Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Stilbaai

For one person, living is cheaper in Stilbaai: $1,102 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Stilbaai
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Stilbaai Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Stilbaai

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,102

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $1,102 in Stilbaai.

Mexico City $1,674
Stilbaai $1,102

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,838 in Stilbaai.

Mexico City $2,606
Stilbaai $1,838

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $2,574 in Stilbaai.

Mexico City $3,537
Stilbaai $2,574

Living in Mexico City is roughly 52% more expensive than in Stilbaai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Stilbaai is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$11.99 R 198

-11.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$976

$43.94 R 724

18.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$201

$6.14 R 101

74.76%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.3

$2.41 R 39.67

57.68%

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

$1.61 MX$30.28

$1.32 R 21.68

21.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.76

$0.99 R 16.37

22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.7

$3.09 R 50.8

2.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$3.59 R 59.1

51.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.26

$1.36 R 22.41

26.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.7

$1.25 R 20.61

137.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.17

$2.13 R 35.13

-9.39%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.1

$3.08 R 50.8

-10.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$219

$8.83 R 146

32.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$6.75 R 111

40.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$9.73 R 160

57.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.3

$1.83 R 30.17

69.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.82

$1.88 R 30.90

4.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.22

$1.69 R 27.77

17.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.86

$2.14 R 35.33

9.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.00

$1.50 R 24.67

34.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.26

$1.54 R 25.35

18.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.00

$1.29 R 21.28

19.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.64

$1.18 R 19.49

11.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$100

$3.58 R 59.0

49.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$304

$5.95 R 98.0

172.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.79

$1.38 R 22.74

42.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.7

$2.19 R 36.15

98.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.72

$1.64 R 26.97

-81.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$366

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.01

$0.94 R 15.57

104.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.88

$0.84 R 13.87

-44.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$5.09 R 83.9

6.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.86

$1.56 R 25.64

-5.13%

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

$21.4K MX$401.4K

$34.3K R 565.7K

-37.74%

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

$23.8K MX$446.1K

$34.2K R 563.2K

-30.49%

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

$62.0 MX$1,164

$118 R 1,940

-47.34%

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

$28.47 MX$535

$25.60 R 422

11.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$641

$40.19 R 662

-15.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,097

$33.77 R 556

72.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$460

$10.44 R 172

134.67%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$8.93 R 147

-26.20%

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

$434 MX$8,155

$301 R 4,958

44.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$263.6K

$8,205 R 135.2K

71.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,284

$56.4 R 929

21.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,029

$32.06 R 528

70.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,082

$120 R 1,985

-7.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,178

$104 R 1,712

11.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.1K

$390 R 6,427

202.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$315 R 5,190

144.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.3K

$778 R 12.8K

230.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

$813 R 13.4K

74.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.3K

$850 R 14.0K

321.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

$750 R 12.4K

175.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

10.89

4.22%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Stilbaai: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Stilbaai

$315 28.6% 59.1% $456

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Stilbaai

$224 20.4% 30.6% $99

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Stilbaai

$175 15.9% 12.7% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Stilbaai

$141 12.8% 10.6% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Stilbaai

$184 16.7% 47.3% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Stilbaai

$52 4.7% 27.9% $20

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Stilbaai

$12 * 1.1% 53.2% $13

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 $1,179 in Mexico City and $390 in Stilbaai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $44 in Stilbaai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $224 per month, with Stilbaai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇿🇦 Stilbaai

🕒 Local time

06:26 6:26 AM

14:26 2:26 PM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

8,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

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

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Stilbaai 13,980 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Stilbaai

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 Stilbaai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $1,102 in Stilbaai, so Stilbaai is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,510 in Mexico City and $1,653 in Stilbaai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $390 in Stilbaai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $301 in Stilbaai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Stilbaai – 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.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Stilbaai gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.