Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Port Vila

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $3,148 in Port Vila, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
154

Cost of Living Index in Port Vila
Learn more

Port Vila Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Port Vila

🇻🇺 Vanuatu

$3,148

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $3,148 in Port Vila.

Mexico City $1,567
Port Vila $3,148

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $4,290 in Port Vila.

Mexico City $2,450
Port Vila $4,290

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $5,432 in Port Vila.

Mexico City $3,333
Port Vila $5,432

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 50% less than in Port Vila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 16% above, Port Vila 133% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$12.57 VUV 1,474

-14.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$55.9 VUV 6,558

-10.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$14.47 VUV 1,697

-23.29%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.99 VUV 468

-7.77%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$2.30 VUV 270

-28.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$2.35 VUV 276

-44.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$5.14 VUV 603

-35.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$7.16 VUV 839

-22.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$2.73 VUV 320

-35.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$1.97 VUV 231

54.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$3.63 VUV 426

-44.63%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$6.30 VUV 739

-56.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$17.57 VUV 2,061

-32.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$16.60 VUV 1,947

-43.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$13.68 VUV 1,604

9.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$7.13 VUV 837

-56.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$2.15 VUV 252

-9.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$3.86 VUV 453

-47.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$9.44 VUV 1,107

-76.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$9.13 VUV 1,071

-77.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$3.47 VUV 407

-47.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$2.58 VUV 303

-41.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$1.20 VUV 140

6.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$9.06 VUV 1,063

-41.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$12.51 VUV 1,467

28.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$2.45 VUV 287

-20.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$2.70 VUV 316

57.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$1.29 VUV 151

-75.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$68.6 VUV 8,052

-71.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$2.57 VUV 302

-22.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$0.88 VUV 103

-39.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$5.19 VUV 609

8.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.76 VUV 206

-13.64%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$22.8K VUV 2.7M

-7.91%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$37.9K VUV 4.5M

-33.63%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$636 VUV 74.6K

-90.17%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$22.30 VUV 2,615

29.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$362 VUV 42.4K

-90.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$67.7 VUV 7,936

-15.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

$16.93 VUV 1,986

46.54%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

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

$431 MX$7,964

$631 VUV 74.0K

-31.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$6,973 VUV 818.0K

68.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$41.45 VUV 4,862

70.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$67.0 VUV 7,856

-22.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$86.0 VUV 10.1K

26.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$102 VUV 12.0K

9.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$1,549 VUV 181.7K

-32.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$1,120 VUV 131.3K

-40.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$3,413 VUV 400.3K

-31.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$1,886 VUV 221.3K

-34.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$5,917 VUV 694.1K

-39.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$2,162 VUV 253.6K

-8.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$678 VUV 79.5K

43.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.18

82.85%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Port Vila: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Port Vila

$1.1K 35.6% 68.3% $454

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Port Vila

$476 15.1% 47.6% $154

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Port Vila

$250 8% 23.4% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Port Vila

$134 4.2% 13.6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Port Vila

$1K 32.4% 711% $894

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Port Vila

$68 * 2.2% 3.9% $2.8

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Port Vila

$81 2.6% 213% $55

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 $1,051 in Mexico City and $1,549 in Port Vila. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City 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: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $56.0 in Port Vila for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $476 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇻🇺 Port Vila

🕒 Local time

01:39 1:39 AM

18:39 6:39 PM

17 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

44,039 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Vanuatu Vatu VUV Vt

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 VUV = 8.53 USD

1,000 VUV = 7.58 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VUV, 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).

Vanuatu Vatu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 117 VUV (1,000 VUV = 8.53 USD). 1 EUR = 132 VUV (1,000 VUV = 7.58 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Port Vila 10,910 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Port Vila

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 Vila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Port Vila differ by about 101% in total monthly costs ($1,567 vs $3,148 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 44% higher in Mexico City, 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: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $1,549 in Port Vila. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 246% less than in Port Vila. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $431 in Mexico City versus $631 in Port Vila. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $3,148 in Port Vila, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Port Vila. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City 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 Port Vila are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 101% less than in Port Vila. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.