Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Upper Hutt

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,952 in Upper Hutt, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Upper Hutt
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Upper Hutt Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Upper Hutt

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,952

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Upper Hutt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,952 in Upper Hutt.

Mexico City $1,608
Upper Hutt $1,952

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,954 in Upper Hutt.

Mexico City $2,549
Upper Hutt $2,954

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $3,956 in Upper Hutt.

Mexico City $3,490
Upper Hutt $3,956

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 18% less than in Upper Hutt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Upper Hutt 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$8.58 NZ$15.24

23.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$57.9 NZ$103

-16.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$8.66 NZ$15.37

19.52%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$2.92 NZ$5.18

26.37%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$2.39 NZ$4.25

-30.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$1.74 NZ$3.09

-27.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$7.58 NZ$13.46

-57.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$6.64 NZ$11.79

-20.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$1.86 NZ$3.31

-7.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$2.18 NZ$3.86

39.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$1.86 NZ$3.31

4.30%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$7.09 NZ$12.58

-59.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$5.51 NZ$9.78

99.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$9.62 NZ$17.08

-3.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$15.38 NZ$27.30

-1.63%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$3.17 NZ$5.63

-3.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$2.26 NZ$4.02

-14.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$3.14 NZ$5.58

-35.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$6.41 NZ$11.38

-63.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$2.17 NZ$3.85

-5.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$1.30 NZ$2.31

38.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$2.08 NZ$3.69

-28.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$1.15 NZ$2.05

10.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$25.44 NZ$45.17

-79.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$11.31 NZ$20.09

42.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$3.19 NZ$5.67

-37.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$2.77 NZ$4.92

53.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$1.89 NZ$3.36

-83.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$105 NZ$187

-81.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$1.82 NZ$3.23

1.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$1.84 NZ$3.27

-71.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$34.32 NZ$60.9

-84.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$1.83 NZ$3.24

-17.49%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$28.5K NZ$50.6K

-23.68%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$23.2K NZ$41.2K

3.44%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$113 NZ$201

-44.46%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$25.35 NZ$45.01

8.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$54.8 NZ$97.2

-34.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$42.80 NZ$76.0

37.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$12.16 NZ$21.59

-47.37%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$1,064 NZ$1,890

-59.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

-14.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$78.6 NZ$140

-13.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$28.83 NZ$51.2

84.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$104 NZ$185

3.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$156 NZ$276

-24.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$1,057 NZ$1,877

5.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$869 NZ$1,542

-18.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$1,498 NZ$2,659

72.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$1,531 NZ$2,719

-8.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$4,193 NZ$7,444

-13.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$3,357 NZ$5,960

-36.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

5.39

110.58%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Upper Hutt: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Upper Hutt

$869 44.5% 22.3% $158

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Upper Hutt

$336 17.2% 5.3% $17

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Upper Hutt

$197 10.1% 0.6% $1.3

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Upper Hutt

$165 8.5% 6% $9.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Upper Hutt

$194 9.9% 53.5% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Upper Hutt

$67 3.4% 6.4% $4.6

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Upper Hutt

$124 6.3% 386% $98

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $1,057 in Upper Hutt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $58 in Upper Hutt for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $336 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇳🇿 Upper Hutt

🕒 Local time

19:41 7:41 PM

14:41 2:41 PM

19 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

44,600

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Upper Hutt 11,070 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Upper Hutt

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 Upper Hutt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,952 in Upper Hutt, so Mexico City is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $2,928 in Upper Hutt 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $1,057 in Upper Hutt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 81% less than in Upper Hutt. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $1,064 in Upper Hutt. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City 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.