Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and East London

For one person, living is cheaper in East London: $978 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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
47

Cost of Living Index in East London
Learn more

East London Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

East London

🇿🇦 South Africa

$978

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in East London

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

A single person spends $1,674 per month in Mexico City vs $978 in East London, rent included.

Mexico City $1,674
East London $978

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Mexico City vs $1,499 in East London, rent included.

Mexico City $2,606
East London $1,499

A family of three spends $3,537 per month in Mexico City vs $2,020 in East London, rent included.

Mexico City $3,537
East London $2,020

Mexico City costs about 71% more than East London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 24% above the global median, while East London is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$7.97 R 133

32.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$33.73 R 562

54.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$5.09 R 84.8

110.81%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.6

$2.05 R 34.11

85.37%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$1.01 R 16.76

59.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$0.72 R 12.08

68.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$2.65 R 44.16

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$3.11 R 51.8

74.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$1.12 R 18.63

53.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$0.91 R 15.15

226.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$1.46 R 24.27

32.19%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$2.35 R 39.11

17.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$8.42 R 140

38.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$5.20 R 86.7

82.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$7.93 R 132

93.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$1.74 R 29.04

78.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$1.52 R 25.27

28.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$1.62 R 26.96

22.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$1.57 R 26.23

49.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$1.69 R 28.09

19.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$1.42 R 23.73

28.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$1.23 R 20.55

25.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$1.01 R 16.87

29.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$2.95 R 49.19

81.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$4.88 R 81.4

231.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$1.05 R 17.45

86.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$0.97 R 16.14

348.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$1.18 R 19.69

62.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$0.50 R 8.26

-6.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$8.61 R 143

-37.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.46 R 24.33

1.37%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$35.3K R 588.2K

-39.46%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$29.4K R 489.3K

-19.10%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$123 R 2,054

-49.71%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$30.34 R 506

-6.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$45.33 R 755

-24.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$39.33 R 655

48.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$5.04 R 84.0

30.75%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$175 R 2,914

148.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$5,508 R 91.8K

154.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$56.1 R 935

21.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$32.59 R 543

68.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$73.5 R 1,225

50.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,158

$94.8 R 1,580

22.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$238 R 3,960

396.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$296 R 4,924

160.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$603 R 10.1K

326.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$566 R 9,430

150.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

$481 R 8,009

646.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

$833 R 13.9K

147.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

$1,442 R 24.0K

-30.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.33

0.18%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for East London: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

East London

$295 30.2% 61.7% $475

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

East London

$185 18.9% 42.9% $139

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

East London

$130 13.3% 35.2% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

East London

$116 11.8% 26.6% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

East London

$199 20.4% 59.7% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

East London

$49 5.1% 31% $22

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

East London

$3.7 * 0.4% 85.4% $21

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 $238 in East London. 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 44% higher in East London, 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 $34 in East London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $185 – making East London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇿🇦 East London

🕒 Local time

19:23 7:23 PM

03:23 3:23 AM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

267,007

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City East London 14,580 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
East London

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 East London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City, $978 in East London – East London comes out roughly 42% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,510 per month in Mexico City and $1,467 in East London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in East London, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $238 there versus $1,179 in Mexico City.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $978 in East London. That makes East London about 42% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $434 per month in Mexico City and $175 in East London. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in East London, where all-in costs run around $978, than in Mexico City at $1,674. In East London it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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