Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Ashburton

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,040 in Ashburton, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Ashburton
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Ashburton Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Ashburton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,040

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $2,040 in Ashburton, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Ashburton $2,040

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $2,892 in Ashburton, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Ashburton $2,892

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $3,745 in Ashburton, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Ashburton $3,745

Mexico City is about 21% cheaper than Ashburton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Mexico City and Ashburton sit above the global median – Mexico City by 18%, Ashburton by 50%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$14.48 NZ$25.74

-26.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$69.9 NZ$124

-30.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$9.28 NZ$16.49

11.53%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$3.30 NZ$5.86

11.82%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$2.27 NZ$4.03

-26.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$1.87 NZ$3.33

-32.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$6.74 NZ$11.99

-52.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$6.98 NZ$12.41

-23.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.67 NZ$2.97

2.99%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.80 NZ$3.19

68.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.41 NZ$2.51

37.59%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$6.04 NZ$10.73

-52.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$7.28 NZ$12.94

50.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$9.47 NZ$16.83

-2.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$13.47 NZ$23.95

12.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$2.48 NZ$4.41

22.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$2.02 NZ$3.58

-3.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$2.74 NZ$4.86

-25.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$3.07 NZ$5.45

-24.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$1.52 NZ$2.70

34.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$1.40 NZ$2.48

28.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$2.28 NZ$4.05

-35.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$1.28 NZ$2.28

-0.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$24.04 NZ$42.73

-77.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$8.35 NZ$14.85

92.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$3.50 NZ$6.22

-43.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$4.44 NZ$7.90

-4.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$1.76 NZ$3.13

-82.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$90.7 NZ$161

-78.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$2.49 NZ$4.43

-26.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$1.68 NZ$2.98

-68.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$28.87 NZ$51.3

-81.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$1.93 NZ$3.43

-21.76%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$28.0K NZ$49.8K

-22.35%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$23.3K NZ$41.4K

2.91%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$157 NZ$280

-59.96%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$23.27 NZ$41.36

17.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$44.99 NZ$80.0

-20.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$39.50 NZ$70.2

49.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$11.67 NZ$20.75

-45.16%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$676 NZ$1,202

-36.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$21.7K NZ$38.5K

-47.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$59.7 NZ$106

14.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$40.20 NZ$71.5

32.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$102 NZ$181

5.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$124 NZ$221

-5.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$924 NZ$1,642

20.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$949 NZ$1,687

-25.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$1,883 NZ$3,347

37.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$1,288 NZ$2,290

9.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$5,025 NZ$8,933

-27.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$3,445 NZ$6,123

-38.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

5.91

92.05%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ashburton: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Ashburton

$949 46.5% 33.6% $239

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Ashburton

$300 14.7% 6.2% $20

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Ashburton

$248 12.1% 24.6% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Ashburton

$147 7.2% 6% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Ashburton

$226 11.1% 79% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Ashburton

$63 3.1% 12.4% $8.9

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Ashburton

$109 5.3% 327% $83

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $924 in Ashburton. 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 $48 in Mexico City versus $70 in Ashburton. Groceries tell a different story – $320 in Mexico City vs $300 in Ashburton – so Ashburton wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇳🇿 Ashburton

🕒 Local time

03:06 3:06 AM

22:06 10:06 PM

19 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

20,500

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Ashburton 11,420 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Ashburton

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 Ashburton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City, $2,040 in Ashburton – Mexico City comes out roughly 21% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $3,060 in Ashburton. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ashburton, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $924 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Ashburton – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City and $70 in Ashburton. 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 $1,608 in Mexico City and $2,040 in Ashburton, 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 $2,040 in Ashburton. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.