Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Mexico City

For one person, living costs are similar in Cape Town and in Mexico City: $1,556 and $1,608 a month, rent and utilities included.

75

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,556

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,556 per month in Cape Town vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

Cape Town $1,556
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $2,432 per month in Cape Town vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

Cape Town $2,432
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Mexico City $3,490

Cape Town is about 3% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Mexico City sit above the global median – Cape Town by 14%, Mexico City by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.09 R 202

$10.62 MX$198

13.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.34 R 739

$48.35 MX$901

-8.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$10.35 MX$193

-40.58%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.30

$3.69 MX$68.8

-36.04%

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

$1.26 R 21.06

$1.67 MX$31.07

-24.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.59

$1.27 MX$23.59

-21.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 R 51.3

$3.19 MX$59.5

-3.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R 61.6

$5.31 MX$98.9

-30.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R 22.41

$1.72 MX$32.15

-22.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.89

$3.04 MX$56.7

-60.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 R 35.01

$1.94 MX$36.19

8.25%

Eggs

$3.05 R 50.8

$2.89 MX$53.8

5.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 146

$10.97 MX$205

-20.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.97 R 116

$9.25 MX$172

-24.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.39 R 157

$15.13 MX$282

-37.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.44

$3.05 MX$56.8

-38.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 R 31.32

$1.94 MX$36.19

-3.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 R 28.08

$2.03 MX$37.75

-16.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 R 34.07

$2.31 MX$43.15

-11.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 26.12

$2.04 MX$37.94

-23.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.65

$1.80 MX$33.55

-17.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.36

$1.48 MX$27.58

-13.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R 19.81

$1.27 MX$23.63

-6.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.63 R 60.5

$5.30 MX$98.9

-31.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 R 103

$16.10 MX$300

-61.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.14

$1.98 MX$36.97

-29.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.33

$4.25 MX$79.3

-48.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 R 22.83

$0.31 MX$5.69

341.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,021

$19.73 MX$368

210.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.57 R 9.58

$1.84 MX$34.25

-69.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 R 24.62

$0.53 MX$9.94

179.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 R 81.6

$5.30 MX$98.7

-7.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.29

$1.51 MX$28.16

4.64%

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

$34.7K R 578.4K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

59.56%

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

$34.1K R 568.2K

$24.0K MX$447.1K

42.17%

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

$117 R 1,948

$63.0 MX$1,174

85.65%

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

$28.35 R 472

$27.39 MX$511

3.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.58 R 676

$35.67 MX$665

13.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.54 R 809

$58.9 MX$1,099

-17.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.80 R 180

$23.64 MX$441

-54.31%

Cinema Ticket

$9.11 R 152

$6.40 MX$119

42.34%

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

$302 R 5,032

$432 MX$8,045

-30.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,720 R 112.0K

$11.4K MX$212.9K

-41.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 R 920

$68.2 MX$1,272

-19.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.70 R 545

$53.1 MX$990

-38.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,964

$108 MX$2,009

9.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 R 1,731

$117 MX$2,186

-11.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 R 17.3K

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-6.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 R 11.5K

$710 MX$13.2K

-2.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,981 R 33.0K

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-23.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 R 23.1K

$1,406 MX$26.2K

-1.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,420 R 40.3K

$3,631 MX$67.7K

-33.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R 25.9K

$2,135 MX$39.8K

-27.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,576 R 26.3K

$946 MX$17.6K

66.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

11.35

-3.35%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 24, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$691 44.4%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 2.8% $20

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$224 14.4%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 42.9% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$186 11.9%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 32.2% $60

Eating Out

Cape Town

$175 11.3%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 13.3% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$139 9%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 11.9% $17

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 65.9% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.3%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 7.5% $5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,041 in Cape Town 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 run about 67% higher in Cape Town, 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 $44 in Cape Town versus $48 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $224 vs $320 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

18:00 6:00 PM

10:00 10:00 AM

8 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 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 ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Mexico City 13,700 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
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

Cape Town vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City costs about 3% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,335 per month in Cape Town and $2,412 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,041 in Cape Town and $1,113 in Mexico City. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,556 in Cape Town and $1,608 in Mexico City. That’s a gap of about 3%.

Public transport costs about 68% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,556 in Cape Town and $1,608 in Mexico City. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,556 versus $1,608 in Mexico City. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.