Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Bellville

For one person, living is cheaper in Bellville: $1,153 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Bellville
Learn more

Bellville Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Bellville

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,153

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,153 in Bellville.

Mexico City $1,608
Bellville $1,153

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,785 in Bellville.

Mexico City $2,549
Bellville $1,785

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,418 in Bellville.

Mexico City $3,490
Bellville $2,418

Living in Mexico City is roughly 39% more expensive than in Bellville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Bellville is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$12.25 R 204

-13.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$24.27 R 404

99.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$6.08 R 101

70.23%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$1.96 R 32.66

88.27%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$1.36 R 22.63

22.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$1.03 R 17.13

23.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$2.23 R 37.10

43.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$3.67 R 61.2

44.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.37 R 22.75

25.55%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$1.26 R 21.00

141.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$2.21 R 36.75

-12.22%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$3.11 R 51.9

-7.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$9.11 R 152

20.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$6.96 R 116

32.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$9.79 R 163

54.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$1.85 R 30.87

64.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.90 R 31.63

2.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$1.76 R 29.36

15.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$2.13 R 35.53

8.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$1.52 R 25.30

34.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$1.50 R 24.98

20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$1.31 R 21.85

12.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$1.15 R 19.17

10.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$3.73 R 62.2

42.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$6.24 R 104

158.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$1.35 R 22.58

46.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$2.14 R 35.70

98.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$1.49 R 24.85

-79.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$0.58 R 9.67

217.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$1.48 R 24.70

-64.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$5.09 R 84.8

4.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.54 R 25.71

-1.95%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$35.3K R 588.7K

-38.42%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$34.4K R 573.9K

-30.35%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$119 R 1,988

-47.21%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$28.93 R 482

-5.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$39.84 R 664

-10.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$33.04 R 551

78.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$11.06 R 184

113.74%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$8.92 R 149

-28.25%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$266 R 4,439

62.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$6,949 R 115.8K

64.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$56.9 R 948

19.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$32.09 R 535

65.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$120 R 1,992

-9.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$107 R 1,784

9.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$393 R 6,553

183.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$362 R 6,038

96.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$727 R 12.1K

256.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$746 R 12.4K

88.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$879 R 14.6K

313.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$685 R 11.4K

211.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

10.97

3.46%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bellville: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Bellville

$362 31.4% 49% $348

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Bellville

$228 19.7% 28.8% $92

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Bellville

$168 14.6% 15.5% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Bellville

$142 12.3% 8.9% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Bellville

$188 16.3% 49.2% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Bellville

$51 4.4% 29.1% $21

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Bellville

$14 * 1.2% 45.2% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $393 in Bellville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $24 in Bellville for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $228 per month, with Bellville cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇿🇦 Bellville

🕒 Local time

10:07 10:07 AM

18:07 6:07 PM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

112,507

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Bellville 13,720 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Bellville

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 Bellville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bellville wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bellville the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $1,729 in Bellville 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $393 in Bellville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $1,153 in Bellville – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Bellville is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bellville delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,153 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bellville hard to pass up.