Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Welkom

For one person, living is cheaper in Welkom: $1,051 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Welkom
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Welkom Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Welkom

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,051

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $1,051 in Welkom.

Mexico City $1,674
Welkom $1,051

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,581 in Welkom.

Mexico City $2,606
Welkom $1,581

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $2,112 in Welkom.

Mexico City $3,537
Welkom $2,112

Living in Mexico City is roughly 59% more expensive than in Welkom, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Welkom is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$8.84 R 145

19.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$964

$20.76 R 340

150.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$199

$5.23 R 85.8

105.16%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.5

$2.29 R 37.53

65.94%

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

$1.61 MX$29.93

$0.50 R 8.20

222.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.49

$0.62 R 10.21

95.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.0

$1.22 R 19.97

160.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$1.46 R 23.93

272.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.88

$1.00 R 16.43

72.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.1

$1.01 R 16.55

194.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.74

$1.40 R 23.00

37.86%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.5

$1.79 R 29.26

54.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$6.48 R 106

80.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$4.44 R 72.7

113.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$285

$4.68 R 76.7

228.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.6

$1.54 R 25.28

101.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.39

$1.59 R 26.11

23.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.78

$1.77 R 29.07

11.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.34

$1.23 R 20.15

90.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.56

$1.12 R 18.42

80.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.86

$1.22 R 19.94

49.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.66

$0.87 R 14.24

77.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.35

$1.29 R 21.07

1.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.3

$2.37 R 38.77

125.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$300

$2.46 R 40.37

558.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.36

$1.54 R 25.15

27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.8

$1.76 R 28.84

147.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.66

$1.79 R 29.32

-83.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$362

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.58

$0.31 R 5.16

519.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.77

$0.82 R 13.38

-42.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$100

$14.74 R 241

-63.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.53

$1.58 R 25.85

-6.33%

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

$21.4K MX$396.6K

$35.3K R 578.8K

-39.50%

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

$23.8K MX$440.9K

$34.0K R 557.4K

-30.18%

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

$62.0 MX$1,151

$153 R 2,512

-59.56%

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

$28.47 MX$528

$36.34 R 595

-21.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$633

$36.25 R 594

-5.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,084

$31.57 R 517

84.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$455

$11.70 R 192

109.40%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$122

$7.37 R 121

-10.58%

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

$434 MX$8,059

$256 R 4,199

69.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$260.5K

$6,077 R 99.6K

130.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,269

$52.5 R 860

30.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,017

$31.62 R 518

73.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,057

$92.4 R 1,513

20.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,153

$82.7 R 1,355

40.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$392 R 6,420

200.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$364 R 5,957

112.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.7K

$726 R 11.9K

254.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.3K

$726 R 11.9K

95.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.5K

$715 R 11.7K

401.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.3K

$621 R 10.2K

232.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.34

0.09%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Welkom: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Welkom

$364 34.6% 52.8% $407

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Welkom

$160 15.2% 50.6% $164

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Welkom

$127 12.1% 36.5% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Welkom

$117 11.1% 26% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Welkom

$226 21.5% 81.3% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Welkom

$46 4.4% 35.3% $25

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Welkom

$12 * 1.1% 53.8% $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 $392 in Welkom. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $21 in Welkom for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $160 per month, with Welkom cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇿🇦 Welkom

🕒 Local time

07:34 7:34 AM

15:34 3:34 PM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

64,130

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.43 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.56 MXN (100 MXN = 5.39 USD). 1 EUR = 20.85 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.41 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Welkom 14,470 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Welkom

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 Welkom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $1,051 in Welkom, so Welkom is about 37% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,510 in Mexico City and $1,577 in Welkom 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 $392 in Welkom. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $256 in Welkom. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Welkom – a meal for two runs $21 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. Welkom 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.