Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Polokwane

For one person, living is cheaper in Polokwane: $949 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Polokwane
Learn more

Polokwane Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Polokwane

🇿🇦 South Africa

$949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $949 in Polokwane.

Mexico City $1,608
Polokwane $949

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,407 in Polokwane.

Mexico City $2,549
Polokwane $1,407

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,865 in Polokwane.

Mexico City $3,490
Polokwane $1,865

Living in Mexico City is roughly 69% more expensive than in Polokwane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Polokwane is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$11.86 R 197

-10.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$906

$30.62 R 509

57.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$7.08 R 118

46.19%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.2

$2.37 R 39.45

55.70%

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

$1.67 MX$31.23

$0.71 R 11.84

135.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.71

$0.91 R 15.15

39.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.8

$1.66 R 27.64

92.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.5

$1.85 R 30.76

187.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.35 R 22.46

27.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.0

$1.13 R 18.76

169.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$1.71 R 28.42

13.45%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.1

$2.63 R 43.76

9.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$7.62 R 127

43.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$4.60 R 76.5

101.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$6.16 R 102

145.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.1

$1.92 R 32.01

58.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$1.88 R 31.31

3.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.95

$1.81 R 30.09

12.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.38

$1.95 R 32.43

18.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.14

$1.66 R 27.54

22.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.73

$1.51 R 25.10

19.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.72

$1.13 R 18.76

30.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.75

$0.82 R 13.63

54.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$2.67 R 44.37

98.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$4.58 R 76.2

251.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.16

$1.16 R 19.23

70.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.7

$1.59 R 26.40

167.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.72

$0.88 R 14.69

-64.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$370

$29.59 R 492

-33.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.44

$0.81 R 13.44

127.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.00

$0.88 R 14.57

-39.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.2

$14.14 R 235

-62.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.31

$1.41 R 23.48

7.09%

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

$21.8K MX$407.7K

$25.5K R 424.3K

-14.70%

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

$24.0K MX$449.5K

$28.5K R 474.0K

-15.81%

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

$63.0 MX$1,180

$138 R 2,293

-54.31%

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

$27.39 MX$513

$38.04 R 633

-28.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$668

$32.87 R 547

8.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,105

$22.55 R 375

161.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$8.31 R 138

-22.98%

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

$432 MX$8,088

$181 R 3,018

137.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.1K

$1,446 R 24.1K

690.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,278

$46.25 R 769

47.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$996

$37.70 R 627

40.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,020

$80.5 R 1,339

33.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,198

$93.3 R 1,552

25.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$288 R 4,789

286.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$199 R 3,306

257.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.5K

$422 R 7,022

513.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

$283 R 4,709

396.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

$1,366 R 22.7K

-30.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

10.91

4.03%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Polokwane: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Polokwane

$199 20.9% 72% $512

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Polokwane

$185 19.5% 42.2% $135

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Polokwane

$163 17.2% 17.9% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Polokwane

$116 12.2% 25.6% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Polokwane

$209 22% 65.6% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Polokwane

$39 4.1% 45.4% $33

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Polokwane

$38 4% 50.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $288 in Polokwane. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Polokwane pays 44% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $31 in Polokwane for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $185 per month, with Polokwane cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇿🇦 Polokwane

🕒 Local time

15:01 3:01 PM

23:01 11:01 PM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

628,999

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.65 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Polokwane 14,710 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Polokwane

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 Polokwane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $949 in Polokwane, so Polokwane is about 41% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 31% 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 $288 in Polokwane. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 33% less than in Polokwane. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $181 in Polokwane. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Polokwane is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.