Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Stellenbosch

For one person, living is cheaper in Stellenbosch: $1,174 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Stellenbosch
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Stellenbosch Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Stellenbosch

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,174

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,174 in Stellenbosch.

Mexico City $1,548
Stellenbosch $1,174

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $1,947 in Stellenbosch.

Mexico City $2,436
Stellenbosch $1,947

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $2,721 in Stellenbosch.

Mexico City $3,323
Stellenbosch $2,721

Living in Mexico City is roughly 32% more expensive than in Stellenbosch, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Stellenbosch is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$7.50 R 124

46.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$36.96 R 609

31.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$4.97 R 81.9

119.32%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.13 R 35.16

72.77%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.00 R 16.45

63.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.73 R 12.06

71.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$2.66 R 43.84

22.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$3.17 R 52.2

74.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.35 R 22.30

25.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.15 R 19.00

162.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.80 R 29.63

6.67%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.85 R 47.01

-4.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$8.75 R 144

34.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$5.94 R 97.9

60.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$7.50 R 124

92.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.75 R 28.90

72.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.48 R 24.42

27.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$1.73 R 28.56

15.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.54 R 25.45

42.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.08 R 17.86

77.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.56 R 25.77

19.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.36 R 22.37

5.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$1.19 R 19.54

6.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$3.75 R 61.8

39.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$6.13 R 101

163.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.35 R 22.30

40.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.16 R 35.56

95.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$0.60 R 9.87

233.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.49 R 24.55

-65.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$5.12 R 84.4

4.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.38 R 22.79

10.14%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$35.5K R 585.4K

-37.87%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$34.0K R 560.3K

-27.93%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$103 R 1,701

-40.85%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$29.34 R 483

-2.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$34.40 R 567

0.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$29.41 R 485

91.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$17.07 R 281

45.75%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$8.74 R 144

-23.80%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$266 R 4,381

60.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$2,413 R 39.8K

382.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$52.4 R 864

29.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$28.86 R 476

80.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$120 R 1,982

-11.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$89.6 R 1,476

25.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$677 R 11.2K

51.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$490 R 8,078

33.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$1,475 R 24.3K

56.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$1,196 R 19.7K

3.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$2,583 R 42.6K

-62.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

10.7

5.61%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Stellenbosch: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Stellenbosch

$490 41.8% 25.1% $164

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Stellenbosch

$204 17.4% 35.9% $114

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Stellenbosch

$127 10.8% 37.7% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Stellenbosch

$131 11.2% 13.9% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Stellenbosch

$167 14.2% 34.5% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Stellenbosch

$47 4% 32.7% $23

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Stellenbosch

$8.1 * 0.7% 68.6% $18

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 $677 in Stellenbosch. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stellenbosch pays 168% 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 $37.00 in Stellenbosch for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $204 per month, with Stellenbosch cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇿🇦 Stellenbosch

🕒 Local time

06:33 6:33 AM

14:33 2:33 PM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

19,068

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Mexico City Stellenbosch 13,740 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

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 Stellenbosch: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Stellenbosch differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $1,174 including rent). Stellenbosch is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 168% lower in Stellenbosch. 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 $677 in Stellenbosch. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $266 in Stellenbosch. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Stellenbosch – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $49.00 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,174 in Stellenbosch versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Stellenbosch but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Stellenbosch 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 Stellenbosch gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.