Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Porirua

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,186 in Porirua, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
100

Cost of Living Index in Porirua
Learn more

Porirua Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Porirua

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,186

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $2,186 in Porirua.

Mexico City $1,608
Porirua $2,186

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $3,131 in Porirua.

Mexico City $2,549
Porirua $3,131

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $4,076 in Porirua.

Mexico City $3,490
Porirua $4,076

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 26% less than in Porirua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Porirua 61% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$13.84 NZ$24.59

-23.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$66.0 NZ$117

-26.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$8.98 NZ$15.95

15.26%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$2.90 NZ$5.15

27.24%

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

$1.67 MX$31.05

$2.42 NZ$4.29

-30.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.58

$1.70 NZ$3.02

-25.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$7.24 NZ$12.86

-55.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$6.70 NZ$11.90

-20.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$1.96 NZ$3.48

-12.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$2.21 NZ$3.92

37.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.88 NZ$3.34

3.19%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$6.95 NZ$12.34

-58.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$9.36 NZ$16.63

17.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$9.68 NZ$17.19

-4.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$15.54 NZ$27.60

-2.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$3.05 NZ$5.42

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$2.24 NZ$3.98

-13.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.73

$3.04 NZ$5.39

-33.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.12

$6.70 NZ$11.91

-65.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.91

$2.17 NZ$3.85

-5.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.53

$1.26 NZ$2.23

42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.56

$2.01 NZ$3.58

-26.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.62

$1.20 NZ$2.13

5.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.8

$25.87 NZ$45.96

-79.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$11.28 NZ$20.04

42.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.95

$3.19 NZ$5.67

-37.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$2.90 NZ$5.15

46.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

$1.70 NZ$3.02

-81.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$109 NZ$194

-81.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$1.90 NZ$3.38

-3.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$1.85 NZ$3.28

-71.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$33.96 NZ$60.3

-84.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.14

$1.55 NZ$2.75

-2.58%

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

$21.8K MX$405.3K

$28.9K NZ$51.4K

-24.84%

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

$24.0K MX$446.9K

$23.8K NZ$42.3K

0.73%

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

$63.0 MX$1,173

$122 NZ$218

-48.58%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$33.64 NZ$59.8

-18.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$54.4 NZ$96.7

-34.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

$38.32 NZ$68.1

53.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$12.17 NZ$21.61

-47.41%

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

$432 MX$8,041

$1,045 NZ$1,857

-58.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.8K

$13.1K NZ$23.2K

-12.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,271

$77.5 NZ$138

-11.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$28.03 NZ$49.80

89.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,008

$102 NZ$181

6.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,185

$153 NZ$272

-23.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$1,148 NZ$2,039

-3.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$1,035 NZ$1,839

-31.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$1,581 NZ$2,809

63.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$1,470 NZ$2,612

-4.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

$5,077 NZ$9,019

-28.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$3,417 NZ$6,070

-37.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$2,785 NZ$4,947

-66.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

5.39

110.58%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Porirua: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Porirua

$1K 47.3% 45.7% $325

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Porirua

$350 16% 9.6% $31

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Porirua

$238 10.9% 20.1% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Porirua

$162 7.4% 4% $6.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Porirua

$211 9.6% 67.1% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Porirua

$63 2.9% 12.7% $9.1

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Porirua

$127 5.8% 400% $102

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $1,148 in Porirua. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Porirua 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 $66 in Porirua for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $350 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇳🇿 Porirua

🕒 Local time

02:37 2:37 AM

21:37 9:37 PM

19 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

61,900

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 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 Porirua 11,090 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Porirua

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 Porirua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $2,186 in Porirua, so Mexico City is about 26% 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 $1,148 in Porirua. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 82% less than in Porirua. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $1,045 in Porirua. 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 26% less than in Porirua. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.