Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Upington

For one person, living is cheaper in Upington: $1,094 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Upington
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Upington Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Upington

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,094

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $1,094 in Upington.

Mexico City $1,674
Upington $1,094

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,708 in Upington.

Mexico City $2,606
Upington $1,708

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $2,321 in Upington.

Mexico City $3,537
Upington $2,321

Living in Mexico City is roughly 53% more expensive than in Upington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Upington is 19% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$11.81 R 195

-10.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$976

$36.69 R 605

41.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$201

$5.79 R 95.4

85.32%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.3

$1.68 R 27.74

126.19%

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

$1.61 MX$30.28

$1.03 R 17.05

56.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.76

$0.70 R 11.59

72.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.7

$1.73 R 28.47

83.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$2.75 R 45.34

97.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.26

$0.93 R 15.38

84.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.7

$1.17 R 19.26

153.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.17

$1.66 R 27.32

16.27%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.1

$2.73 R 45.06

1.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$219

$8.17 R 135

42.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$4.55 R 74.9

108.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$8.30 R 137

85.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.3

$1.68 R 27.75

84.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.82

$1.80 R 29.65

8.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.22

$2.01 R 33.11

-1.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.86

$1.61 R 26.47

45.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.00

$1.53 R 25.19

32.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.26

$1.26 R 20.77

44.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.00

$1.30 R 21.44

18.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.64

$1.09 R 17.98

20.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$100

$2.69 R 44.32

98.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$304

$3.81 R 62.8

324.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.79

$1.34 R 22.13

46.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.7

$1.81 R 29.80

140.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.72

$1.61 R 26.55

-81.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$366

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.01

$0.85 R 13.93

125.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.88

$0.83 R 13.71

-43.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$11.98 R 197

-54.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.86

$1.52 R 24.98

-2.63%

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

$21.4K MX$401.4K

$39.7K R 653.4K

-46.10%

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

$23.8K MX$446.1K

$32.1K R 529.4K

-26.06%

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

$62.0 MX$1,164

$146 R 2,407

-57.56%

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

$28.47 MX$535

$30.89 R 509

-7.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$641

$36.70 R 605

-7.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,097

$32.48 R 535

79.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$460

$11.37 R 187

115.48%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$6.65 R 110

-0.90%

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

$434 MX$8,155

$102 R 1,676

326.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$263.6K

$6,021 R 99.2K

133.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,284

$51.4 R 848

32.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,029

$32.50 R 536

68.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,082

$89.9 R 1,482

23.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,178

$89.5 R 1,475

29.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.1K

$398 R 6,552

196.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$362 R 5,972

112.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.3K

$598 R 9,853

329.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

$743 R 12.2K

91.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.3K

$729 R 12.0K

392.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

$633 R 10.4K

226.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.8K

$780 R 12.8K

28.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.38

-0.26%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Upington: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Upington

$362 33.1% 53% $408

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Upington

$189 17.3% 41.5% $134

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Upington

$153 14% 23.7% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Upington

$119 10.8% 24.7% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Upington

$214 19.5% 71.5% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Upington

$46 4.2% 36% $26

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Upington

$11 * 1.1% 54.2% $14

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 $398 in Upington. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 29% 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: $52 in Mexico City vs $37 in Upington for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $189 per month, with Upington cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇿🇦 Upington

🕒 Local time

22:21 10:21 PM

06:21 6:21 AM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

74,834

💱 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 = 5.41 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 = 21.08 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 = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Upington 13,930 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Upington

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 Upington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $1,094 in Upington, so Upington is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 29% higher in Mexico City, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $398 in Upington. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $102 in Upington. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Upington – a meal for two runs $37 versus $52 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

It comes down to priorities – Upington wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.