Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Pakenham

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,643 in Pakenham, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Pakenham
Learn more

Pakenham Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Pakenham

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $2,643 in Pakenham.

Mexico City $1,608
Pakenham $2,643

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $3,761 in Pakenham.

Mexico City $2,549
Pakenham $3,761

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $4,880 in Pakenham.

Mexico City $3,490
Pakenham $4,880

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 39% less than in Pakenham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Pakenham 94% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$17.34 A$24.64

-38.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$83.4 A$118

-42.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$12.08 A$17.16

-14.32%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$4.02 A$5.71

-8.21%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$3.21 A$4.56

-47.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$2.47 A$3.50

-48.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$9.56 A$13.59

-66.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$8.47 A$12.04

-37.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.21 A$1.71

42.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$2.87 A$4.07

5.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$2.61 A$3.70

-25.67%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$5.61 A$7.97

-48.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$8.49 A$12.07

29.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$9.78 A$13.90

-5.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$15.29 A$21.72

-1.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$3.98 A$5.66

-23.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$2.62 A$3.73

-25.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$3.13 A$4.45

-35.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$4.74 A$6.74

-51.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$2.99 A$4.25

-31.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$2.57 A$3.65

-29.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$2.43 A$3.45

-39.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$1.63 A$2.32

-22.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$25.16 A$35.75

-78.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$12.63 A$17.95

27.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$5.48 A$7.78

-63.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$5.17 A$7.35

-17.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$3.08 A$4.37

-89.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$73.7 A$105

-73.24%

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

$1.43 A$2.03

-62.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$30.36 A$43.14

-82.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.43 A$2.04

5.59%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$29.1K A$41.3K

-25.19%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$26.4K A$37.6K

-9.28%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$236 A$335

-73.30%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$28.14 A$39.99

-2.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$57.8 A$82.2

-38.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$64.3 A$91.4

-8.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$19.50 A$27.71

21.23%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$17.55 A$24.94

-63.53%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$2,515 A$3,573

-82.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$30.4K A$43.2K

-62.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$80.5 A$114

-15.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$49.90 A$70.9

6.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$119 A$169

-9.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$133 A$189

-11.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$1,463 A$2,078

-23.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$1,269 A$1,804

-44.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$2,148 A$3,052

20.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$1,855 A$2,635

-24.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$5,533 A$7,862

-34.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$5,458 A$7,756

-60.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

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 Pakenham: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Pakenham

$1.3K 48% 78.7% $559

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Pakenham

$372 14.1% 16.5% $53

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Pakenham

$311 11.8% 56.4% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Pakenham

$172 6.5% 10.4% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Pakenham

$322 12.2% 155% $196

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Pakenham

$99 3.8% 38.6% $28

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Pakenham

$98 3.7% 283% $72

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $1,463 in Pakenham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $83 in Pakenham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $372 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇦🇺 Pakenham

🕒 Local time

10:54 10:54 AM

03:54 3:54 AM

17 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

54,118

💱 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 Pakenham 13,520 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Pakenham

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 Pakenham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Pakenham differ by about 64% in total monthly costs ($1,608 vs $2,643 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $3,964 in Pakenham to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $1,463 in Pakenham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 73% less than in Pakenham. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $2,515 in Pakenham. 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.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Pakenham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.