Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Papeete

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,283 in Papeete, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Papeete
Learn more

Papeete Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Papeete

🇵🇫 French Polynesia

$2,283

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $2,283 in Papeete.

Mexico City $1,608
Papeete $2,283

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $3,451 in Papeete.

Mexico City $2,549
Papeete $3,451

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $4,620 in Papeete.

Mexico City $3,490
Papeete $4,620

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 30% less than in Papeete, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Papeete 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$18.56 CFPF 1,983

-42.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$95.4 CFPF 10.2K

-49.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$14.54 CFPF 1,553

-28.82%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$3.41 CFPF 364

8.21%

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

$1.67 MX$31.05

$2.62 CFPF 280

-36.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.58

$3.25 CFPF 347

-60.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$3.35 CFPF 358

-4.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$3.76 CFPF 402

41.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$1.49 CFPF 159

15.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$2.75 CFPF 293

10.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.61 CFPF 172

20.50%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$6.36 CFPF 679

-54.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$27.25 CFPF 2,911

-59.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$15.12 CFPF 1,616

-38.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$26.88 CFPF 2,872

-43.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$4.79 CFPF 512

-36.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$2.42 CFPF 258

-19.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.73

$6.39 CFPF 683

-68.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.12

$7.76 CFPF 830

-70.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.91

$2.64 CFPF 282

-22.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.53

$2.18 CFPF 233

-17.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.56

$3.65 CFPF 390

-59.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.62

$1.14 CFPF 121

11.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.8

$12.97 CFPF 1,386

-59.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$21.00 CFPF 2,244

-23.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.95

$2.69 CFPF 288

-26.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$3.19 CFPF 340

33.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

$1.91 CFPF 204

-83.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$9.23 CFPF 986

-80.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.14

$1.51 CFPF 162

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

$21.8K MX$405.3K

$18.4K CFPF 2.0M

18.29%

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

$24.0K MX$446.9K

$27.8K CFPF 3.0M

-13.66%

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

$63.0 MX$1,173

$179 CFPF 19.2K

-64.90%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$19.50 CFPF 2,084

40.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$70.8 CFPF 7,560

-49.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

$84.0 CFPF 8,976

-29.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$14.21 CFPF 1,518

-54.96%

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

$432 MX$8,041

$461 CFPF 49.3K

-6.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.8K

$9,248 CFPF 988.1K

23.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,271

$69.2 CFPF 7,390

-1.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$70.5 CFPF 7,528

-24.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,008

$77.7 CFPF 8,299

38.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,185

$89.3 CFPF 9,543

31.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$1,328 CFPF 141.9K

-16.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$947 CFPF 101.2K

-25.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$1,806 CFPF 193.0K

43.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$1,513 CFPF 161.6K

-7.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

$7,081 CFPF 756.6K

-48.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$7,507 CFPF 802.1K

-71.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$2,222 CFPF 237.4K

-57.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

4.5

152.22%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Papeete: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Papeete

$947 41.5% 33.4% $237

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Papeete

$517 22.7% 61.9% $198

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Papeete

$281 12.3% 41.4% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Papeete

$138 6% 11.5% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Papeete

$270 11.8% 114% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Papeete

$112 4.9% 56.7% $41

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Papeete

$17 * 0.7% 33.8% $8.6

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 $1,328 in Papeete. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Papeete pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $95 in Papeete for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $517 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇫 Papeete

🕒 Local time

23:27 11:27 PM

19:27 7:27 PM

4 h behind Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

26,050 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

CFP Franc XPF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1,000 XPF = 9.36 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XPF, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

CFP Franc exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 107 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.36 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Papeete 6,870 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Papeete

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 Papeete: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $2,283 in Papeete, so Mexico City is about 30% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 57% 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 $1,328 in Papeete. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $461 in Papeete. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $48 versus $95 in Papeete. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

For families, Mexico City is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Papeete, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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