Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Lae Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Lae

😐 Solo nomad: Mexico City is 75.9% more expensive than Lae without rent, and 19.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Mexico City is 54.2% more expensive than Lae without rent, and 132.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Lae
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.29 MX$229
$10.45 PGK 45.24
27.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$53.8 MX$928
$56.3 PGK 244
-4.44%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.29 MX$161
-
-
Cappuccino
$3.61 MX$62.3
$2.94 PGK 12.73
22.79%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.56 MX$26.89
$0.87 PGK 3.75
79.31%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.12 MX$19.36
$0.62 PGK 2.68
80.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.13 MX$54.0
$3.66 PGK 15.85
-14.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.71 MX$81.3
$5.74 PGK 24.87
-17.94%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Lae
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.70 MX$29.39
$2.11 PGK 9.12
-19.43%
White Bread (500g)
$2.77 MX$47.78
$1.52 PGK 6.59
82.24%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.96 MX$33.88
$1.41 PGK 6.10
39.01%
Eggs
$2.60 MX$44.98
$4.18 PGK 18.11
-37.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.94 MX$172
$9.94 PGK 43.02
-
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.10 MX$140
$10.04 PGK 43.45
-19.32%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.50 MX$199
$11.42 PGK 49.44
0.70%
Apples (1kg)
$2.87 MX$49.58
$4.77 PGK 20.67
-39.83%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 MX$29.91
$3.03 PGK 13.13
-42.90%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.00 MX$34.55
$6.44 PGK 27.89
-68.94%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.04 MX$35.20
$1.71 PGK 7.39
19.30%
Potato (1kg)
$2.08 MX$35.95
$3.67 PGK 15.88
-43.32%
Onion (1kg)
$2.20 MX$37.92
$2.56 PGK 11.09
-14.06%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 MX$25.11
$0.73 PGK 3.17
98.63%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.54
$0.94 PGK 4.08
13.83%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$73.8
$7.17 PGK 31.06
-40.45%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.32 MX$247
$12.96 PGK 56.1
10.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 MX$30.47
$2.71 PGK 11.74
-35.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.70 MX$63.9
$4.59 PGK 19.86
-19.39%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Lae
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.35 MX$6.09
$0.37 PGK 1.62
-5.41%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.19 MX$331
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.34 MX$23.06
-
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.28 MX$4.81
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.33 MX$92.1
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.34 MX$23.15
$1.11 PGK 4.80
20.72%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.1K MX$330.3K
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.9K MX$412.4K
-
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Lae
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$39.86 MX$688
-
-
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.78 MX$463
-
-
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.36 MX$507
-
-
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Lae
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.4 MX$923
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.09 MX$451
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.40 MX$111
-
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Lae
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$440 MX$7,607
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.8K MX$185.7K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Lae
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.6 MX$995
-
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.02 MX$777
-
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 MX$1,792
-
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 MX$1,864
-
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Lae
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,013 MX$17.5K
$7,995 PGK 34.6K
-87.33%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$630 MX$10.9K
$745 PGK 3,226
-15.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,162 MX$37.3K
$1,444 PGK 6,251
49.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,222 MX$21.1K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,793 MX$65.5K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,332 MX$40.3K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Lae
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,075 MX$18.6K
$164 PGK 710
555.07%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.34
0
-

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

Last update for Mexico City: April 11, 2026

Last update for Lae: April 12, 2026

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

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