Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and New Plymouth

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,820 in New Plymouth, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
88

Cost of Living Index in New Plymouth
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New Plymouth Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

New Plymouth

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,820

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in New Plymouth

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,820 in New Plymouth.

Mexico City $1,608
New Plymouth $1,820

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,828 in New Plymouth.

Mexico City $2,549
New Plymouth $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $3,836 in New Plymouth.

Mexico City $3,490
New Plymouth $3,836

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 12% less than in New Plymouth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, New Plymouth 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$12.43 NZ$22.09

-14.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$67.9 NZ$121

-28.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$8.44 NZ$14.99

22.63%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$3.34 NZ$5.94

10.48%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$2.12 NZ$3.77

-21.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$1.85 NZ$3.28

-31.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$5.32 NZ$9.46

-40.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$5.65 NZ$10.04

-6.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.44 NZ$2.56

19.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.25 NZ$2.22

143.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.65 NZ$2.92

17.58%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$5.53 NZ$9.83

-47.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$5.52 NZ$9.80

98.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$7.19 NZ$12.78

28.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$11.42 NZ$20.31

32.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$2.63 NZ$4.67

15.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.86 NZ$3.30

4.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$2.93 NZ$5.21

-30.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$6.12 NZ$10.87

-62.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$1.99 NZ$3.53

2.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$1.41 NZ$2.51

27.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$1.88 NZ$3.34

-21.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$1.32 NZ$2.35

-3.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$23.12 NZ$41.09

-77.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$8.73 NZ$15.53

84.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$3.03 NZ$5.38

-34.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$3.78 NZ$6.73

12.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$1.68 NZ$2.99

-81.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$74.6 NZ$133

-73.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$3.68 NZ$6.54

-50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$1.67 NZ$2.97

-9.58%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$28.7K NZ$51.0K

-24.13%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$22.8K NZ$40.5K

5.25%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$130 NZ$231

-51.50%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$27.85 NZ$49.50

-1.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$48.35 NZ$86.0

-26.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$43.29 NZ$77.0

36.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$8.20 NZ$14.57

-21.95%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$680 NZ$1,208

-36.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$23.1K NZ$41.0K

-50.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$61.3 NZ$109

11.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$38.74 NZ$68.9

37.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$90.6 NZ$161

18.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$106 NZ$188

10.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$907 NZ$1,613

22.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$836 NZ$1,487

-15.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$1,740 NZ$3,093

48.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$1,589 NZ$2,824

-11.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$3,209 NZ$5,704

13.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$2,622 NZ$4,661

-18.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$2,787 NZ$4,954

-66.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

5.93

91.40%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for New Plymouth: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

New Plymouth

$836 45.9% 17.7% $126

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

New Plymouth

$281 15.5% 12% $38

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

New Plymouth

$219 12% 10% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

New Plymouth

$133 7.3% 14.4% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

New Plymouth

$206 11.3% 63.5% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

New Plymouth

$60 3.3% 16.8% $12

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

New Plymouth

$85 * 4.7% 234% $60

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 $1,113 in Mexico City and $907 in New Plymouth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New Plymouth pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $68 in New Plymouth. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $281, with New Plymouth cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇳🇿 New Plymouth

🕒 Local time

21:06 9:06 PM

16:06 4:06 PM

19 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

58,400

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City New Plymouth 11,090 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
New Plymouth

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 New Plymouth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,820 in New Plymouth, so Mexico City is about 12% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 66% 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 $907 in New Plymouth. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 74% less than in New Plymouth. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $680 in New Plymouth. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Mexico City wins on affordability, New Plymouth on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.