Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Gaborone

For one person, living is cheaper in Gaborone: $845 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Gaborone
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Gaborone Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Gaborone

🇧🇼 Botswana

$845

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $845 in Gaborone.

Mexico City $1,608
Gaborone $845

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,307 in Gaborone.

Mexico City $2,549
Gaborone $1,307

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,768 in Gaborone.

Mexico City $3,490
Gaborone $1,768

Living in Mexico City is roughly 90% more expensive than in Gaborone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Gaborone is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$10.88 P 147

-2.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$29.05 P 392

66.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$5.76 P 77.8

79.69%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$2.35 P 31.67

57.02%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$0.68 P 9.24

145.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$0.40 P 5.46

217.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$2.01 P 27.17

58.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$2.48 P 33.44

114.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.48 P 19.94

16.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$0.84 P 11.30

261.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.78 P 24.04

8.99%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$2.44 P 32.90

18.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$6.52 P 88.0

68.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$4.43 P 59.8

108.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$4.99 P 67.3

203.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$1.59 P 21.40

91.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.45 P 19.49

33.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$1.98 P 26.74

2.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$1.67 P 22.47

38.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$1.30 P 17.47

56.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$1.21 P 16.29

48.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$1.28 P 17.27

15.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.97 P 13.10

30.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$3.60 P 48.56

47.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$4.25 P 57.3

278.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$1.38 P 18.68

43.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$1.78 P 24.04

138.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$0.62 P 8.40

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$29.95 P 404

-34.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$0.60 P 8.14

206.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$2.46 P 33.24

-78.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$2.93 P 39.52

80.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.32 P 17.84

14.39%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$30.0K P 404.8K

-27.51%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$20.1K P 271.2K

19.30%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$61.0 P 823

3.30%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$18.34 P 247

49.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$43.67 P 589

-18.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$34.07 P 460

73.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$16.29 P 220

45.12%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$6.23 P 84.1

2.73%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$129 P 1,744

233.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$2,545 P 34.3K

348.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$48.15 P 650

41.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$16.72 P 226

217.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$72.1 P 972

49.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$78.6 P 1,060

49.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$353 P 4,763

215.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$209 P 2,824

239.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$534 P 7,198

385.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$356 P 4,802

294.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$2,034 P 27.4K

78.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$1,260 P 17.0K

69.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$451 P 6,087

109.67%

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Gaborone: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Gaborone

$209 24.8% 70.5% $501

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Gaborone

$172 20.3% 46.3% $148

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Gaborone

$152 18% 23.5% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Gaborone

$97 11.5% 37.8% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Gaborone

$123 14.6% 2.4% $3.1

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Gaborone

$47 5.5% 35.1% $25

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Gaborone

$45 5.4% 78.2% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $353 in Gaborone. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $29 in Gaborone for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $172 per month, with Gaborone cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇼 Gaborone

🕒 Local time

17:04 5:04 PM

01:04 1:04 AM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

231,626 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Botswana Pula BWP P

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 BWP = 7.41 USD

100 BWP = 6.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BWP, 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).

Botswana Pula exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 13.49 BWP (100 BWP = 7.41 USD). 1 EUR = 15.02 BWP (100 BWP = 6.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Gaborone 14,360 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Gaborone

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 Gaborone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gaborone is about 47% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 2.1 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $353 in Gaborone. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 86% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Gaborone – a meal for two runs $29 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $845 in Gaborone versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Gaborone but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Gaborone the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Gaborone wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.