Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Kempton Park

For one person, living is cheaper in Kempton Park: $1,209 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Kempton Park
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Kempton Park Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Kempton Park

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,209

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Kempton Park

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $1,209 in Kempton Park.

Mexico City $1,567
Kempton Park $1,209

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $1,854 in Kempton Park.

Mexico City $2,450
Kempton Park $1,854

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $2,498 in Kempton Park.

Mexico City $3,333
Kempton Park $2,498

Living in Mexico City is roughly 30% more expensive than in Kempton Park, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 16% above, Kempton Park is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$8.85 R 146

21.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$36.72 R 605

36.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$5.84 R 96.1

90.07%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.39 R 39.33

53.97%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$1.08 R 17.80

52.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$0.83 R 13.70

56.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$2.38 R 39.19

39.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$2.74 R 45.08

102.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.28 R 21.17

38.28%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$1.08 R 17.78

182.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$1.77 R 29.09

13.56%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$2.49 R 41.09

11.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$8.60 R 142

38.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$5.21 R 85.8

79.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$8.76 R 144

71.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$1.85 R 30.44

66.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$1.64 R 27.06

18.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$1.78 R 29.39

14.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$2.04 R 33.58

8.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$1.64 R 27.01

23.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$1.65 R 27.21

10.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.22 R 20.07

24.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$1.26 R 20.80

1.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$3.22 R 53.1

63.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$5.32 R 87.7

203.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$1.62 R 26.68

20.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$2.38 R 39.24

78.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$1.53 R 25.21

-79.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$60.5 R 997

-67.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$0.29 R 4.76

589.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$0.82 R 13.43

-35.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$14.67 R 242

-61.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.48 R 24.41

2.70%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$34.7K R 571.6K

-39.38%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$31.6K R 521.1K

-20.39%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$180 R 2,959

-65.21%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$38.44 R 633

-25.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$36.30 R 598

-5.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$37.47 R 617

52.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

$10.58 R 174

134.50%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$8.02 R 132

-16.83%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$256 R 4,218

68.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$5,474 R 90.2K

114.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$52.8 R 870

34.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$31.58 R 520

64.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$91.2 R 1,502

19.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$84.2 R 1,388

33.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$301 R 4,960

249.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$365 R 6,010

82.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$734 R 12.1K

219.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$734 R 12.1K

67.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$862 R 14.2K

312.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$666 R 11.0K

196.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$625 R 10.3K

56.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

11.25

0.44%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kempton Park: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Kempton Park

$365 30.2% 45.1% $300

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Kempton Park

$207 17.1% 35.9% $116

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Kempton Park

$142 11.7% 30.1% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Kempton Park

$117 9.7% 24.4% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Kempton Park

$254 21% 102% $129

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Kempton Park

$54 4.4% 24% $17

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Kempton Park

$71 5.9% 175% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,051 in Mexico City and $301 in Kempton Park. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 56% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $37.00 in Kempton Park for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $207 per month, with Kempton Park cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇿🇦 Kempton Park

🕒 Local time

01:59 1:59 AM

09:59 9:59 AM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Mexico City Kempton Park 14,600 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Kempton Park

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 Kempton Park: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kempton Park wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kempton Park the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 56% higher in Mexico City, 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: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $301 in Kempton Park. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 56% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Kempton Park – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $50.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,209 in Kempton Park versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kempton Park but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Kempton Park the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kempton Park delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,209 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kempton Park hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Kempton Park are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Kempton Park gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.