Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Secunda

For one person, living is cheaper in Secunda: $1,027 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Secunda
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Secunda Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Secunda

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,027

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,027 in Secunda.

Mexico City $1,548
Secunda $1,027

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $1,667 in Secunda.

Mexico City $2,436
Secunda $1,667

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $2,306 in Secunda.

Mexico City $3,323
Secunda $2,306

Living in Mexico City is roughly 51% more expensive than in Secunda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Secunda is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$6.20 R 102

77.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$30.52 R 503

59.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$5.22 R 86.0

108.81%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.27 R 37.42

62.11%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$0.81 R 13.38

101.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.51 R 8.33

145.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$1.07 R 17.59

203.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$1.38 R 22.72

300.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.16 R 19.14

46.55%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$0.87 R 14.33

247.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.84 R 30.33

4.35%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.43 R 40.04

12.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$8.53 R 141

37.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$4.88 R 80.4

95.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$7.11 R 117

102.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.75 R 28.78

72.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.68 R 27.69

12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$1.80 R 29.60

10.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.65 R 27.15

32.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.12 R 18.50

71.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.18 R 19.52

58.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.24 R 20.38

16.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$1.30 R 21.48

-2.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$3.35 R 55.3

55.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$5.01 R 82.6

222.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.53 R 25.21

24.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$1.92 R 31.66

119.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$1.37 R 22.65

-75.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$0.29 R 4.74

589.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$0.76 R 12.51

-31.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$14.36 R 237

-62.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.57 R 25.85

-3.18%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$35.7K R 587.4K

-38.08%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$35.5K R 584.4K

-30.91%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$156 R 2,569

-60.84%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$38.00 R 626

-24.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$37.12 R 612

-7.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$32.65 R 538

72.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$10.92 R 180

127.84%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$7.33 R 121

-9.14%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$91.7 R 1,510

365.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$5,457 R 89.9K

113.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$54.3 R 895

24.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$32.82 R 541

58.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$94.2 R 1,553

12.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$82.6 R 1,360

36.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$403 R 6,638

154.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$324 R 5,336

101.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$708 R 11.7K

226.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$841 R 13.8K

47.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$839 R 13.8K

330.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$602 R 9,912

221.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$1,466 R 24.2K

-34.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

11.34

-0.35%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Secunda: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Secunda

$324 31.5% 50.5% $330

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Secunda

$191 18.6% 40% $127

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Secunda

$106 10.3% 48% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Secunda

$119 11.6% 22% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Secunda

$231 22.5% 86.2% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Secunda

$47 4.6% 32.1% $22

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Secunda

$9.6 * 0.9% 62.6% $16

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 $1,025 in Mexico City and $403 in Secunda. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Secunda pays 52% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $31.00 in Secunda for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $191 per month, with Secunda cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇿🇦 Secunda

🕒 Local time

09:16 9:16 AM

17:16 5:16 PM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

40,198

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Secunda 14,700 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Secunda

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 Secunda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Secunda differ by about 51% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $1,027 including rent). Secunda is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 52% lower in Secunda. 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: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $403 in Secunda. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $91.7 in Secunda. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Secunda – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $49.00 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,027 in Secunda versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Secunda but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Secunda 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.

Expats usually find Secunda gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.