Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Knysna

For one person, living is cheaper in Knysna: $1,193 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Knysna
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Knysna Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Knysna

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,193

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,674 per month in Mexico City vs $1,193 in Knysna, rent included.

Mexico City $1,674
Knysna $1,193

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Mexico City vs $1,775 in Knysna, rent included.

Mexico City $2,606
Knysna $1,775

A family of three spends $3,537 per month in Mexico City vs $2,357 in Knysna, rent included.

Mexico City $3,537
Knysna $2,357

Mexico City costs about 40% more than Knysna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 24% above the global median, while Knysna is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$9.44 R 155

12.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$39.22 R 645

32.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$5.80 R 95.4

85.00%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.7

$2.09 R 34.33

81.82%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$1.04 R 17.13

54.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$0.74 R 12.15

63.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$2.36 R 38.78

34.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$2.72 R 44.79

100.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$1.16 R 19.16

48.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$1.00 R 16.42

197.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$1.49 R 24.52

29.53%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$2.70 R 44.46

2.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$8.56 R 141

36.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$4.87 R 80.2

94.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$8.10 R 133

89.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$1.63 R 26.88

90.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$1.46 R 23.97

34.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$1.56 R 25.70

26.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$1.52 R 24.98

53.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$1.66 R 27.33

21.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$1.43 R 23.60

27.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$1.22 R 20.01

26.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$1.02 R 16.84

28.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$3.19 R 52.5

67.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$4.72 R 77.7

243.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$1.19 R 19.53

64.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$1.46 R 23.97

197.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$1.79 R 29.43

-83.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$0.83 R 13.62

131.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$0.52 R 8.53

-9.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$8.29 R 136

-34.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.47 R 24.21

0.68%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$23.4K R 384.8K

-8.63%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$28.2K R 464.6K

-15.88%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$110 R 1,815

-43.80%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$32.86 R 541

-13.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$43.51 R 716

-21.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$47.47 R 781

23.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

$10.83 R 178

126.22%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$8.55 R 141

-22.92%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$176 R 2,900

146.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$5,855 R 96.3K

139.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$41.94 R 690

62.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$33.00 R 543

66.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$107 R 1,766

3.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,159

$75.9 R 1,248

52.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$505 R 8,301

133.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$486 R 8,001

58.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$808 R 13.3K

217.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$794 R 13.1K

78.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

$755 R 12.4K

375.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

$1,011 R 16.6K

104.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

$940 R 15.5K

6.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.83

-4.06%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Knysna: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Knysna

$486 40.8% 36.9% $285

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Knysna

$187 15.7% 42.3% $137

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Knysna

$142 11.9% 29% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Knysna

$116 9.7% 26.2% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Knysna

$187 15.6% 49.8% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Knysna

$65 5.4% 9.8% $7

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Knysna

$11 * 0.9% 57.7% $14

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,179 in Mexico City versus $505 in Knysna. 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 7% higher in Mexico City, 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 $52 in Mexico City versus $39 in Knysna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $187 – making Knysna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇿🇦 Knysna

🕒 Local time

15:28 3:28 PM

23:28 11:28 PM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

51,078

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.08 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 16.45 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.08 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Knysna 14,130 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Knysna

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 Knysna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,510 per month in Mexico City and $1,790 in Knysna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Knysna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $505 there versus $1,179 in Mexico City.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $1,193 in Knysna. That makes Knysna about 29% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $434 per month in Mexico City and $176 in Knysna. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Knysna, where all-in costs run around $1,193, than in Mexico City at $1,674. In Knysna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Knysna – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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