Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Waihi

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,922 in Waihi, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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 Waihi
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Waihi Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Waihi

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,922

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,922 in Waihi.

Mexico City $1,608
Waihi $1,922

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,966 in Waihi.

Mexico City $2,549
Waihi $2,966

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $4,010 in Waihi.

Mexico City $3,490
Waihi $4,010

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 16% less than in Waihi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Waihi 41% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$12.46 NZ$22.12

-14.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$66.5 NZ$118

-27.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$10.30 NZ$18.28

0.49%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$3.27 NZ$5.81

12.84%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$2.29 NZ$4.07

-27.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$1.88 NZ$3.33

-32.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$7.02 NZ$12.46

-54.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$6.34 NZ$11.25

-16.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$2.05 NZ$3.63

-16.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$2.09 NZ$3.70

45.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$1.75 NZ$3.10

10.86%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$6.56 NZ$11.65

-55.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$8.02 NZ$14.23

36.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$8.37 NZ$14.86

10.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$13.24 NZ$23.51

14.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$2.42 NZ$4.29

26.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$2.43 NZ$4.32

-20.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$3.46 NZ$6.15

-41.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$5.45 NZ$9.68

-57.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$2.19 NZ$3.89

-6.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$1.29 NZ$2.28

39.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$1.99 NZ$3.53

-25.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$1.23 NZ$2.19

3.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$22.43 NZ$39.81

-76.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$8.51 NZ$15.10

89.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$3.06 NZ$5.44

-35.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$2.91 NZ$5.16

46.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$1.75 NZ$3.10

-82.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$91.9 NZ$163

-78.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$1.93 NZ$3.43

-4.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$1.91 NZ$3.40

-72.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$27.33 NZ$48.51

-80.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$1.46 NZ$2.60

3.42%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$26.4K NZ$46.8K

-17.56%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$22.7K NZ$40.3K

5.56%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$98.2 NZ$174

-35.86%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$32.20 NZ$57.2

-14.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$56.7 NZ$101

-37.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$38.41 NZ$68.2

53.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$10.15 NZ$18.03

-36.95%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$637 NZ$1,131

-32.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$15.9K NZ$28.2K

-28.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$56.8 NZ$101

20.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$36.02 NZ$64.0

47.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$79.8 NZ$142

35.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$124 NZ$220

-5.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$1,043 NZ$1,852

6.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$880 NZ$1,563

-19.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$1,835 NZ$3,258

41.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$1,618 NZ$2,873

-13.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$4,648 NZ$8,251

-21.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$3,823 NZ$6,788

-44.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

5.83

94.68%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Waihi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Waihi

$880 45.8% 23.9% $170

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Waihi

$318 16.6% 0.5% $1.5

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Waihi

$234 12.2% 17.9% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Waihi

$133 6.9% 14.5% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Waihi

$187 9.7% 48.5% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Waihi

$59 3.1% 18.2% $13

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Waihi

$110 5.8% 334% $85

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $1,043 in Waihi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $66 in Waihi. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $318, with Waihi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇳🇿 Waihi

🕒 Local time

12:24 12:24 PM

07:24 7:24 AM

19 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

4,700

💱 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 1, 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 1, 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

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Between locations

Mexico City Waihi 10,880 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Waihi

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 Waihi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,922 in Waihi, so Mexico City is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $2,883 in Waihi 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 $1,043 in Waihi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $637 in Waihi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $48 versus $66 in Waihi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.