Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Middelburg, South Africa and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Middelburg: $1,099 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Middelburg
Learn more

Middelburg Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Middelburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,099

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Middelburg and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,099 in Middelburg versus $1,674 in Mexico City.

Middelburg $1,099
Mexico City $1,674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,695 in Middelburg versus $2,606 in Mexico City.

Middelburg $1,695
Mexico City $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,291 in Middelburg versus $3,537 in Mexico City.

Middelburg $2,291
Mexico City $3,537

Living in Middelburg costs roughly 34% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Middelburg is 19% below, Mexico City is 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.53 R 158

$10.59 MX$199

-10.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.98 R 597

$52.0 MX$978

-30.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.87 R 97.3

$10.73 MX$202

-45.29%

Cappuccino

$1.29 R 21.44

$3.80 MX$71.4

-66.05%

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

$0.83 R 13.70

$1.61 MX$30.35

-48.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 R 10.63

$1.21 MX$22.81

-47.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 R 19.44

$3.18 MX$59.8

-63.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 R 25.22

$5.44 MX$102

-72.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.37

$1.72 MX$32.32

-31.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 R 17.29

$2.97 MX$55.8

-64.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.29

$1.93 MX$36.24

-24.35%

Eggs

$1.70 R 28.24

$2.77 MX$52.2

-38.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.76 R 95.6

$11.67 MX$220

-50.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.96 R 82.3

$9.48 MX$178

-47.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.60 R 110

$15.37 MX$289

-57.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.58

$3.10 MX$58.4

-46.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 R 17.94

$1.96 MX$36.90

-44.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.12 R 18.58

$1.98 MX$37.30

-43.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.24 R 20.52

$2.34 MX$43.95

-47.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.62

$2.02 MX$38.08

-14.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 R 20.45

$1.82 MX$34.34

-32.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 R 20.55

$1.54 MX$29.06

-19.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 R 17.24

$1.31 MX$24.70

-20.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.39 R 39.71

$5.35 MX$101

-55.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.80 R 79.6

$16.19 MX$305

-70.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 R 29.24

$1.96 MX$36.87

-10.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 R 34.14

$4.35 MX$81.9

-52.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 R 23.60

$0.30 MX$5.74

373.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.88 R 711

$19.49 MX$367

120.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 R 15.59

$1.92 MX$36.08

-51.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 R 12.35

$0.47 MX$8.90

57.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.57 R 192

$5.41 MX$102

113.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R 22.13

$1.48 MX$27.92

-10.14%

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

$34.3K R 568.5K

$21.4K MX$402.2K

60.33%

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

$31.9K R 529.5K

$23.8K MX$447.1K

34.34%

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

$151 R 2,508

$62.0 MX$1,167

143.86%

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

$35.28 R 585

$28.47 MX$536

23.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.41 R 621

$34.11 MX$642

9.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.36 R 537

$58.4 MX$1,099

-44.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.35 R 205

$24.50 MX$461

-49.59%

Cinema Ticket

$6.25 R 104

$6.59 MX$124

-5.16%

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

$236 R 3,912

$434 MX$8,172

-45.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,077 R 100.8K

$14.0K MX$264.1K

-56.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 R 881

$68.4 MX$1,286

-22.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.79 R 527

$54.8 MX$1,031

-41.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 R 1,640

$111 MX$2,086

-10.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 R 1,440

$116 MX$2,183

-25.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,602

$1,179 MX$22.2K

-66.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 R 5,995

$771 MX$14.5K

-53.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 R 11.9K

$2,570 MX$48.4K

-72.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$728 R 12.1K

$1,420 MX$26.7K

-48.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$757 R 12.6K

$3,586 MX$67.5K

-78.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$670 R 11.1K

$2,064 MX$38.8K

-67.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,193 R 19.8K

$1,003 MX$18.9K

18.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.92

11.35

-3.79%

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

Last update for Middelburg: October 31, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Middelburg

$361 32.9%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 113% $410

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Middelburg

$224 20.4%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 44.3% $99

Groceries & Markets

Middelburg

$170 15.4%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 90.7% $154

Eating Out

Middelburg

$124 11.3%

Mexico City

$201 12% 61.6% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Middelburg

$122 11.1%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 29.4% $36

Getting Around

Middelburg

$53 4.8%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 53.1% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Middelburg

$45 4.1%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 59.6% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $398 in Middelburg and $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Middelburg pays 19% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $36 in Middelburg vs $52 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $170 vs $324 per month, with Middelburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Middelburg

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

20:27 8:27 PM

12:27 12:27 PM

8 h behind Middelburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

87,348

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Middelburg Mexico City 14,720 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Middelburg
Mexico City

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

Middelburg vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,099 in Middelburg and $1,674 in Mexico City, so Middelburg is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 19% higher in Middelburg, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $398 in Middelburg versus $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 55% less than in Middelburg. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $236 in Middelburg versus $434 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Middelburg 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.