Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Johannesburg: $1,406 a month against $1,561 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
Learn more

Johannesburg Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,561

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,561 per month in Mexico City vs $1,406 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Mexico City $1,561
Johannesburg $1,406

A couple spends around $2,440 per month in Mexico City vs $2,192 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Mexico City $2,440
Johannesburg $2,192

A family of three spends $3,319 per month in Mexico City vs $2,978 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Mexico City $3,319
Johannesburg $2,978

Mexico City costs about 11% more than Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mexico City and Johannesburg sit above the global median – Mexico City by 16%, Johannesburg by 5%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.12 MX$202

$11.96 R 198

-7.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.99 MX$891

$44.08 R 731

11.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.23 MX$204

$7.41 R 123

51.55%

Cappuccino

$3.76 MX$68.4

$2.47 R 40.89

52.23%

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

$1.65 MX$30.05

$1.17 R 19.46

41.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.27

$0.87 R 14.49

47.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 MX$59.2

$2.26 R 37.50

44.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.66 MX$103

$2.78 R 46.10

103.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 MX$32.92

$1.34 R 22.23

35.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$53.5

$1.24 R 20.51

137.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 MX$37.27

$1.78 R 29.49

15.17%

Eggs

$2.93 MX$53.2

$2.64 R 43.82

10.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.95 MX$217

$8.42 R 140

41.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.51 MX$173

$5.36 R 88.9

77.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.84 MX$270

$8.43 R 140

76.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 MX$57.2

$2.05 R 33.94

53.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 MX$36.65

$1.80 R 29.81

11.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 MX$37.75

$1.84 R 30.48

13.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$40.35

$2.03 R 33.64

9.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$37.47

$1.71 R 28.38

20.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.14

$1.83 R 30.31

2.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$26.93

$1.41 R 23.46

4.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 MX$24.47

$1.32 R 21.94

2.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.41 MX$98.4

$3.38 R 56.1

60.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.86 MX$307

$5.99 R 99.3

181.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.09

$1.84 R 30.46

7.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 MX$78.7

$2.44 R 40.49

77.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.27

$2.05 R 34.02

-83.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.23 MX$368

$89.5 R 1,485

-77.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 MX$38.11

$0.82 R 13.65

156.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.65

$0.93 R 15.49

-43.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$98.3

$14.67 R 243

-63.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.65

$1.50 R 24.90

1.33%

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

$21.7K MX$395.3K

$36.0K R 597.7K

-39.70%

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

$24.8K MX$451.4K

$32.7K R 542.6K

-24.16%

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

$63.0 MX$1,145

$227 R 3,770

-72.30%

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

$28.88 MX$525

$37.98 R 630

-23.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.93 MX$617

$36.49 R 605

-7.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 MX$1,015

$36.84 R 611

51.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.90 MX$453

$17.39 R 288

43.19%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 MX$123

$7.84 R 130

-13.65%

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

$428 MX$7,781

$238 R 3,951

79.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K MX$216.0K

$5,563 R 92.3K

113.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 MX$1,274

$58.6 R 972

19.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 MX$977

$46.52 R 772

15.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$1,997

$109 R 1,805

0.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MX$2,096

$105 R 1,747

9.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,062 MX$19.3K

$496 R 8,220

114.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 MX$12.2K

$422 R 6,995

59.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,379 MX$43.3K

$979 R 16.2K

143.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 MX$22.9K

$892 R 14.8K

41.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,716 MX$67.6K

$964 R 16.0K

285.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,976 MX$35.9K

$757 R 12.5K

161.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$997 MX$18.1K

$1,755 R 29.1K

-43.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

10.91

3.57%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 6, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$671 42.4%

Johannesburg

$422 29.9% 37.1% $249

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$327 20.7%

Johannesburg

$216 15.3% 34% $111

Eating Out

Mexico City

$207 13.1%

Johannesburg

$173 12.2% 16.7% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$157 9.9%

Johannesburg

$144 10.2% 8.4% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Johannesburg

$302 21.4% 140% $176

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$69 4.4%

Johannesburg

$53 3.7% 24.2% $17

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Johannesburg

$103 7.3% 292% $77

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,062 in Mexico City versus $496 in Johannesburg. 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 76% higher in Johannesburg, 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 $49.00 in Mexico City versus $44.00 in Johannesburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $327 vs $216 – making Johannesburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

20:56 8:56 PM

04:56 4:56 AM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

4,434,827

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Johannesburg 14,590 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Johannesburg

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 Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City costs about 11% more than Johannesburg, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,341 per month in Mexico City and $2,109 in Johannesburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Mexico City and $44.00 in Johannesburg. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,561 in Mexico City and $1,406 in Johannesburg. That's a gap of about 11%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Johannesburg, where all-in costs run around $1,406, than in Mexico City at $1,561. In Johannesburg it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Johannesburg costs $1,406 versus $1,561 in Mexico City. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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