Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $1,794 in Dunedin, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,794

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Dunedin versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Dunedin $1,794
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,661 in Dunedin versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Dunedin $2,661
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,527 in Dunedin versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Dunedin $3,527
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Dunedin is roughly 14% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dunedin 33% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.81 NZ$24.43

$10.75 MX$199

28.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 NZ$109

$50.3 MX$929

22.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 NZ$19.54

$11.10 MX$205

-0.45%

Cappuccino

$3.28 NZ$5.80

$3.68 MX$68.1

-10.87%

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

$2.03 NZ$3.58

$1.65 MX$30.42

23.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 NZ$3.61

$1.30 MX$24.08

56.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.74 NZ$11.92

$3.32 MX$61.3

103.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.27 NZ$11.09

$5.54 MX$102

13.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 NZ$3.77

$1.77 MX$32.68

20.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 NZ$3.47

$3.05 MX$56.4

-35.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 NZ$2.98

$2.01 MX$37.20

-16.42%

Eggs

$5.75 NZ$10.16

$2.77 MX$51.1

107.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.54 NZ$15.10

$11.91 MX$220

-28.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 NZ$16.72

$9.33 MX$172

1.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.50 NZ$29.19

$15.02 MX$278

9.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.00 NZ$5.30

$3.08 MX$56.8

-2.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 NZ$4.22

$1.95 MX$35.97

22.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.14 NZ$5.56

$2.03 MX$37.54

54.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.93 NZ$8.72

$2.21 MX$40.92

123.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.28

$2.02 MX$37.41

-8.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 NZ$3.22

$1.82 MX$33.67

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 NZ$4.13

$1.52 MX$28.07

53.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 NZ$1.04

$1.28 MX$23.65

-53.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.71 NZ$36.63

$5.27 MX$97.4

292.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.90 NZ$15.75

$16.12 MX$298

-44.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 NZ$5.47

$1.95 MX$36.05

58.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 NZ$2.12

$4.25 MX$78.6

-71.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 NZ$1.96

$0.31 MX$5.82

258.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.0 NZ$117

$19.85 MX$367

232.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 NZ$9.66

$2.00 MX$36.93

173.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.62 NZ$48.84

$5.62 MX$104

391.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 NZ$3.12

$1.52 MX$28.07

15.79%

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

$25.6K NZ$45.2K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

21.56%

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

$24.9K NZ$44.0K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

-1.16%

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

$111 NZ$196

$62.5 MX$1,155

77.56%

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

$28.15 NZ$49.78

$28.77 MX$532

-2.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 NZ$92.9

$34.45 MX$637

52.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.73 NZ$84.4

$57.1 MX$1,055

-16.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$10.36 NZ$18.33

$6.67 MX$123

55.32%

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

$570 NZ$1,009

$431 MX$7,964

32.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 NZ$104

$70.8 MX$1,308

-16.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.56 NZ$61.1

$51.8 MX$958

-33.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 NZ$164

$109 MX$2,011

-14.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 NZ$234

$112 MX$2,076

17.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$873 NZ$1,545

$1,051 MX$19.4K

-16.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 NZ$1,324

$665 MX$12.3K

12.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 NZ$2,617

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-36.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 NZ$2,031

$1,227 MX$22.7K

-6.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,200 NZ$3,890

$1,977 MX$36.5K

11.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,425 NZ$4,288

$975 MX$18.0K

148.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

11.3

-37.43%

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

Last update for Dunedin: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$749 41.7%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 11.2% $84

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$321 17.9%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 0.6% $1.8

Eating Out

Dunedin

$246 13.7%

Mexico City

$203 13% 17.3% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$192 10.7%

Mexico City

$126 8% 34.4% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$143 8%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 8% $12

Getting Around

Dunedin

$76 * 4.2%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 66% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$68 3.8%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 2.9% $2

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $873 in Dunedin and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dunedin pays 149% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62.0 in Dunedin vs $50.0 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $321 vs $323, with Dunedin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

12:42 12:42 PM

17:42 5:42 PM

19 h behind Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dunedin Mexico City 11,570 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Dunedin
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

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

Dunedin and Mexico City differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($1,794 vs $1,567 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 149% higher in Dunedin, 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: $873 in Dunedin versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 233% less than in Dunedin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $570 in Dunedin versus $431 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $1,794 in Dunedin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Dunedin. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Dunedin and Mexico City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Dunedin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.