Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and George

For one person, living is cheaper in George: $1,110 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 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
54

Cost of Living Index in George
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George Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

George

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,110

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,110 in George.

Mexico City $1,608
George $1,110

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,847 in George.

Mexico City $2,549
George $1,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,584 in George.

Mexico City $3,490
George $2,584

Living in Mexico City is roughly 45% more expensive than in George, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$10.85 R 181

-2.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$41.91 R 700

15.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$4.95 R 82.6

109.09%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$2.13 R 35.57

73.24%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$1.05 R 17.59

59.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$0.78 R 12.95

62.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$2.70 R 45.10

18.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$3.25 R 54.3

63.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.15 R 19.15

49.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.01 R 16.92

200.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.50 R 25.09

29.33%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$2.79 R 46.63

3.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$8.68 R 145

26.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$5.29 R 88.2

74.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$6.70 R 112

125.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$1.68 R 27.99

81.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.55 R 25.80

25.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$1.49 R 24.86

36.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$1.73 R 28.89

33.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$1.71 R 28.48

19.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$1.40 R 23.32

28.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$1.25 R 20.82

18.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.99 R 16.61

28.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$3.20 R 53.4

65.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$4.97 R 83.0

223.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$1.28 R 21.44

54.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$1.75 R 29.17

142.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$1.48 R 24.63

-79.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$27.91 R 466

-29.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$0.64 R 10.67

187.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$0.48 R 7.95

10.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$8.64 R 144

-38.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$1.25 R 20.87

20.80%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$29.9K R 499.3K

-27.28%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$30.0K R 500.5K

-19.99%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$123 R 2,052

-48.78%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$17.56 R 293

55.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$46.26 R 772

-22.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$30.43 R 508

93.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$10.78 R 180

119.29%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$5.93 R 98.9

7.93%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$139 R 2,324

210.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$5,219 R 87.1K

118.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$72.1 R 1,203

-5.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$38.64 R 645

37.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$112 R 1,864

-3.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$86.8 R 1,448

35.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$429 R 7,163

159.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$362 R 6,051

96.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$770 R 12.9K

236.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$935 R 15.6K

50.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$855 R 14.3K

324.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$690 R 11.5K

209.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$1,339 R 22.4K

-29.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

10.92

3.94%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for George: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

George

$362 32.6% 49% $348

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

George

$188 17% 41.1% $131

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

George

$155 13.9% 22.2% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

George

$139 12.5% 10.8% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

George

$187 16.8% 48.2% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

George

$42 3.8% 41.1% $29

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

George

$37 3.3% 44.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $429 in George. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

George pays 42% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $42 in George for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $188 per month, with George cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇿🇦 George

🕒 Local time

02:31 2:31 AM

10:31 10:31 AM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

188,580

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 ZAR = 5.99 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 16.69 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.63 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City George 14,070 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
George

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 George: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

George is about 31% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 29% lower in Mexico City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $429 in George. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in George – a meal for two runs $42 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $1,110 in George – George is about 31% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,110 in George versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in George but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes George 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.