Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Mexico City $1,608
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Mexico City $2,549
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Mexico City $3,490
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 44% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$17.50 A$24.86

-39.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$84.3 A$120

-42.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$12.17 A$17.29

-14.95%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$4.07 A$5.79

-9.34%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$3.18 A$4.52

-47.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$2.50 A$3.55

-49.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$9.57 A$13.60

-66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$8.25 A$11.72

-35.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.50 A$2.14

14.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$2.97 A$4.22

2.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$2.68 A$3.81

-27.61%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$5.45 A$7.75

-46.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$10.71 A$15.22

2.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$10.05 A$14.28

-7.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$15.00 A$21.31

0.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$4.07 A$5.78

-25.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$3.14 A$4.46

-38.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$3.12 A$4.43

-34.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$4.73 A$6.72

-51.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$2.98 A$4.23

-31.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$2.49 A$3.55

-27.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$2.48 A$3.53

-40.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$1.60 A$2.27

-20.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$44.65 A$63.4

-88.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$12.68 A$18.02

26.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$5.55 A$7.88

-64.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$5.18 A$7.37

-17.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$3.84 A$5.45

-91.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$139 A$197

-85.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$4.36 A$6.19

-57.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$1.37 A$1.94

-61.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$29.72 A$42.23

-82.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.49 A$2.11

1.34%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$29.1K A$41.3K

-25.21%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$25.7K A$36.5K

-6.56%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$236 A$335

-73.28%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$28.01 A$39.80

-2.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$57.2 A$81.3

-37.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$48.39 A$68.8

21.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$21.46 A$30.50

10.16%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$17.67 A$25.10

-63.78%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$2,461 A$3,497

-82.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-61.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$81.2 A$115

-16.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$49.28 A$70.0

7.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$120 A$170

-9.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$131 A$186

-10.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$1,703 A$2,419

-34.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$1,409 A$2,002

-49.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$3,496 A$4,967

-25.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$2,527 A$3,590

-44.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$7,978 A$11.3K

-54.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$6,900 A$9,805

-69.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$4,257 A$6,049

-77.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

5.9

92.37%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 98.3% $698

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 21% $67

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Melbourne

$312 11% 57.3% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Melbourne

$171 6% 10% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 155% $195

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 16.7% $12

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 549% $140

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays about 4.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $84 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $386 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

16:59 4:59 PM

09:59 9:59 AM

17 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Melbourne 13,560 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Melbourne

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 Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $2,849 in Melbourne, so Mexico City is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 78% lower in Mexico City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $2,461 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.