Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Durban

For one person, living is cheaper in Durban: $1,130 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $1,130 in Durban, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Durban $1,130

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,748 in Durban, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Durban $1,748

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $2,366 in Durban, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Durban $2,366

Mexico City costs about 42% more than Durban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Durban is 17% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$7.93 R 132

33.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$39.14 R 652

23.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$6.15 R 103

68.29%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$2.73 R 45.52

35.16%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$1.12 R 18.58

49.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$0.91 R 15.22

39.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$2.43 R 40.48

31.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$2.48 R 41.39

114.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.17 R 19.51

47.01%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$1.01 R 16.75

200.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.50 R 24.96

29.33%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$2.43 R 40.49

18.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$8.22 R 137

33.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$5.32 R 88.6

73.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$7.28 R 121

107.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$1.95 R 32.45

56.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.95 R 32.45

-0.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$1.94 R 32.35

4.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$1.65 R 27.42

40.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$1.55 R 25.81

31.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$1.46 R 24.32

23.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$1.17 R 19.41

26.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$1.14 R 18.96

11.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$3.64 R 60.7

45.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$4.73 R 78.9

240.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$1.41 R 23.42

40.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$1.89 R 31.57

124.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$1.79 R 29.78

-82.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$21.32 R 355

-7.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$0.41 R 6.78

348.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.76 R 12.59

-30.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$7.72 R 129

-31.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.49 R 24.83

1.34%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$35.5K R 591.4K

-38.70%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$32.3K R 538.6K

-25.78%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$148 R 2,460

-57.34%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$35.49 R 591

-22.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$39.45 R 657

-9.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$31.01 R 517

90.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$8.61 R 143

174.56%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$7.39 R 123

-13.40%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$317 R 5,274

36.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$7,714 R 128.5K

48.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$53.2 R 887

28.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$30.50 R 508

74.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$99.1 R 1,651

8.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$85.0 R 1,417

37.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$445 R 7,414

150.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$374 R 6,240

89.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$814 R 13.6K

218.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$744 R 12.4K

89.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$820 R 13.7K

342.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$565 R 9,419

277.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$1,280 R 21.3K

-26.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.78

-3.65%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Durban: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Durban

$374 33.1% 47.3% $336

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Durban

$194 17.2% 39.2% $125

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Durban

$140 12.4% 29.6% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Durban

$121 10.7% 22.7% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Durban

$223 19.7% 76.6% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Durban

$46 4.1% 36.2% $26

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Durban

$33 2.9% 28.3% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $445 in Durban. 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 35% higher in Durban, 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 $39 in Durban. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $194 – making Durban the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇿🇦 Durban

🕒 Local time

15:21 3:21 PM

23:21 11:21 PM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

3,442,361

💱 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 Durban 14,880 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Durban

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 Durban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $1,695 in Durban. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Durban, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $445 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,130 in Durban. That makes Durban about 30% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 7% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Durban, where all-in costs run around $1,130, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Durban it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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