Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Palmerston North

For one person, living costs are similar in Mexico City and in Palmerston North: $1,567 and $1,562 a month, rent and utilities included.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Palmerston North
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Palmerston North Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Palmerston North

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,562

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Palmerston North

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $1,562 in Palmerston North.

Mexico City $1,567
Palmerston North $1,562

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $2,537 in Palmerston North.

Mexico City $2,450
Palmerston North $2,537

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $3,511 in Palmerston North.

Mexico City $3,333
Palmerston North $3,511

Monthly costs are close between Mexico City and Palmerston North; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 16% above, Palmerston North 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$13.50 NZ$23.87

-20.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$63.7 NZ$113

-21.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$8.80 NZ$15.56

26.14%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.13 NZ$5.54

17.57%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$2.36 NZ$4.18

-30.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$1.68 NZ$2.97

-22.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$6.43 NZ$11.38

-48.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$6.52 NZ$11.53

-15.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.84 NZ$3.26

-3.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$2.14 NZ$3.78

42.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$1.37 NZ$2.42

46.72%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$4.85 NZ$8.58

-42.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$6.41 NZ$11.34

85.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$9.50 NZ$16.80

-1.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$10.78 NZ$19.06

39.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$2.54 NZ$4.48

21.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$2.23 NZ$3.94

-12.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$2.30 NZ$4.07

-11.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$5.53 NZ$9.78

-60.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$1.41 NZ$2.49

43.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$0.86 NZ$1.53

111.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.72 NZ$3.04

-11.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$0.75 NZ$1.33

70.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$22.06 NZ$39.00

-76.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$7.91 NZ$13.99

103.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$2.65 NZ$4.69

-26.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$2.78 NZ$4.91

52.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$3.93 NZ$6.95

-92.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$82.3 NZ$146

-75.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$1.87 NZ$3.30

6.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$1.78 NZ$3.14

-70.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$16.63 NZ$29.40

-66.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.64 NZ$2.90

-7.32%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$21.6K NZ$38.1K

-2.48%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$23.9K NZ$42.3K

5.25%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$68.2 NZ$121

-8.40%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$32.09 NZ$56.8

-10.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$34.64 NZ$61.3

-0.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$21.79 NZ$38.54

162.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

$14.08 NZ$24.90

76.21%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$11.60 NZ$20.52

-42.50%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$1,034 NZ$1,829

-58.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$8,550 NZ$15.1K

37.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$69.5 NZ$123

1.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$27.70 NZ$48.98

87.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$83.1 NZ$147

31.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$82.5 NZ$146

36.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$906 NZ$1,602

16.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$639 NZ$1,129

4.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$1,587 NZ$2,807

47.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$1,311 NZ$2,318

-6.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$2,023 NZ$3,577

75.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$1,836 NZ$3,247

7.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$2,494 NZ$4,411

-60.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

5.39

109.65%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Palmerston North: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Palmerston North

$639 40.9% 4% $26

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Palmerston North

$283 18.1% 12.2% $40

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Palmerston North

$233 14.9% 15% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Palmerston North

$118 7.6% 23.6% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Palmerston North

$135 8.6% 7.4% $9.2

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Palmerston North

$45 2.9% 36.1% $25

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Palmerston North

$109 7% 322% $83

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,051 in Mexico City and $906 in Palmerston North. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Palmerston North pays 156% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $64.0 in Palmerston North. Groceries flip the comparison at $323 vs $283, with Palmerston North cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇳🇿 Palmerston North

🕒 Local time

20:51 8:51 PM

15:51 3:51 PM

19 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

90,500

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Palmerston North 11,010 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Palmerston North

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 Palmerston North: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 156% lower in Palmerston North. 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: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $906 in Palmerston North. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $431 in Mexico City versus $1,034 in Palmerston North. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Palmerston North – a meal for two runs $64.0 versus $50.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,562 in Palmerston North versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Palmerston North but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Palmerston North 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.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Palmerston North are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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