Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Grafton

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,674 a month against $2,424 in Grafton, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
116

Cost of Living Index in Grafton
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Grafton Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Grafton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,424

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $2,424 in Grafton.

Mexico City $1,674
Grafton $2,424

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $3,460 in Grafton.

Mexico City $2,606
Grafton $3,460

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $4,496 in Grafton.

Mexico City $3,537
Grafton $4,496

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 31% less than in Grafton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 24% above, Grafton 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$17.28 A$24.64

-38.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$72.4 A$103

-28.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$11.26 A$16.06

-4.71%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.7

$3.37 A$4.80

12.76%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$2.88 A$4.11

-44.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$2.41 A$3.44

-49.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$8.62 A$12.29

-63.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$8.25 A$11.76

-34.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$1.11 A$1.58

54.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$2.62 A$3.74

13.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$2.23 A$3.17

-13.45%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$3.68 A$5.25

-24.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$9.57 A$13.64

21.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$7.50 A$10.69

26.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$14.36 A$20.47

7.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$2.86 A$4.07

8.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$1.41 A$2.01

39.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$2.95 A$4.21

-32.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$4.78 A$6.81

-51.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$2.08 A$2.96

-2.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$2.25 A$3.21

-19.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$1.70 A$2.43

-9.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$1.14 A$1.62

14.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$30.29 A$43.19

-82.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$12.42 A$17.70

30.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$5.18 A$7.38

-62.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$5.17 A$7.37

-15.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$2.82 A$4.01

-89.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

$84.9 A$121

-77.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$3.05 A$4.35

-37.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$1.79 A$2.55

-73.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$40.71 A$58.0

-86.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.32 A$1.89

12.12%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$28.9K A$41.2K

-25.97%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$24.5K A$35.0K

-3.17%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$158 A$225

-60.70%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$26.75 A$38.13

6.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$49.18 A$70.1

-30.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$56.2 A$80.1

3.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

$18.04 A$25.72

35.81%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$11.82 A$16.85

-44.25%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$700 A$997

-37.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$3,199 A$4,561

338.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$84.6 A$121

-19.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$45.34 A$64.6

20.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$113 A$161

-1.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,159

$113 A$161

2.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$1,412 A$2,014

-16.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$1,228 A$1,751

-37.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$2,258 A$3,220

13.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$1,816 A$2,589

-21.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

$5,769 A$8,224

-37.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

$4,933 A$7,032

-58.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

$2,511 A$3,580

-60.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

5.81

95.35%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Grafton: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Grafton

$1.2K 50.7% 59.3% $457

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Grafton

$321 13.2% 0.8% $2.6

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Grafton

$293 12.1% 46.2% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Grafton

$160 6.6% 1.7% $2.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Grafton

$234 9.6% 87.6% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Grafton

$80 3.3% 11.5% $8.3

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Grafton

$108 4.5% 333% $83

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $1,412 in Grafton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Grafton pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $72 in Grafton. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $321, with Grafton cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇦🇺 Grafton

🕒 Local time

16:17 4:17 PM

09:17 9:17 AM

17 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

19,255

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, 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 = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.701 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Grafton 12,750 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Grafton

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 Grafton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $2,424 in Grafton, so Mexico City is about 31% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 60% 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: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $1,412 in Grafton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $700 in Grafton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $52 versus $72 in Grafton. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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