Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Whanganui

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $1,854 in Whanganui, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Whanganui outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Whanganui
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Whanganui Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Whanganui

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $1,854 in Whanganui.

Mexico City $1,567
Whanganui $1,854

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $2,785 in Whanganui.

Mexico City $2,450
Whanganui $2,785

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $3,715 in Whanganui.

Mexico City $3,333
Whanganui $3,715

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 15% less than in Whanganui, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 16% above, Whanganui 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$12.16 NZ$21.51

-11.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$73.2 NZ$129

-31.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$8.24 NZ$14.58

34.71%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.30 NZ$5.83

11.52%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$2.17 NZ$3.84

-23.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$1.97 NZ$3.49

-34.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$5.62 NZ$9.93

-40.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$5.38 NZ$9.51

2.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.30 NZ$2.30

36.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$0.92 NZ$1.63

231.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$1.13 NZ$2.00

77.88%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$5.26 NZ$9.30

-47.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$5.62 NZ$9.95

111.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$7.40 NZ$13.08

26.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$11.62 NZ$20.56

29.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$2.28 NZ$4.03

35.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$1.94 NZ$3.43

0.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$1.88 NZ$3.32

7.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$3.44 NZ$6.08

-35.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$1.67 NZ$2.96

20.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$1.30 NZ$2.31

40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$2.12 NZ$3.74

-28.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$0.51 NZ$0.91

150.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$22.63 NZ$40.02

-76.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$9.81 NZ$17.35

64.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$2.46 NZ$4.36

-20.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$2.26 NZ$4.00

88.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$1.79 NZ$3.17

-82.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$86.1 NZ$152

-76.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$3.58 NZ$6.34

-44.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$1.72 NZ$3.04

-69.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$26.21 NZ$46.36

-78.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.61 NZ$2.85

-5.59%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$27.0K NZ$47.7K

-22.05%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$22.8K NZ$40.4K

10.33%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$197 NZ$349

-68.30%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$32.22 NZ$57.0

-10.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$47.49 NZ$84.0

-27.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$38.33 NZ$67.8

48.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$5.53 NZ$9.78

20.61%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$655 NZ$1,158

-34.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$22.6K NZ$40.0K

-48.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$61.8 NZ$109

14.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$38.24 NZ$67.6

35.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$94.0 NZ$166

15.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$105 NZ$186

6.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$960 NZ$1,697

9.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$828 NZ$1,464

-19.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$1,603 NZ$2,834

46.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$1,431 NZ$2,531

-14.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$5,235 NZ$9,259

-32.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$3,097 NZ$5,477

-36.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.8

66.18%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Whanganui: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Whanganui

$828 44.7% 24.5% $163

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Whanganui

$243 13.1% 24.7% $80

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Whanganui

$217 11.7% 6.9% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Whanganui

$135 7.3% 12.9% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Whanganui

$277 14.9% 120% $151

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Whanganui

$49 2.7% 29.9% $21

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Whanganui

$105 5.7% 309% $80

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,051 in Mexico City and $960 in Whanganui. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $73.0 in Whanganui. Groceries flip the comparison at $323 vs $243, with Whanganui cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇳🇿 Whanganui

🕒 Local time

13:28 1:28 PM

08:28 8:28 AM

19 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

42,300

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 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 October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Mexico City Whanganui 11,040 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Whanganui

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 Whanganui: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Whanganui differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($1,567 vs $1,854 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,351 in Mexico City and $2,781 in Whanganui 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: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $960 in Whanganui. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 334% less than in Whanganui. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $431 in Mexico City versus $655 in Whanganui. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $1,854 in Whanganui, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Whanganui. 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.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Whanganui are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Whanganui. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.