Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Carlton and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,328 in Carlton, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in Carlton
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Carlton Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Carlton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,328

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,328 in Carlton versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Carlton $2,328
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,353 in Carlton versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Carlton $3,353
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,379 in Carlton versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Carlton $4,379
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Carlton is roughly 45% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Carlton 71% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.33 A$24.65

$10.62 MX$200

63.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 A$98.3

$48.35 MX$909

42.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.28 A$14.62

$10.35 MX$194

-0.68%

Cappuccino

$3.03 A$4.31

$3.69 MX$69.4

-17.89%

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

$2.70 A$3.84

$1.67 MX$31.32

61.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 A$2.91

$1.27 MX$23.78

61.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.69 A$9.51

$3.19 MX$60.0

109.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 A$9.39

$5.31 MX$99.7

24.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 A$1.85

$1.72 MX$32.41

-24.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.08 A$2.96

$3.04 MX$57.1

-31.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 A$1.98

$1.94 MX$36.48

-28.35%

Eggs

$3.41 A$4.84

$2.89 MX$54.3

17.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.40 A$14.79

$10.97 MX$206

-5.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.96 A$14.17

$9.25 MX$174

7.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.94 A$21.25

$15.13 MX$284

-1.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 A$4.71

$3.05 MX$57.3

8.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.76 A$3.93

$1.94 MX$36.48

42.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 A$4.66

$2.03 MX$38.06

61.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 A$6.79

$2.31 MX$43.50

106.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 A$3.42

$2.04 MX$38.25

18.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 A$3.09

$1.80 MX$33.83

20.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 A$3.20

$1.48 MX$27.80

52.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 A$1.28

$1.27 MX$23.82

-29.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.30 A$35.98

$5.30 MX$99.7

377.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.61 A$15.09

$16.10 MX$303

-34.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.57 A$7.92

$1.98 MX$37.27

181.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.28 A$7.51

$4.25 MX$79.9

24.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.08 A$4.38

$0.31 MX$5.73

893.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.7 A$118

$19.73 MX$371

319.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.67 A$5.22

$1.84 MX$34.53

99.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 A$1.76

$0.53 MX$10.03

133.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.46 A$37.64

$5.30 MX$99.5

399.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 A$1.84

$1.51 MX$28.39

-14.57%

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

$18.2K A$25.9K

$21.8K MX$408.8K

-16.17%

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

$14.0K A$20.0K

$24.0K MX$450.8K

-41.44%

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

$93.2 A$133

$63.0 MX$1,184

47.94%

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

$28.34 A$40.30

$27.39 MX$515

3.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.79 A$66.6

$35.67 MX$670

31.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.85 A$45.30

$58.9 MX$1,108

-45.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.90 A$25.46

$23.64 MX$444

-24.28%

Cinema Ticket

$13.46 A$19.14

$6.40 MX$120

110.31%

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

$2,108 A$2,998

$432 MX$8,111

388.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K A$17.6K

$11.4K MX$214.7K

8.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$114

$68.2 MX$1,282

17.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.0 A$72.5

$53.1 MX$999

-4.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.7 A$99.1

$108 MX$2,026

-35.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$187

$117 MX$2,204

12.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,005

$1,113 MX$20.9K

26.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,235 A$1,756

$710 MX$13.4K

73.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,220 A$3,158

$2,588 MX$48.6K

-14.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,837 A$2,612

$1,406 MX$26.4K

30.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,665 A$8,057

$3,631 MX$68.2K

56.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,619 A$6,569

$2,135 MX$40.1K

116.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,904 A$8,398

$946 MX$17.8K

524.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

11.35

-48.02%

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

Last update for Carlton: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Carlton

$1.2K 53.1%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 42.5% $524

Groceries & Markets

Carlton

$340 14.6%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 6% $20

Eating Out

Carlton

$272 11.7%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 26.8% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Carlton

$168 7.2%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 25.1% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Carlton

$150 6.4%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 4.3% $6.4

Getting Around

Carlton

$105 4.5%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 75.7% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Carlton

$59 2.5%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 22.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,409 in Carlton and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carlton pays about 6.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $69 in Carlton vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Carlton

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

18:32 6:32 PM

01:32 1:32 AM

17 h behind Carlton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,001

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Carlton Mexico City 13,560 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Carlton
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,328 in Carlton and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Mexico City is about 31% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Carlton is about 6.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,409 in Carlton versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,108 in Carlton versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Carlton. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Carlton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.