Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hillcrest and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Hillcrest: $1,081 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Hillcrest
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Hillcrest Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Hillcrest

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,081

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,081 per month in Hillcrest vs $1,674 in Mexico City, rent included.

Hillcrest $1,081
Mexico City $1,674

A couple spends around $1,686 per month in Hillcrest vs $2,606 in Mexico City, rent included.

Hillcrest $1,686
Mexico City $2,606

A family of three spends $2,292 per month in Hillcrest vs $3,537 in Mexico City, rent included.

Hillcrest $2,292
Mexico City $3,537

Hillcrest is about 35% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hillcrest sits 20% below the global median, while Mexico City is 24% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.87 R 131

$10.59 MX$199

-25.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.34 R 636

$52.0 MX$978

-26.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.01 R 99.7

$10.73 MX$202

-43.99%

Cappuccino

$2.71 R 45.03

$3.80 MX$71.4

-28.68%

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

$1.14 R 18.91

$1.61 MX$30.35

-29.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 14.88

$1.21 MX$22.81

-25.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.68

$3.18 MX$59.8

-22.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 R 41.51

$5.44 MX$102

-54.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.50

$1.72 MX$32.32

-31.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 R 16.31

$2.97 MX$55.8

-67.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.86

$1.93 MX$36.24

-22.28%

Eggs

$2.32 R 38.53

$2.77 MX$52.2

-16.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.19 R 136

$11.67 MX$220

-29.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.05 R 83.7

$9.48 MX$178

-46.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.27 R 121

$15.37 MX$289

-52.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 R 21.46

$3.10 MX$58.4

-58.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.95

$1.96 MX$36.90

-1.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.29

$1.98 MX$37.30

-1.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.75

$2.34 MX$43.95

-26.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.26

$2.02 MX$38.08

-27.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 R 23.94

$1.82 MX$34.34

-20.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 R 19.99

$1.54 MX$29.06

-21.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.92

$1.31 MX$24.70

-12.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.5

$5.35 MX$101

-30.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.80 R 79.6

$16.19 MX$305

-70.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R 23.36

$1.96 MX$36.87

-28.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 R 32.55

$4.35 MX$81.9

-54.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 R 25.47

$0.30 MX$5.74

413.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 R 7.22

$1.92 MX$36.08

-77.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 R 11.74

$0.47 MX$8.90

51.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.70 R 128

$5.41 MX$102

42.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 R 24.11

$1.48 MX$27.92

-2.03%

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

$35.2K R 584.1K

$21.4K MX$402.2K

64.74%

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

$33.1K R 548.4K

$23.8K MX$447.1K

39.14%

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

$153 R 2,539

$62.0 MX$1,167

146.86%

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

$35.61 R 591

$28.47 MX$536

25.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.04 R 648

$34.11 MX$642

14.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.00 R 547

$58.4 MX$1,099

-43.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.55 R 225

$24.50 MX$461

-44.69%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 R 121

$6.59 MX$124

10.62%

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

$310 R 5,149

$434 MX$8,172

-28.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,429 R 123.3K

$14.0K MX$264.1K

-47.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.6 R 856

$68.4 MX$1,286

-24.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.96 R 464

$54.8 MX$1,031

-48.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.0 R 1,608

$111 MX$2,086

-12.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.2 R 1,313

$116 MX$2,183

-31.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 R 6,248

$1,179 MX$22.2K

-68.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$353 R 5,850

$771 MX$14.5K

-54.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 R 10.6K

$2,570 MX$48.4K

-75.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$732 R 12.1K

$1,420 MX$26.7K

-48.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$764 R 12.7K

$3,586 MX$67.5K

-78.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$575 R 9,536

$2,064 MX$38.8K

-72.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

11.35

3.79%

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

Last update for Hillcrest: November 1, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hillcrest

$353 32.6%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 119% $418

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hillcrest

$228 21.1%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 45.3% $103

Groceries & Markets

Hillcrest

$189 17.5%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 70.9% $134

Eating Out

Hillcrest

$139 12.9%

Mexico City

$201 12% 44.3% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Hillcrest

$115 10.6%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 36.9% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Hillcrest

$48 4.4%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 50.4% $24

Getting Around

Hillcrest

$10 * 0.9%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 147% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $377 in Hillcrest 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Hillcrest versus $52 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $189 vs $324 – making Hillcrest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Hillcrest

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

05:29 5:29 AM

8 h behind Hillcrest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hillcrest Mexico City 14,860 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Hillcrest
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,081 in Hillcrest, $1,674 in Mexico City – Hillcrest comes out roughly 35% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,622 per month in Hillcrest 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 Hillcrest, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $377 there versus $1,179 in Mexico City.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Hillcrest and $52 in Mexico City. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 71% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,081 in Hillcrest and $1,674 in Mexico City, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Hillcrest costs $1,081 versus $1,674 in Mexico City. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.