Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Canterbury, New Zealand

For one person, living is cheaper in Canterbury: $915 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Canterbury
Learn more

Canterbury Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Canterbury

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $915 in Canterbury, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Canterbury $915

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,521 in Canterbury, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Canterbury $1,521

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $2,127 in Canterbury, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Canterbury $2,127

Mexico City costs about 76% more than Canterbury, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Canterbury is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$13.95 NZ$24.79

-23.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$63.7 NZ$113

-24.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$11.52 NZ$20.48

-10.16%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$3.06 NZ$5.45

20.59%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$2.07 NZ$3.68

-19.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$2.11 NZ$3.75

-39.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$3.94 NZ$7.01

-19.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$6.09 NZ$10.83

-12.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$2.22 NZ$3.94

-22.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.93 NZ$3.43

57.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.69 NZ$3.01

14.79%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$5.53 NZ$9.84

-47.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$8.34 NZ$14.83

31.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$9.17 NZ$16.30

0.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$16.50 NZ$29.34

-8.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$2.91 NZ$5.17

4.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$2.21 NZ$3.93

-12.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$3.30 NZ$5.86

-38.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$5.19 NZ$9.23

-55.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$1.85 NZ$3.29

10.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$1.87 NZ$3.32

-3.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$2.33 NZ$4.14

-36.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.59 NZ$1.06

115.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$21.06 NZ$37.43

-74.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$9.26 NZ$16.46

73.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$3.21 NZ$5.71

-38.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$1.20 NZ$2.13

254.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$5.73 NZ$10.19

-67.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$28.19 NZ$50.1

-81.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$1.60 NZ$2.85

-5.63%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$28.5K NZ$50.7K

-23.66%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$23.3K NZ$41.4K

3.09%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$113 NZ$201

-44.30%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$29.09 NZ$51.7

-5.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$51.7 NZ$91.9

-31.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$11.46 NZ$20.37

-44.15%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$590 NZ$1,049

-26.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$59.9 NZ$107

13.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$22.35 NZ$39.73

137.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$91.2 NZ$162

18.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$139 NZ$247

-15.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$898 NZ$1,597

23.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$2,733 NZ$4,859

-65.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

183.75%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Canterbury: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Canterbury

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Canterbury

$320 35% 0.3% $0.9

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Canterbury

$232 25.3% 16.6% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Canterbury

$141 15.4% 9.8% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Canterbury

$194 21.2% 53.8% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Canterbury

$23 * 2.5% 68.1% $49

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Canterbury

$5.7 * 0.6% 77.5% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $898 in Canterbury. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Canterbury are about 2.9 times higher, 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 $48 in Mexico City versus $64 in Canterbury. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $320 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇳🇿 Canterbury

🕒 Local time

20:07 8:07 PM

15:07 3:07 PM

19 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

💱 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 = 20.98 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Mexico City
Canterbury

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 Canterbury: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City, $915 in Canterbury – Canterbury comes out roughly 43% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $1,373 in Canterbury. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Canterbury, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $898 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Kindergarten costs $432 per month in Mexico City and $590 in Canterbury. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $915 in Canterbury. That makes Canterbury about 43% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Canterbury, where all-in costs run around $915, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Canterbury it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $915 in Canterbury to $1,608 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.