Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Masterton and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Masterton: $841 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Masterton
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Masterton Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Masterton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$841

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $841 in Masterton versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Masterton $841
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,446 in Masterton versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Masterton $1,446
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,051 in Masterton versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Masterton $2,051
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Masterton costs roughly 48% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Masterton is 38% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.26 NZ$16.44

$10.62 MX$199

-12.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.0 NZ$115

$48.35 MX$908

34.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.77 NZ$15.58

$10.35 MX$194

-15.27%

Cappuccino

$3.35 NZ$5.95

$3.69 MX$69.3

-9.21%

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

$1.95 NZ$3.46

$1.67 MX$31.29

16.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 NZ$1.97

$1.27 MX$23.76

-12.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.96 NZ$7.04

$3.19 MX$59.9

24.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 NZ$6.04

$5.31 MX$99.6

-35.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 NZ$2.59

$1.72 MX$32.38

-15.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 NZ$3.77

$3.04 MX$57.1

-29.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 NZ$1.95

$1.94 MX$36.44

-43.30%

Eggs

$6.49 NZ$11.51

$2.89 MX$54.2

124.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.59 NZ$15.25

$10.97 MX$206

-21.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.94 NZ$17.65

$9.25 MX$174

7.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.03 NZ$26.69

$15.13 MX$284

-0.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 NZ$3.93

$3.05 MX$57.2

-27.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 NZ$3.21

$1.94 MX$36.45

-6.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.04 NZ$5.40

$2.03 MX$38.02

49.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 NZ$7.95

$2.31 MX$43.46

93.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 NZ$2.69

$2.04 MX$38.21

-25.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 NZ$1.94

$1.80 MX$33.79

-39.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 NZ$3.04

$1.48 MX$27.77

15.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 NZ$0.93

$1.27 MX$23.80

-59.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.90 NZ$35.33

$5.30 MX$99.6

275.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 NZ$20.39

$16.10 MX$302

-28.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 NZ$1.56

$1.98 MX$37.23

-55.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 NZ$2.17

$4.25 MX$79.8

-71.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 NZ$3.97

$0.31 MX$5.73

619.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.89 NZ$3.36

$1.84 MX$34.50

2.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 NZ$3.20

$0.53 MX$10.02

239.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.98 NZ$60.3

$5.30 MX$99.4

541.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 NZ$3.08

$1.51 MX$28.36

14.57%

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

$22.9K NZ$40.6K

$21.8K MX$408.4K

5.11%

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

$23.9K NZ$42.4K

$24.0K MX$450.3K

-0.46%

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

$56.0 NZ$99.5

$63.0 MX$1,182

-11.04%

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

$29.91 NZ$53.1

$27.39 MX$514

9.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.4 NZ$94.8

$35.67 MX$670

49.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 NZ$75.2

$58.9 MX$1,107

-28.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.22 NZ$14.59

$23.64 MX$444

-65.23%

Cinema Ticket

$9.47 NZ$16.81

$6.40 MX$120

47.97%

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

$1,038 NZ$1,844

$432 MX$8,103

140.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

$11.4K MX$214.5K

16.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 NZ$101

$68.2 MX$1,281

-16.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.47 NZ$50.6

$53.1 MX$997

-46.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 NZ$186

$108 MX$2,023

-2.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 NZ$250

$117 MX$2,202

20.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,019 NZ$1,809

$2,588 MX$48.6K

-60.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,339 NZ$4,152

$946 MX$17.8K

147.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

11.35

-52.51%

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

Last update for Masterton: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Masterton

$293 34.8%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 9.1% $27

Eating Out

Masterton

$179 21.3%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 10.7% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Masterton

$149 17.7%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 4.8% $7.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Masterton

$139 16.6%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 9.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Masterton

$61 7.3%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 17% $10

Getting Around

Masterton

$20 * 2.4%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 28.3% $5.6

Accommodation & Living

Masterton

- * 0%

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Masterton pays about 2.5 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $65 in Masterton vs $48 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $293 vs $320, with Masterton cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Masterton

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

14:28 2:28 PM

19:28 7:28 PM

19 h behind Masterton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,800

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Masterton Mexico City 11,020 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Masterton
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

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

Masterton is about 48% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Masterton is about 2.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $841 per month in Masterton versus $1,608 in Mexico City – Masterton is about 48% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $841 in Masterton versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Masterton but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Masterton the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.