Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Hastings

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $1,731 in Hastings, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hastings outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Hastings
Learn more

Hastings Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Hastings

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,567 per month in Mexico City vs $1,731 in Hastings, rent included.

Mexico City $1,567
Hastings $1,731

A couple spends around $2,450 per month in Mexico City vs $2,526 in Hastings, rent included.

Mexico City $2,450
Hastings $2,526

A family of three spends $3,333 per month in Mexico City vs $3,322 in Hastings, rent included.

Mexico City $3,333
Hastings $3,322

Mexico City is about 9% cheaper than Hastings, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Mexico City and Hastings sit above the global median – Mexico City by 16%, Hastings by 28%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$11.05 NZ$19.55

-2.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$55.7 NZ$98.5

-9.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$9.05 NZ$16.00

22.65%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.06 NZ$5.41

20.26%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$1.87 NZ$3.31

-11.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$1.36 NZ$2.41

-4.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$4.34 NZ$7.67

-23.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$5.51 NZ$9.75

0.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.41 NZ$2.50

25.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$1.29 NZ$2.28

136.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$1.72 NZ$3.05

16.86%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$5.45 NZ$9.64

-49.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$5.72 NZ$10.11

108.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$7.30 NZ$12.90

27.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$11.45 NZ$20.26

31.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$2.66 NZ$4.71

15.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$1.92 NZ$3.40

1.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$3.06 NZ$5.42

-33.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$3.30 NZ$5.84

-33.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$1.81 NZ$3.21

11.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$1.05 NZ$1.85

73.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.45 NZ$2.56

4.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$0.91 NZ$1.60

40.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$17.62 NZ$31.16

-70.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$9.08 NZ$16.06

77.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$4.02 NZ$7.11

-51.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$2.91 NZ$5.14

46.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$2.71 NZ$4.79

-88.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$81.8 NZ$145

-75.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$3.65 NZ$6.46

-45.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$2.75 NZ$4.87

-80.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$33.32 NZ$58.9

-83.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.60 NZ$2.82

-5.00%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$27.0K NZ$47.7K

-21.97%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$22.7K NZ$40.1K

11.15%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$190 NZ$335

-67.05%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$36.05 NZ$63.8

-20.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$59.6 NZ$105

-42.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$27.98 NZ$49.48

104.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$9.93 NZ$17.55

-32.83%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$679 NZ$1,200

-36.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$22.0K NZ$38.9K

-46.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$46.05 NZ$81.4

53.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$37.74 NZ$66.7

37.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$94.8 NZ$168

14.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$90.8 NZ$161

23.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$806 NZ$1,426

30.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$703 NZ$1,243

-5.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$1,519 NZ$2,687

54.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$1,129 NZ$1,997

8.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$5,051 NZ$8,933

-29.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$3,061 NZ$5,414

-35.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$1,589 NZ$2,810

-38.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.83

65.45%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Hastings: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Hastings

$703 40.6% 5.6% $38

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Hastings

$266 15.4% 17.7% $57

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Hastings

$198 11.4% 2.5% $5

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Hastings

$121 7% 21.6% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Hastings

$285 16.5% 127% $160

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Hastings

$48 2.8% 32.1% $23

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Hastings

$110 6.4% 327% $84

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,051 in Mexico City versus $806 in Hastings. 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 63% higher in Hastings, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Mexico City versus $56.0 in Hastings. Groceries tell a different story – $323 in Mexico City vs $266 in Hastings – so Hastings wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇳🇿 Hastings

🕒 Local time

14:15 2:15 PM

09:15 9:15 AM

19 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

50,100

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Hastings 10,880 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Hastings

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 Hastings: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hastings costs about 10% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,351 per month in Mexico City and $2,596 in Hastings. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mexico City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 21% cheaper in Hastings – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Mexico City and $56.0 in Hastings. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,567, than in Hastings at $1,731. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hastings it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mexico City costs $1,567 versus $1,731 in Hastings. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hastings makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.