Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Forster and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,674 a month against $2,595 in Forster, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Forster
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Forster Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Forster

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,595

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,595 in Forster versus $1,674 in Mexico City.

Forster $2,595
Mexico City $1,674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,737 in Forster versus $2,606 in Mexico City.

Forster $3,737
Mexico City $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,879 in Forster versus $3,537 in Mexico City.

Forster $4,879
Mexico City $3,537

Living in Forster is roughly 55% 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: Forster 92% above, Mexico City 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 A$25.36

$10.59 MX$199

66.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.1 A$133

$52.0 MX$976

77.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 A$15.38

$10.73 MX$201

-0.65%

Cappuccino

$3.90 A$5.63

$3.80 MX$71.3

2.63%

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

$2.82 A$4.07

$1.61 MX$30.28

75.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.21

$1.21 MX$22.76

83.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.87 A$9.91

$3.18 MX$59.7

116.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 A$7.86

$5.44 MX$102

0.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 A$2.37

$1.72 MX$32.26

-4.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 A$4.20

$2.97 MX$55.7

-2.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.43

$1.93 MX$36.17

23.32%

Eggs

$5.62 A$8.11

$2.77 MX$52.1

102.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.01 A$17.32

$11.67 MX$219

2.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.38 A$13.54

$9.48 MX$178

-1.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.88 A$24.35

$15.37 MX$289

9.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.63

$3.10 MX$58.3

25.81%

Banana (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.48

$1.96 MX$36.82

58.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.40 A$4.91

$1.98 MX$37.22

71.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.22 A$6.09

$2.34 MX$43.86

80.34%

Potato (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.68

$2.02 MX$38.00

60.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 A$3.58

$1.82 MX$34.26

36.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 A$3.43

$1.54 MX$29.00

54.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.75

$1.31 MX$24.64

-7.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.92 A$64.8

$5.35 MX$100

739.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.05 A$20.27

$16.19 MX$304

-13.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.96 A$5.72

$1.96 MX$36.79

102.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 A$5.88

$4.35 MX$81.7

-6.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.83 A$4.08

$0.30 MX$5.72

843.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.7 A$122

$19.49 MX$366

334.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.50 A$5.04

$1.92 MX$36.01

82.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 A$2.37

$0.47 MX$8.88

251.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.37 A$58.2

$5.41 MX$102

646.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 A$2.17

$1.48 MX$27.86

2.03%

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

$30.0K A$43.2K

$21.4K MX$401.4K

40.25%

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

$27.9K A$40.2K

$23.8K MX$446.1K

17.44%

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

$252 A$364

$62.0 MX$1,164

307.19%

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

$27.69 A$39.94

$28.47 MX$535

-2.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.6 A$81.6

$34.11 MX$641

65.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 A$82.2

$58.4 MX$1,097

-2.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.43 A$25.14

$24.50 MX$460

-28.86%

Cinema Ticket

$17.45 A$25.17

$6.59 MX$124

164.80%

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

$2,354 A$3,395

$434 MX$8,155

442.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K A$40.2K

$14.0K MX$263.6K

98.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.3 A$116

$68.4 MX$1,284

17.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.4 A$103

$54.8 MX$1,029

30.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 A$164

$111 MX$2,082

2.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$116 MX$2,178

12.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 A$2,006

$1,179 MX$22.1K

17.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 A$1,756

$771 MX$14.5K

57.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,287 A$3,299

$2,570 MX$48.3K

-11.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,794 A$2,588

$1,420 MX$26.7K

26.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,826 A$8,405

$3,586 MX$67.3K

62.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,884 A$7,044

$2,064 MX$38.8K

136.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

11.35

-47.84%

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

Last update for Forster: 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

Forster

$1.2K 46.9%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 36.7% $446

Groceries & Markets

Forster

$379 14.6%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 14.6% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Forster

$337 13%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 63% $212

Eating Out

Forster

$285 11%

Mexico City

$201 12% 29.6% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Forster

$178 6.9%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 11.4% $20

Getting Around

Forster

$108 4.2%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 76.8% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Forster

$92 3.5%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 22.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,391 in Forster and $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $92 in Forster vs $52 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $324 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Forster

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

17:54 5:54 PM

00:54 12:54 AM

17 h behind Forster

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,554

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.693 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.693 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.08 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Forster Mexico City 12,830 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Forster
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,595 in Forster and $1,674 in Mexico City, so Mexico City is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,893 in Forster and $2,510 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: $1,391 in Forster versus $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,354 in Forster versus $434 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Forster. 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 36% less than in Forster. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.