Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Forbes and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,543 in Forbes, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Forbes
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Forbes Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Forbes

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,543

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,543 in Forbes versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Forbes $2,543
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,751 in Forbes versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Forbes $3,751
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,958 in Forbes versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Forbes $4,958
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Forbes is roughly 58% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Forbes 87% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.91 A$22.54

$10.62 MX$198

49.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.9 A$134

$48.35 MX$901

96.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.31 A$16.02

$10.35 MX$193

9.28%

Cappuccino

$3.52 A$4.99

$3.69 MX$68.7

-4.61%

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

$2.99 A$4.23

$1.67 MX$31.05

79.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 A$3.36

$1.27 MX$23.58

86.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.98 A$9.89

$3.19 MX$59.5

118.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.40 A$10.49

$5.31 MX$98.9

39.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 A$2.40

$1.72 MX$32.13

-1.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 A$3.43

$3.04 MX$56.6

-20.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 A$3.03

$1.94 MX$36.17

10.31%

Eggs

$5.00 A$7.08

$2.89 MX$53.8

73.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.16 A$14.40

$10.97 MX$204

-7.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 A$13.49

$9.25 MX$172

2.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.72 A$19.43

$15.13 MX$282

-9.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.78 A$5.35

$3.05 MX$56.8

23.93%

Banana (1kg)

$3.01 A$4.26

$1.94 MX$36.17

55.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 A$5.04

$2.03 MX$37.73

74.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 A$6.97

$2.31 MX$43.12

112.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 A$3.54

$2.04 MX$37.91

22.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.62

$1.80 MX$33.53

41.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 A$3.23

$1.48 MX$27.56

54.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 A$2.06

$1.27 MX$23.62

14.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$46.43 A$65.8

$5.30 MX$98.8

776.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.36 A$17.51

$16.10 MX$300

-23.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.75 A$6.73

$1.98 MX$36.95

139.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.80 A$8.21

$4.25 MX$79.2

36.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 A$3.76

$0.31 MX$5.68

758.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.5 A$111

$19.73 MX$368

297.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.70 A$5.25

$1.84 MX$34.23

101.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 A$2.44

$0.53 MX$9.94

224.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.70 A$64.7

$5.30 MX$98.7

762.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 A$1.78

$1.51 MX$28.14

-17.22%

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

$33.8K A$47.9K

$21.8K MX$405.3K

55.47%

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

$28.1K A$39.9K

$24.0K MX$446.9K

17.35%

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

$195 A$276

$63.0 MX$1,173

209.46%

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

$23.66 A$33.52

$27.39 MX$510

-13.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.4 A$75.6

$35.67 MX$664

49.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.1 A$83.7

$58.9 MX$1,098

0.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.72 A$27.93

$23.64 MX$441

-16.58%

Cinema Ticket

$12.05 A$17.07

$6.40 MX$119

88.28%

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

$2,301 A$3,259

$432 MX$8,041

433.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K A$30.2K

$11.4K MX$212.8K

86.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 A$114

$68.2 MX$1,271

18.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 A$80.4

$53.1 MX$990

6.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 A$165

$108 MX$2,008

8.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 A$175

$117 MX$2,185

5.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,558 A$2,207

$1,113 MX$20.7K

39.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 A$1,810

$710 MX$13.2K

79.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,463 A$3,488

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-4.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,041 A$2,892

$1,406 MX$26.2K

45.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,228 A$7,405

$3,631 MX$67.6K

43.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,146 A$7,290

$2,135 MX$39.8K

141.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

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 Forbes: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Forbes

$1.3K 50.3%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 44.4% $567

Groceries & Markets

Forbes

$364 14.3%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 12.2% $44

Eating Out

Forbes

$275 10.8%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 27.7% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Forbes

$272 10.7%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 53.7% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Forbes

$170 6.7%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 8.3% $14

Getting Around

Forbes

$101 4%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 74.9% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Forbes

$83 3.3%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 13.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,558 in Forbes and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $95 in Forbes vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $364 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Forbes

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

16:26 4:26 PM

23:26 11:26 PM

17 h behind Forbes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,481

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.706 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.634 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Forbes Mexico City 13,270 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,543 in Forbes and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Mexico City is about 37% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,814 in Forbes and $2,412 in Mexico City to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,558 in Forbes versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,543 per month in Forbes versus $1,608 in Mexico City – Mexico City is about 37% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 75% less than in Forbes. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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 37% less than in Forbes. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.