Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Windhoek

For one person, living is cheaper in Windhoek: $1,182 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mexico City, Mexico
Windhoek, Namibia
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
Windhoek
🇳🇦 Namibia
$1,182
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,182 in Windhoek.

  • Mexico City $1,608
  • Windhoek $1,182

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,028 in Windhoek.

  • Mexico City $2,549
  • Windhoek $2,028

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,875 in Windhoek.

  • Mexico City $3,490
  • Windhoek $2,875

Living in Mexico City is roughly 36% more expensive than in Windhoek, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Windhoek is 13% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Windhoek
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.62 MX$200
$11.47 NAD 192
-7.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.35 MX$909
$64.4 NAD 1,076
-24.91%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.35 MX$194
$6.05 NAD 101
71.07%
Cappuccino
$3.69 MX$69.4
$2.28 NAD 38.09
61.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 MX$31.32
$0.86 NAD 14.42
94.19%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.78
$0.92 NAD 15.42
38.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.19 MX$60.0
$1.92 NAD 32.14
66.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.31 MX$99.7
$2.09 NAD 34.88
154.07%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Windhoek
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 MX$32.41
$1.57 NAD 26.30
9.55%
White Bread (500g)
$3.04 MX$57.1
$0.88 NAD 14.73
245.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.48
$1.96 NAD 32.68
-1.02%
Eggs
$2.89 MX$54.3
$3.14 NAD 52.4
-7.96%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.97 MX$206
$9.44 NAD 158
16.21%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.25 MX$174
$6.87 NAD 115
34.64%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.13 MX$284
$7.66 NAD 128
97.52%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 MX$57.3
$2.14 NAD 35.80
42.52%
Banana (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.48
$1.98 NAD 33.06
-2.02%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$38.06
$1.79 NAD 29.88
13.41%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 MX$43.50
$1.99 NAD 33.19
16.08%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 MX$38.25
$1.94 NAD 32.39
5.15%
Onion (1kg)
$1.80 MX$33.83
$1.80 NAD 30.01
-
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 MX$27.80
$1.96 NAD 32.78
-24.49%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.82
$1.07 NAD 17.81
18.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.30 MX$99.7
$3.35 NAD 56.0
58.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.10 MX$303
$6.48 NAD 108
148.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 MX$37.27
$1.43 NAD 23.91
38.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 MX$79.9
$1.38 NAD 23.13
207.97%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Windhoek
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 MX$5.73
$0.80 NAD 13.30
-61.25%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.73 MX$371
$48.86 NAD 816
-59.62%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.84 MX$34.53
$0.75 NAD 12.58
145.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 MX$10.03
$0.94 NAD 15.73
-43.62%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.30 MX$99.5
$15.38 NAD 257
-65.54%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.51 MX$28.39
$1.40 NAD 23.37
7.86%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K MX$408.8K
$24.6K NAD 410.2K
-11.41%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$450.8K
$31.7K NAD 529.2K
-24.28%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Windhoek
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$63.0 MX$1,184
$138 NAD 2,313
-54.52%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.39 MX$515
$26.65 NAD 445
2.78%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.67 MX$670
$49.49 NAD 827
-27.92%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Windhoek
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.9 MX$1,108
$36.77 NAD 614
60.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.64 MX$444
$10.40 NAD 174
127.31%
Cinema Ticket
$6.40 MX$120
$5.29 NAD 88.3
20.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Windhoek
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$432 MX$8,111
$210 NAD 3,516
105.06%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.4K MX$214.7K
$5,340 NAD 89.2K
113.90%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Windhoek
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.2 MX$1,282
$54.2 NAD 905
25.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.1 MX$999
$34.80 NAD 581
52.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 MX$2,026
$88.4 NAD 1,476
21.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 MX$2,204
$94.4 NAD 1,578
24.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Windhoek
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,113 MX$20.9K
$502 NAD 8,384
121.86%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$710 MX$13.4K
$358 NAD 5,986
98.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,588 MX$48.6K
$1,456 NAD 24.3K
77.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,406 MX$26.4K
$974 NAD 16.3K
44.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,631 MX$68.2K
$1,617 NAD 27.0K
124.55%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,135 MX$40.1K
$608 NAD 10.2K
251.04%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Windhoek
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$946 MX$17.8K
$997 NAD 16.7K
-5.10%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.35
11.42
-0.61%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Windhoek: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$710
Windhoek
$358 49.6% $352
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$320
Windhoek
$223 30.1% $96
Eating Out
Mexico City
$199
Windhoek
$158 20.3% $40
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$156
Windhoek
$122 21.5% $34
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$126
Windhoek
$215 70.3% $89
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$72
Windhoek
$47 34% $24
Getting Around
Mexico City
$25
Windhoek
$58 126% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $502 in Windhoek. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Windhoek pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $64 in Windhoek. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $223, with Windhoek cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇳🇦 Windhoek
🕒 Local time
23:35 11:35 PM
07:35 7:35 AM
8 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
322,500 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

NAD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Namibian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 16.71 NAD (100 NAD = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.65 NAD (100 NAD = 5.36 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Windhoek 13,430 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Windhoek

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 Windhoek: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Mexico City and in Windhoek?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,182 in Windhoek, so Windhoek is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Mexico City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Mexico City and in Windhoek?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $502 in Windhoek. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in Mexico City and in Windhoek?
A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 60% less than in Windhoek. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Mexico City and Windhoek?
Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $210 in Windhoek. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city is feasible on a $1,000 budget?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Windhoek is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
How does quality of life compare between Mexico City and Windhoek?
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.

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