Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Middelburg, South Africa

For one person, living is cheaper in Middelburg: $1,099 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Middelburg
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Middelburg Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Middelburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,099

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $1,099 in Middelburg.

Mexico City $1,674
Middelburg $1,099

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,695 in Middelburg.

Mexico City $2,606
Middelburg $1,695

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $2,291 in Middelburg.

Mexico City $3,537
Middelburg $2,291

Living in Mexico City is roughly 52% more expensive than in Middelburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Middelburg is 19% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$9.53 R 157

11.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$35.98 R 592

44.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$5.87 R 96.5

82.79%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.7

$1.29 R 21.26

194.57%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$0.83 R 13.58

93.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$0.64 R 10.54

89.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$1.17 R 19.28

171.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$1.52 R 25.01

257.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$1.17 R 19.20

47.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$1.04 R 17.14

185.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$1.46 R 24.09

32.19%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$1.70 R 28.00

62.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$5.76 R 94.8

102.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$4.96 R 81.6

91.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$6.60 R 109

132.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$1.66 R 27.35

86.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$1.08 R 17.79

81.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$1.12 R 18.42

76.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$1.24 R 20.35

88.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$1.73 R 28.38

16.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$1.23 R 20.27

47.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$1.24 R 20.37

24.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$1.04 R 17.10

25.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$2.39 R 39.37

123.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$4.80 R 78.9

237.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$1.76 R 28.99

11.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$2.06 R 33.85

111.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$1.42 R 23.40

-78.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

$42.88 R 705

-54.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$0.94 R 15.45

104.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$0.74 R 12.24

-36.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$11.57 R 190

-53.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.33 R 21.95

11.28%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$34.3K R 563.7K

-37.63%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$31.9K R 525.0K

-25.56%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$151 R 2,487

-58.99%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$35.28 R 580

-19.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$37.41 R 615

-8.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$32.36 R 532

80.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

$12.35 R 203

98.38%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$6.25 R 103

5.44%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$236 R 3,879

84.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$6,077 R 100.0K

130.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$53.1 R 874

28.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$31.79 R 523

72.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$98.9 R 1,626

12.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,159

$86.8 R 1,427

33.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$398 R 6,546

196.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$361 R 5,944

113.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$719 R 11.8K

257.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$728 R 12.0K

94.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

$757 R 12.5K

373.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

$670 R 11.0K

207.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

$1,193 R 19.6K

-15.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

10.92

3.94%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Middelburg: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Middelburg

$361 32.9% 53.1% $410

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Middelburg

$170 15.4% 47.6% $154

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Middelburg

$124 11.3% 38.1% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Middelburg

$122 11.1% 22.7% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Middelburg

$224 20.4% 79.7% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Middelburg

$45 4.1% 37.3% $27

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Middelburg

$53 4.8% 113% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $398 in Middelburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Middelburg pays 19% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $36 in Middelburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $170 per month, with Middelburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇿🇦 Middelburg

🕒 Local time

16:35 4:35 PM

00:35 12:35 AM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

87,348

💱 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 Middelburg 14,720 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Middelburg

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 Middelburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $1,099 in Middelburg, so Middelburg is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 16% 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: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $398 in Middelburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 55% less than in Middelburg. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $236 in Middelburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Middelburg is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.