Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Wollongong

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,467 in Wollongong, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 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
119

Cost of Living Index in Wollongong
Learn more

Wollongong Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Wollongong

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,467

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $2,467 in Wollongong.

Mexico City $1,608
Wollongong $2,467

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $3,619 in Wollongong.

Mexico City $2,549
Wollongong $3,619

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $4,772 in Wollongong.

Mexico City $3,490
Wollongong $4,772

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 35% less than in Wollongong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Wollongong 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$17.38 A$24.62

-38.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$83.8 A$119

-42.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$10.66 A$15.10

-2.91%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$3.47 A$4.92

6.34%

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

$1.67 MX$31.05

$3.03 A$4.30

-44.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.58

$2.28 A$3.23

-44.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$7.17 A$10.16

-55.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$7.05 A$9.99

-24.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$1.19 A$1.68

44.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$2.97 A$4.21

2.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$2.21 A$3.13

-12.22%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$3.96 A$5.61

-27.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$10.35 A$14.66

5.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$9.43 A$13.36

-1.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$15.68 A$22.22

-3.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.91 A$4.12

4.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$2.54 A$3.60

-23.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.73

$3.34 A$4.73

-39.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.12

$4.71 A$6.67

-50.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.91

$2.31 A$3.28

-11.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.53

$2.58 A$3.66

-30.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.56

$2.54 A$3.59

-41.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.62

$1.34 A$1.90

-5.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.8

$45.34 A$64.2

-88.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$13.90 A$19.70

15.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.95

$4.48 A$6.35

-55.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$4.87 A$6.90

-12.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

$2.35 A$3.32

-86.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$138 A$196

-85.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$3.98 A$5.64

-53.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$1.56 A$2.21

-66.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$43.53 A$61.7

-87.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.14

$1.33 A$1.89

13.53%

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

$21.8K MX$405.3K

$28.5K A$40.4K

-23.80%

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

$24.0K MX$446.9K

$24.8K A$35.1K

-3.24%

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

$63.0 MX$1,173

$186 A$263

-66.09%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$26.37 A$37.36

3.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$49.87 A$70.7

-28.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

$61.3 A$86.9

-3.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$13.78 A$19.52

71.55%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$13.51 A$19.14

-52.63%

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

$432 MX$8,041

$2,193 A$3,107

-80.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.8K

$20.3K A$28.7K

-43.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,271

$70.8 A$100

-3.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$55.8 A$79.0

-4.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,008

$106 A$151

1.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,185

$110 A$156

6.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$1,400 A$1,984

-20.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$1,162 A$1,646

-38.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$2,398 A$3,397

7.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$1,833 A$2,597

-23.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

$4,469 A$6,330

-18.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$3,568 A$5,055

-40.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$5,107 A$7,234

-81.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

5.23

117.02%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Wollongong: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Wollongong

$1.2K 47.1% 63.6% $452

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Wollongong

$357 14.5% 11.6% $37

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Wollongong

$284 11.5% 42.9% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Wollongong

$155 6.3% 0.9% $1.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Wollongong

$262 10.6% 108% $136

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Wollongong

$88 3.6% 23.2% $17

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Wollongong

$159 6.5% 526% $134

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $1,400 in Wollongong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wollongong pays about 5.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $84 in Wollongong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $357 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇦🇺 Wollongong

🕒 Local time

07:05 7:05 AM

00:05 12:05 AM

17 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

280,153

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.633 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.706 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.633 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Wollongong 13,010 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Wollongong

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 Wollongong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $2,467 in Wollongong, so Mexico City is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 81% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $1,400 in Wollongong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 86% less than in Wollongong. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $2,193 in Wollongong. 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.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Wollongong. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.