Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Adelaide

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,640 in Adelaide, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Adelaide
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Adelaide Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Adelaide

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,640

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Adelaide

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mexico City and in Adelaide actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,640 in Adelaide.

Mexico City $1,548
Adelaide $2,640

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $3,759 in Adelaide.

Mexico City $2,436
Adelaide $3,759

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $4,878 in Adelaide.

Mexico City $3,323
Adelaide $4,878

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 41% less than in Adelaide, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 14% above, Adelaide 95% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$17.10 A$24.61

-35.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$80.5 A$116

-39.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$11.64 A$16.75

-6.36%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$4.05 A$5.83

-9.14%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$2.78 A$4.00

-41.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$2.55 A$3.68

-50.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$7.79 A$11.20

-58.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$8.26 A$11.89

-33.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.98 A$2.85

-14.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.78 A$4.00

8.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$2.24 A$3.23

-14.29%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$5.69 A$8.19

-52.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$11.77 A$16.94

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$9.20 A$13.24

3.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$18.97 A$27.29

-24.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$3.94 A$5.67

-23.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$3.03 A$4.36

-37.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$3.63 A$5.22

-45.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$5.06 A$7.28

-56.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$3.20 A$4.60

-40.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$2.47 A$3.56

-24.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$2.49 A$3.58

-42.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$2.31 A$3.33

-45.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$45.26 A$65.1

-88.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$13.93 A$20.05

16.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$5.52 A$7.94

-65.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$5.91 A$8.51

-28.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$3.20 A$4.61

-89.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$83.6 A$120

-76.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$3.53 A$5.07

-43.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.98 A$2.85

-73.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$31.11 A$44.77

-82.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.41 A$2.03

7.80%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$29.3K A$42.2K

-24.73%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$25.7K A$36.9K

-4.54%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$192 A$276

-68.18%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$25.71 A$36.99

11.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$56.7 A$81.6

-39.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$63.0 A$90.6

-10.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$14.06 A$20.24

76.96%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$17.14 A$24.67

-61.14%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$2,072 A$2,982

-79.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$14.3K A$20.5K

-18.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$70.3 A$101

-3.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$54.9 A$78.9

-5.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$115 A$165

-7.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$135 A$195

-16.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$1,713 A$2,466

-40.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$1,278 A$1,839

-48.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$2,431 A$3,498

-5.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$1,833 A$2,637

-32.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$10.1K A$14.5K

-64.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$6,880 A$9,901

-71.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$3,830 A$5,511

-74.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

5.92

90.88%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Adelaide: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Adelaide

$1.3K 48.4% 95.4% $624

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Adelaide

$415 15.7% 30.4% $97

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Adelaide

$297 11.3% 45.8% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Adelaide

$169 6.4% 10.8% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Adelaide

$274 10.4% 121% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Adelaide

$97 3.7% 39.5% $28

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Adelaide

$110 4.2% 329% $84

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $1,713 in Adelaide. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Adelaide pays 297% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $81.0 in Adelaide for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $415 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇦🇺 Adelaide

🕒 Local time

22:19 10:19 PM

14:49 2:49 PM

16 h 30 min ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,245,011

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Adelaide 14,130 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Adelaide

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

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

Mexico City and Adelaide differ by about 71% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $2,640 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 297% lower in Adelaide. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $1,713 in Adelaide. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $2,072 in Adelaide. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Adelaide. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,640 in Adelaide, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Adelaide. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City 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.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Adelaide are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in Adelaide. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.