Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Bloemfontein

For one person, living is cheaper in Bloemfontein: $1,061 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Bloemfontein
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Bloemfontein Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Bloemfontein

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,061

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,674 per month in Mexico City vs $1,061 in Bloemfontein, rent included.

Mexico City $1,674
Bloemfontein $1,061

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Mexico City vs $1,674 in Bloemfontein, rent included.

Mexico City $2,606
Bloemfontein $1,674

A family of three spends $3,537 per month in Mexico City vs $2,287 in Bloemfontein, rent included.

Mexico City $3,537
Bloemfontein $2,287

Mexico City costs about 58% more than Bloemfontein, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 24% above the global median, while Bloemfontein is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$11.84 R 197

-10.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$41.31 R 688

25.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$7.00 R 117

53.29%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.6

$2.07 R 34.53

83.57%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$1.44 R 24.00

11.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$1.07 R 17.91

13.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$2.58 R 42.94

23.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$2.76 R 45.98

97.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$1.03 R 17.14

66.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$1.07 R 17.75

177.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$2.12 R 35.34

-8.96%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$2.17 R 36.09

27.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$7.67 R 128

52.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$4.83 R 80.5

96.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$7.60 R 127

102.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$1.88 R 31.35

64.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$1.56 R 25.96

25.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$1.74 R 28.99

13.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$1.57 R 26.08

49.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$1.57 R 26.13

28.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$1.85 R 30.80

-1.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$1.09 R 18.16

41.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$0.96 R 16.02

36.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$2.54 R 42.39

110.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$4.71 R 78.5

243.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$1.81 R 30.10

8.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$1.36 R 22.62

219.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$0.91 R 15.18

-67.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

$75.5 R 1,258

-74.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$1.11 R 18.45

72.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.46 R 24.28

1.37%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$36.3K R 605.0K

-41.14%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$29.4K R 490.1K

-19.24%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$76.6 R 1,277

-19.07%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$33.40 R 557

-14.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$32.15 R 536

6.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$31.41 R 523

85.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$4.93 R 82.1

33.67%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$192 R 3,205

125.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$59.0 R 984

15.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$42.91 R 715

27.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$134 R 2,241

-17.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,158

$111 R 1,846

4.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$319 R 5,322

269.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$285 R 4,744

170.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$515 R 8,579

399.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$537 R 8,945

164.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

$477 R 7,952

651.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

$622 R 10.4K

231.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

$1,325 R 22.1K

-24.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

12.13

-6.43%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bloemfontein: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Bloemfontein

$285 26.8% 63.1% $486

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Bloemfontein

$187 17.6% 42.2% $137

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Bloemfontein

$169 15.9% 15.7% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Bloemfontein

$156 14.7% 0.8% $1.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Bloemfontein

$142 13.4% 14.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Bloemfontein

$41 3.9% 42.3% $30

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Bloemfontein

$80 * 7.6% 221% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,179 in Mexico City versus $319 in Bloemfontein. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 32% higher in Bloemfontein, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Mexico City versus $41 in Bloemfontein. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $187 – making Bloemfontein the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇿🇦 Bloemfontein

🕒 Local time

12:15 12:15 PM

20:15 8:15 PM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

370,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Bloemfontein 14,420 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Bloemfontein

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 Bloemfontein: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City costs about 58% more than Bloemfontein, 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 $2,510 per month in Mexico City and $1,591 in Bloemfontein. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bloemfontein, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $319 there versus $1,179 in Mexico City.

Groceries cost about 73% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Mexico City and $41 in Bloemfontein. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,674 in Mexico City and $1,061 in Bloemfontein. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Bloemfontein – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.