Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Avarua

For one person, living costs are similar in Mexico City and in Avarua: $1,608 and $1,638 a month, rent and utilities included.

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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

Avarua

🇨🇰 Cook Islands

$1,638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $1,638 in Avarua, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Avarua $1,638

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,652 in Avarua, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Avarua $1,652

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $1,666 in Avarua, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Avarua $1,666

Mexico City is about 2% cheaper than Avarua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mexico City and Avarua sit above the global median – Mexico City by 18%, Avarua by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$11.47 NZ$20.45

-7.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$57.6 NZ$103

-16.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$8.47 NZ$15.09

22.20%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$3.16 NZ$5.64

16.77%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$2.24 NZ$3.99

-25.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$2.30 NZ$4.10

-44.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$5.61 NZ$10.00

-43.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$4.20 NZ$7.48

26.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.66 NZ$2.96

3.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$3.33 NZ$5.93

-8.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.68 NZ$2.99

15.48%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$4.76 NZ$8.49

-39.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$11.58 NZ$20.64

-5.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$7.88 NZ$14.05

17.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$10.39 NZ$18.52

45.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.81 NZ$5.01

8.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.68 NZ$3.00

15.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$3.50 NZ$6.24

-42.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$9.14 NZ$16.28

-74.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$2.82 NZ$5.02

-27.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$2.21 NZ$3.93

-18.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$2.23 NZ$3.98

-33.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$2.91 NZ$5.19

-56.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$14.24 NZ$25.38

13.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$4.18 NZ$7.45

1.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$2.82 NZ$5.03

-89.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$2.19 NZ$3.90

-31.05%

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

$112 NZ$199

-43.70%

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

$27.39 MX$511

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

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

$968 NZ$1,725

15.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$947 NZ$1,687

-24.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$115 NZ$205

2153.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$944 NZ$1,683

126.13%

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 Avarua: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Avarua

–

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Avarua

–

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Avarua

–

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Avarua

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Avarua

–

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Avarua

–

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Avarua

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $968 in Avarua. 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 $58 in Avarua. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $358 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇰 Avarua

🕒 Local time

08:24 8:24 AM

04:24 4:24 AM

4 h behind Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

5,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 NZD = 0.561 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 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 Avarua 7,990 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Avarua

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 Avarua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Avarua costs about 2% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $2,457 in Avarua. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Avarua, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $968 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,638 in Avarua. That’s a gap of about 2%.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Avarua, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,638 in Avarua, 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 $1,638 in Avarua. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.