Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Sydney, NS

For one person, living costs are similar in Mexico City and in Sydney, NS: $1,548 and $1,614 a month, rent and utilities included.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sydney, NS
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Sydney, NS Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Sydney, NS

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Sydney, NS

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,614 in Sydney, NS.

Mexico City $1,548
Sydney, NS $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $2,535 in Sydney, NS.

Mexico City $2,436
Sydney, NS $2,535

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $3,456 in Sydney, NS.

Mexico City $3,323
Sydney, NS $3,456

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 4% less than in Sydney, NS, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 14% above, Sydney, NS 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$11.13 CA$15.74

-0.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$62.3 CA$88.0

-21.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$7.16 CA$10.12

52.23%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.87 CA$4.06

28.22%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$2.33 CA$3.30

-30.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$2.07 CA$2.92

-39.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$2.15 CA$3.04

-20.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.56 CA$3.61

17.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$2.41 CA$3.41

-20.33%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$3.32 CA$4.69

-17.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$6.27 CA$8.87

87.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$8.23 CA$11.63

15.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$12.99 CA$18.36

10.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$7.01 CA$9.91

-56.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.16 CA$1.63

62.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.38 CA$1.95

58.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$0.84 CA$1.18

128.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.90 CA$2.68

-1.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$6.30 CA$8.90

-77.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$17.78 CA$25.14

-70.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$4.18 CA$5.92

0.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$1.08 CA$1.53

-68.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$48.48 CA$68.5

-59.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$4.15 CA$5.87

-51.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.20 CA$1.70

26.67%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$25.7K CA$36.4K

-14.25%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$19.1K CA$27.1K

27.99%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$86.3 CA$122

-29.23%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$36.04 CA$51.0

-20.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$73.3 CA$104

-53.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$49.94 CA$70.6

12.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$3.45 CA$4.88

621.16%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$7.04 CA$9.96

-5.40%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$721 CA$1,020

-40.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$68.1 CA$96.3

-0.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$67.2 CA$95.1

-22.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$99.7 CA$141

6.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$105 CA$148

7.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$893 CA$1,262

14.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$724 CA$1,024

-9.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$1,753 CA$2,479

31.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$1,374 CA$1,943

-9.64%

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

$2,527 CA$3,573

-61.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

5.8

94.83%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Sydney, NS: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Sydney, NS

$724 44.9% 10.7% $70

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Sydney, NS

$258 * 16% 19% $60

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Sydney, NS

$163 * 10.1% 20.2% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Sydney, NS

$153 9.5% 0.5% $0.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Sydney, NS

$196 12.1% 57.7% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Sydney, NS

$64 4% 8.1% $5.7

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Sydney, NS

$57 * 3.5% 122% $31

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 $893 in Sydney, NS. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney, NS pays 162% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $62.0 in Sydney, NS. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $258, with Sydney, NS cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇦 Sydney, NS

🕒 Local time

17:15 5:15 PM

20:15 8:15 PM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

30,960

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, 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).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Sydney, NS 4,620 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Sydney, NS

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 Sydney, NS: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Sydney, NS differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $1,614 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 162% lower in Sydney, NS. 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 $893 in Sydney, NS. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 147% less than in Sydney, NS. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $721 in Sydney, NS. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,614 in Sydney, NS, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Sydney, NS. 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.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Sydney, NS. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.