Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Rarotonga

For one person, living is cheaper in Rarotonga: $1,117 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Rarotonga

🇨🇰 Cook Islands

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $1,117 in Rarotonga.

Mexico City $1,674
Rarotonga $1,117

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,580 in Rarotonga.

Mexico City $2,606
Rarotonga $1,580

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $2,044 in Rarotonga.

Mexico City $3,537
Rarotonga $2,044

Living in Mexico City is roughly 50% more expensive than in Rarotonga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Rarotonga is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$14.17 NZ$25.33

-25.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$976

$51.9 NZ$92.7

0.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$201

$5.71 NZ$10.21

87.92%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.3

$3.51 NZ$6.27

8.26%

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

$1.61 MX$30.28

$2.22 NZ$3.96

-27.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.76

$2.31 NZ$4.13

-47.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.7

$4.97 NZ$8.88

-36.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$5.17 NZ$9.24

5.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.26

$2.77 NZ$4.96

-37.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.7

$2.79 NZ$4.98

6.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.17

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.1

$6.29 NZ$11.23

-55.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$219

$7.35 NZ$13.13

58.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.3

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.82

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.22

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.86

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.00

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.26

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.00

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.64

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$100

$11.42 NZ$20.40

-53.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$304

$11.23 NZ$20.06

44.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.79

$3.34 NZ$5.98

-41.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.7

$5.12 NZ$9.15

-15.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.72

$2.81 NZ$5.02

-89.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$366

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.01

$19.77 NZ$35.33

-90.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.88

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$34.02 NZ$60.8

-84.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.86

$1.74 NZ$3.12

-14.94%

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

$21.4K MX$401.4K

$11.4K NZ$20.3K

88.05%

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

$23.8K MX$446.1K

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

$62.0 MX$1,164

$100 NZ$179

-38.27%

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

$28.47 MX$535

$47.44 NZ$84.8

-39.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$641

$103 NZ$184

-66.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,097

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

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

$434 MX$8,155

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$263.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,284

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,029

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,082

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,178

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.1K

$460 NZ$822

156.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$457 NZ$816

68.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.3K

$682 NZ$1,219

276.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

$631 NZ$1,127

125.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.8K

$3,929 NZ$7,020

-74.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Rarotonga: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Rarotonga

–

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Rarotonga

–

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Rarotonga

–

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Rarotonga

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Rarotonga

–

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Rarotonga

–

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Rarotonga

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $460 in Rarotonga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rarotonga pays about 3.9 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $52 in Rarotonga. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $152, with Rarotonga cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇰 Rarotonga

🕒 Local time

09:44 9:44 AM

05:44 5:44 AM

4 h behind Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

13,373

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 NZD = 0.56 USD

1 NZD = 0.498 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 NZD (1 NZD = 0.56 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 NZD (1 NZD = 0.498 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Mexico City Rarotonga 8,000 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Rarotonga

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 Rarotonga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $1,117 in Rarotonga, so Rarotonga is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 74% 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: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $460 in Rarotonga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 113% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,674 per month in Mexico City versus $1,117 in Rarotonga – Rarotonga is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Rarotonga 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.