Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hastings, New Zealand and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,776 in Hastings, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Hastings
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Hastings Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Hastings

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,776

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,776 per month in Hastings vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

Hastings $1,776
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Hastings vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

Hastings $2,606
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $3,436 per month in Hastings vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

Hastings $3,436
Mexico City $3,490

Hastings costs about 10% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Hastings and Mexico City sit above the global median – Hastings by 31%, Mexico City by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.55 NZ$20.58

$10.62 MX$198

8.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.3 NZ$100

$48.35 MX$901

16.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.33 NZ$16.63

$10.35 MX$193

-9.86%

Cappuccino

$3.29 NZ$5.86

$3.69 MX$68.8

-10.84%

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

$1.82 NZ$3.24

$1.67 MX$31.07

8.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 NZ$2.49

$1.27 MX$23.59

10.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 NZ$7.89

$3.19 MX$59.5

38.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 NZ$10.06

$5.31 MX$98.9

6.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 NZ$2.64

$1.72 MX$32.15

-13.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 NZ$2.21

$3.04 MX$56.7

-59.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 NZ$3.16

$1.94 MX$36.19

-8.76%

Eggs

$5.38 NZ$9.59

$2.89 MX$53.8

86.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.72 NZ$10.20

$10.97 MX$205

-47.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.48 NZ$13.33

$9.25 MX$172

-19.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 NZ$20.89

$15.13 MX$282

-22.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 NZ$4.64

$3.05 MX$56.8

-14.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 NZ$3.59

$1.94 MX$36.19

3.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 NZ$5.55

$2.03 MX$37.75

53.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 NZ$5.96

$2.31 MX$43.15

44.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 NZ$3.19

$2.04 MX$37.94

-12.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 NZ$1.83

$1.80 MX$33.55

-42.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 NZ$2.53

$1.48 MX$27.58

-4.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 NZ$1.73

$1.27 MX$23.63

-23.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.86 NZ$31.82

$5.30 MX$98.9

236.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.50 NZ$16.92

$16.10 MX$300

-40.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.86 NZ$6.88

$1.98 MX$36.97

94.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 NZ$5.38

$4.25 MX$79.3

-28.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 NZ$5.03

$0.31 MX$5.69

809.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 NZ$185

$19.73 MX$368

426.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.75 NZ$6.69

$1.84 MX$34.25

103.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.81 NZ$5.01

$0.53 MX$9.94

430.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.06 NZ$58.9

$5.30 MX$98.7

523.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 NZ$2.78

$1.51 MX$28.16

3.31%

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

$28.0K NZ$49.9K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

28.77%

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

$22.8K NZ$40.6K

$24.0K MX$447.1K

-4.97%

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

$193 NZ$343

$63.0 MX$1,174

205.84%

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

$36.75 NZ$65.5

$27.39 MX$511

34.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.5 NZ$104

$35.67 MX$665

64.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.61 NZ$49.20

$58.9 MX$1,099

-53.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$10.35 NZ$18.45

$6.40 MX$119

61.72%

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

$684 NZ$1,219

$432 MX$8,045

58.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K NZ$41.0K

$11.4K MX$212.9K

101.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.65 NZ$84.9

$68.2 MX$1,272

-30.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.98 NZ$67.7

$53.1 MX$990

-28.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.1 NZ$168

$108 MX$2,009

-12.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 NZ$160

$117 MX$2,186

-23.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 NZ$1,472

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-25.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 NZ$1,267

$710 MX$13.2K

0.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 NZ$2,792

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-39.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,165 NZ$2,076

$1,406 MX$26.2K

-17.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,213 NZ$7,508

$3,631 MX$67.7K

16.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,293 NZ$5,869

$2,135 MX$39.8K

54.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,586 NZ$2,827

$946 MX$17.6K

67.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.83

11.35

-39.82%

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

Last update for Hastings: October 24, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hastings

$711 40%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 0% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hastings

$288 16.2%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 56.2% $162

Groceries & Markets

Hastings

$269 15.1%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 18.8% $51

Eating Out

Hastings

$206 11.6%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 3.6% $7.4

Getting Around

Hastings

$133 7.5%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 80.8% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Hastings

$121 6.8%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 28.4% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Hastings

$48 2.7%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 48.5% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $826 in Hastings versus $1,113 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 68% higher in Hastings. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Hastings versus $48 in Mexico City. Groceries tell a different story – $269 in Hastings vs $320 in Mexico City – so Hastings wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Hastings

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

01:02 1:02 AM

06:02 6:02 AM

19 h behind Hastings

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,100

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hastings Mexico City 10,880 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Hastings
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

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

Hastings costs about 10% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,664 per month in Hastings and $2,412 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hastings, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $826 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Hastings – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Hastings and $48 in Mexico City. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,776 in Hastings and $1,608 in Mexico City, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,608 in Mexico City to $1,776 in Hastings. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hastings makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.