Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Ndola

For one person, living is cheaper in Ndola: $719 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Ndola
Learn more

Ndola Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Ndola

🇿🇲 Zambia

$719

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $719 in Ndola.

Mexico City $1,548
Ndola $719

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $1,721 in Ndola.

Mexico City $2,436
Ndola $1,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $2,723 in Ndola.

Mexico City $3,323
Ndola $2,723

Living in Mexico City is roughly 115% more expensive than in Ndola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Ndola is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$5.58 ZMW 111

97.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$30.02 ZMW 597

62.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$5.00 ZMW 99.4

118.00%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.76 ZMW 54.8

33.33%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$0.52 ZMW 10.25

213.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.24 ZMW 4.73

420.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$1.22 ZMW 24.31

166.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$2.21 ZMW 44.02

150.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.65 ZMW 32.92

3.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.18 ZMW 23.56

155.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$2.13 ZMW 42.31

-9.86%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$1.56 ZMW 31.07

75.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$10.15 ZMW 202

15.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$6.18 ZMW 123

54.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$6.71 ZMW 133

114.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.47 ZMW 29.27

105.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$2.41 ZMW 48.00

-21.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$3.74 ZMW 74.3

-46.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.54 ZMW 30.72

42.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$2.53 ZMW 50.4

-24.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.80 ZMW 35.84

3.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.10 ZMW 21.93

30.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.58 ZMW 11.60

118.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$3.09 ZMW 61.5

68.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$9.83 ZMW 196

64.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.46 ZMW 28.97

30.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.35 ZMW 46.73

79.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$0.72 ZMW 14.29

-52.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$2.57 ZMW 51.2

-22.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.53 ZMW 30.41

-66.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$5.03 ZMW 100

6.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.35 ZMW 26.78

12.59%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$7,392 ZMW 147.0K

198.64%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$26.9K ZMW 534.7K

-8.83%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$80.2 ZMW 1,596

-23.89%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$10.45 ZMW 208

173.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$55.2 ZMW 1,098

-37.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$6.04 ZMW 120

10.26%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$135 ZMW 2,692

215.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$16.3K ZMW 324.7K

-28.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$23.64 ZMW 470

186.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$15.39 ZMW 306

237.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$45.69 ZMW 909

132.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$71.4 ZMW 1,421

57.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$177 ZMW 3,526

478.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$148 ZMW 2,948

341.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$370 ZMW 7,365

523.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$1,482 ZMW 29.5K

-16.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$596 ZMW 11.9K

61.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

-61.03%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Ndola: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Ndola

$148 20.6% 77.3% $506

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Ndola

$223 31.1% 29.8% $95

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Ndola

$106 14.8% 47.9% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Ndola

$70 9.8% 53.9% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Ndola

$146 20.3% 17.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Ndola

$12 * 1.7% 82.7% $58

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Ndola

$13 * 1.8% 48.9% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $177 in Ndola. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 62% 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: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $30.00 in Ndola for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $223 per month, with Ndola cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇿🇲 Ndola

🕒 Local time

08:54 8:54 AM

16:54 4:54 PM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

455,194

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 ZMW = 5.03 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 19.89 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.03 USD). 1 EUR = 22.36 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Ndola 14,410 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Ndola

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 Ndola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Ndola differ by about 115% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $719 including rent). Ndola is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 62% 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: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $177 in Ndola. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $135 in Ndola. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ndola – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $49.00 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $719 in Ndola versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ndola but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Ndola the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Ndola gentler on the wallet – expenses run 115% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.