39.69

$53.1 MX$997

-57.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.2 NZ$162

$108 MX$2,023

-15.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 NZ$247

$117 MX$2,202

18.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$898 NZ$1,595

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-19.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,733 NZ$4,853

$946 MX$17.8K

188.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

-64.76%

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

Last update for Canterbury: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Canterbury

$320 35%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 0.3% $0.9

Eating Out

Canterbury

$232 25.3%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 14.2% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canterbury

$194 21.2%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 35% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Canterbury

$141 15.4%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 10.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Canterbury

$23 * 2.5%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 213% $49

Getting Around

Canterbury

$5.7 * 0.6%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 344% $20

Accommodation & Living

Canterbury

- * 0%

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $898 in Canterbury 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 Canterbury are about 2.9 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64 in Canterbury versus $48 in Mexico City. Groceries tell a different story – $320 in Canterbury vs $320 in Mexico City – so Canterbury wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Canterbury

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

13:13 1:13 PM

18:13 6:13 PM

19 h behind Canterbury

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Canterbury Mexico City 11,420 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Canterbury
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $915 in Canterbury, $1,608 in Mexico City – Canterbury comes out roughly 43% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,373 per month in Canterbury 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 Canterbury, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $898 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Kindergarten costs $590 per month in Canterbury and $432 in Mexico City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $915 in Canterbury and $1,608 in Mexico City. That makes Canterbury about 43% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Canterbury, where all-in costs run around $915, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Canterbury it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $915 in Canterbury to $1,608 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.