Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Apia

For one person, living is cheaper in Apia: $853 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Apia

🇼🇸 Samoa

$853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Apia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $853 in Apia.

Mexico City $1,608
Apia $853

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,282 in Apia.

Mexico City $2,549
Apia $2,282

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $3,711 in Apia.

Mexico City $3,490
Apia $3,711

Living in Mexico City is roughly 89% more expensive than in Apia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Apia is 37% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$47.10 WST 130

-77.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$36.32 WST 100

33.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$14.46 WST 39.98

-28.42%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$2.87 WST 7.92

28.57%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$1.77 WST 4.89

-5.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$1.33 WST 3.67

-4.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$3.43 WST 9.49

-7.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$3.60 WST 9.95

47.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.84 WST 5.08

-6.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$0.83 WST 2.31

266.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.80 WST 4.99

7.78%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$4.39 WST 12.15

-34.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$0.94 WST 2.60

1067.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$3.65 WST 10.11

153.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$8.34 WST 23.06

81.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$4.99 WST 13.79

-38.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.85 WST 5.13

4.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$1.84 WST 5.10

10.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$4.48 WST 12.38

-48.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$3.54 WST 9.79

-42.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$1.10 WST 3.04

63.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$1.21 WST 3.35

4.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$6.36 WST 17.58

-16.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$16.29 WST 45.04

-1.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$1.84 WST 5.08

7.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$3.68 WST 10.18

15.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$3.70 WST 10.24

-91.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$5.50 WST 15.20

-66.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$5.55 WST 15.36

-90.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$21.64 WST 59.8

-75.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.08 WST 2.98

39.81%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$18.50 WST 51.2

240.43%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$18.38 WST 50.8

49.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$36.62 WST 101

-2.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

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

$432 MX$8,045

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$1,738 WST 4,805

-19.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Apia: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Apia

–

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Apia

–

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Apia

–

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Apia

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Apia

–

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Apia

–

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Apia

–

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $36 in Apia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $240 per month, with Apia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇼🇸 Apia

🕒 Local time

12:49 12:49 PM

07:49 7:49 AM

19 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

36,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Samoan Tala WST T

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 WST = 0.362 USD

1 WST = 0.325 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

WST, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

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).

Samoan Tala exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2.77 WST (1 WST = 0.362 USD). 1 EUR = 3.08 WST (1 WST = 0.325 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Apia 8,760 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Apia

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 Apia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Apia wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Apia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $1,279 in Apia 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.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $853 in Apia – a 89% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Apia is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.