Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between East London and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in East London: $978 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in East London
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East London Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

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East London

🇿🇦 South Africa

$978

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $978 per month in East London vs $1,674 in Mexico City, rent included.

East London $978
Mexico City $1,674

A couple spends around $1,499 per month in East London vs $2,606 in Mexico City, rent included.

East London $1,499
Mexico City $2,606

A family of three spends $2,020 per month in East London vs $3,537 in Mexico City, rent included.

East London $2,020
Mexico City $3,537

East London is about 42% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

East London sits 28% below the global median, while Mexico City is 24% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.97 R 133

$10.59 MX$197

-24.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.73 R 562

$52.0 MX$967

-35.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 R 84.8

$10.73 MX$200

-52.56%

Cappuccino

$2.05 R 34.11

$3.80 MX$70.6

-46.05%

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

$1.01 R 16.76

$1.61 MX$30.01

-37.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R 12.08

$1.21 MX$22.55

-40.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 R 44.16

$3.18 MX$59.1

-16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 R 51.8

$5.44 MX$101

-42.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 R 18.63

$1.72 MX$31.96

-34.88%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 R 15.15

$2.97 MX$55.2

-69.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.27

$1.93 MX$35.84

-24.35%

Eggs

$2.35 R 39.11

$2.77 MX$51.6

-15.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.42 R 140

$11.67 MX$217

-27.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.20 R 86.7

$9.48 MX$176

-45.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.93 R 132

$15.37 MX$286

-48.41%

Apples (1kg)

$1.74 R 29.04

$3.10 MX$57.8

-43.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.27

$1.96 MX$36.49

-22.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 R 26.96

$1.98 MX$36.88

-18.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 R 26.23

$2.34 MX$43.46

-32.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 R 28.09

$2.02 MX$37.66

-16.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 R 23.73

$1.82 MX$33.95

-21.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.55

$1.54 MX$28.74

-20.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 R 16.87

$1.31 MX$24.42

-22.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 R 49.19

$5.35 MX$99.6

-44.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.88 R 81.4

$16.19 MX$301

-69.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 R 17.45

$1.96 MX$36.46

-46.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 R 16.14

$4.35 MX$81.0

-77.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 R 19.69

$1.92 MX$35.68

-38.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 R 8.26

$0.47 MX$8.80

6.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.61 R 143

$5.41 MX$101

59.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 R 24.33

$1.48 MX$27.61

-1.35%

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

$35.3K R 588.2K

$21.4K MX$397.7K

65.17%

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

$29.4K R 489.3K

$23.8K MX$442.1K

23.61%

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

$123 R 2,054

$62.0 MX$1,154

98.84%

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

$30.34 R 506

$28.47 MX$530

6.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.33 R 755

$34.11 MX$635

32.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.33 R 655

$58.4 MX$1,087

-32.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

Cinema Ticket

$5.04 R 84.0

$6.59 MX$123

-23.52%

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

$175 R 2,914

$434 MX$8,081

-59.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,508 R 91.8K

$14.0K MX$261.2K

-60.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 R 935

$68.4 MX$1,272

-17.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.59 R 543

$54.8 MX$1,020

-40.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.5 R 1,225

$111 MX$2,063

-33.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.8 R 1,580

$116 MX$2,158

-18.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$238 R 3,960

$1,179 MX$21.9K

-79.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$296 R 4,924

$771 MX$14.3K

-61.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$603 R 10.1K

$2,570 MX$47.8K

-76.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$566 R 9,430

$1,420 MX$26.4K

-60.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$481 R 8,009

$3,586 MX$66.7K

-86.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$833 R 13.9K

$2,064 MX$38.4K

-59.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,442 R 24.0K

$1,003 MX$18.7K

43.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.33

11.35

-0.18%

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

Last update for East London: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

East London

$295 30.2%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 161% $475

Monthly Utilities & Internet

East London

$199 20.4%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 37.4% $74

Groceries & Markets

East London

$185 18.9%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 75.2% $139

Eating Out

East London

$130 13.3%

Mexico City

$201 12% 54.3% $71

Clothing & Footwear

East London

$116 11.8%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 36.2% $42

Sport & Entertainment

East London

$49 5.1%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 44.8% $22

Getting Around

East London

$3.7 * 0.4%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 583% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $238 in East London versus $1,179 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 44% higher in East London, 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 $34 in East London versus $52 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $185 vs $324 – making East London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 East London

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

22:16 10:16 PM

14:16 2:16 PM

8 h behind East London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

267,007

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

East London Mexico City 14,580 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

East London
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

East London vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $978 in East London, $1,674 in Mexico City – East London comes out roughly 42% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,467 per month in East London and $2,510 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in East London, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $238 there versus $1,179 in Mexico City.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $978 in East London and $1,674 in Mexico City. That makes East London about 42% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $175 per month in East London and $434 in Mexico City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in East London, where all-in costs run around $978, than in Mexico City at $1,674. In East London it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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