Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Port Moresby

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Moresby: $1,459 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Port Moresby
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Port Moresby Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,459

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Port Moresby

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $1,459 in Port Moresby.

Mexico City $1,674
Port Moresby $1,459

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $2,302 in Port Moresby.

Mexico City $2,606
Port Moresby $2,302

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $3,146 in Port Moresby.

Mexico City $3,537
Port Moresby $3,146

Living in Mexico City is roughly 15% more expensive than in Port Moresby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 24% above, Port Moresby 8% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$198

$7.85 PGK 33.96

34.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$972

$44.10 PGK 191

17.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$201

$5.64 PGK 24.39

90.25%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.0

$2.46 PGK 10.62

54.47%

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

$1.61 MX$30.16

$0.78 PGK 3.36

106.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.67

$0.64 PGK 2.77

89.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.4

$2.93 PGK 12.69

8.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$3.62 PGK 15.66

50.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$1.90 PGK 8.23

-9.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.5

$1.51 PGK 6.51

96.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.02

$1.42 PGK 6.13

35.92%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.9

$3.62 PGK 15.68

-23.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$218

$8.78 PGK 37.95

32.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$177

$5.13 PGK 22.18

84.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$288

$9.91 PGK 42.87

55.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.1

$4.36 PGK 18.84

-28.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.67

$3.24 PGK 14.01

-39.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.07

$7.25 PGK 31.37

-72.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.68

$6.37 PGK 27.56

-63.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.85

$2.94 PGK 12.72

-31.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.13

$2.84 PGK 12.29

-35.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.89

$2.27 PGK 9.83

-32.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.54

$1.34 PGK 5.80

-2.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$100

$6.40 PGK 27.67

-16.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$303

$10.90 PGK 47.15

48.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.64

$2.66 PGK 11.49

-26.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.4

$3.47 PGK 15.02

25.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.70

$0.44 PGK 1.89

-31.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$365

$25.01 PGK 108

-22.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.86

$4.92 PGK 21.26

-60.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.84

$1.47 PGK 6.34

-68.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$14.30 PGK 61.9

-62.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.75

$1.04 PGK 4.48

42.31%

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

$21.4K MX$399.7K

$50.2K PGK 217.2K

-57.45%

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

$23.8K MX$444.3K

$17.5K PGK 75.9K

35.40%

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

$62.0 MX$1,160

$120 PGK 517

-48.14%

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

$28.47 MX$533

$20.89 PGK 90.4

36.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$638

$83.4 PGK 361

-59.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,092

$61.2 PGK 264

-4.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$458

$22.28 PGK 96.4

9.96%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$8.89 PGK 38.45

-25.87%

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

$434 MX$8,122

$570 PGK 2,465

-23.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$262.5K

$8,351 PGK 36.1K

68.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,278

$35.01 PGK 151

95.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,025

$35.81 PGK 155

53.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,073

$68.8 PGK 298

61.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,169

$97.9 PGK 423

18.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.1K

$1,505 PGK 6,508

-21.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.4K

$553 PGK 2,392

39.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.1K

$2,858 PGK 12.4K

-10.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.6K

$1,167 PGK 5,045

21.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.1K

$2,098 PGK 9,072

70.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.6K

$3,757 PGK 16.2K

-45.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.8K

$430 PGK 1,860

133.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

12.17

-6.74%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Port Moresby: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Port Moresby

$553 37.9% 28.2% $218

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Port Moresby

$320 21.9% 1.2% $3.8

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Port Moresby

$137 9.4% 31.8% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Port Moresby

$107 7.3% 32.1% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Port Moresby

$224 15.4% 79.7% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Port Moresby

$79 5.4% 10.3% $7.4

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Port Moresby

$39 2.7% 56.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $1,505 in Port Moresby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $44 in Port Moresby for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $320 per month, with Port Moresby cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇬 Port Moresby

🕒 Local time

18:03 6:03 PM

10:03 10:03 AM

16 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

364,145 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 PGK = 0.231 USD

1 PGK = 0.207 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 4.32 PGK (1 PGK = 0.231 USD). 1 EUR = 4.83 PGK (1 PGK = 0.207 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Mexico City Port Moresby 12,830 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

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Mexico City
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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 Port Moresby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $1,459 in Port Moresby, so Port Moresby is about 13% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 2.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $1,505 in Port Moresby. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $570 in Port Moresby. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Port Moresby – a meal for two runs $44 versus $52 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Port Moresby 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.

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