Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ndola and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Ndola: $719 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Ndola
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Ndola Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Ndola

🇿🇲 Zambia

$719

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ndola 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 Ndola and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $719 in Ndola versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Ndola $719
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,721 in Ndola versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Ndola $1,721
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,723 in Ndola versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Ndola $2,723
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Ndola costs roughly 54% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ndola is 47% below, Mexico City is 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.58 ZMW 111

$11.02 MX$204

-49.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.02 ZMW 597

$48.68 MX$900

-38.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.00 ZMW 99.4

$10.90 MX$201

-54.13%

Cappuccino

$2.76 ZMW 54.8

$3.68 MX$68.1

-25.00%

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

$0.52 ZMW 10.25

$1.63 MX$30.18

-68.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 ZMW 4.73

$1.25 MX$23.07

-80.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ZMW 24.31

$3.25 MX$60.1

-62.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ZMW 44.02

$5.53 MX$102

-60.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ZMW 32.92

$1.70 MX$31.50

-2.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 ZMW 23.56

$3.02 MX$55.8

-60.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 ZMW 42.31

$1.92 MX$35.53

10.94%

Eggs

$1.56 ZMW 31.07

$2.73 MX$50.5

-42.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.15 ZMW 202

$11.77 MX$218

-13.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.18 ZMW 123

$9.53 MX$176

-35.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.71 ZMW 133

$14.41 MX$266

-53.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.47 ZMW 29.27

$3.02 MX$55.8

-51.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 ZMW 48.00

$1.89 MX$35.01

27.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.74 ZMW 74.3

$1.99 MX$36.70

87.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ZMW 30.72

$2.19 MX$40.38

-29.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 ZMW 50.4

$1.92 MX$35.43

31.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 ZMW 35.84

$1.87 MX$34.49

-3.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ZMW 21.93

$1.44 MX$26.62

-23.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ZMW 11.60

$1.27 MX$23.39

-54.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.09 ZMW 61.5

$5.22 MX$96.4

-40.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.83 ZMW 196

$16.17 MX$299

-39.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 ZMW 28.97

$1.90 MX$35.03

-23.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 ZMW 46.73

$4.22 MX$78.0

-44.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 ZMW 14.29

$0.34 MX$6.30

111.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 ZMW 51.2

$2.00 MX$36.90

28.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 ZMW 30.41

$0.52 MX$9.67

194.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 ZMW 100

$5.34 MX$98.7

-5.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ZMW 26.78

$1.52 MX$28.13

-11.18%

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

$7,392 ZMW 147.0K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

-66.52%

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

$26.9K ZMW 534.7K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

9.69%

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

$80.2 ZMW 1,596

$61.1 MX$1,129

31.39%

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

$10.45 ZMW 208

$28.58 MX$528

-63.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.2 ZMW 1,098

$34.47 MX$637

60.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.04 ZMW 120

$6.66 MX$123

-9.31%

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

$135 ZMW 2,692

$427 MX$7,891

-68.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K ZMW 324.7K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

40.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.64 ZMW 470

$67.8 MX$1,253

-65.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.39 ZMW 306

$52.0 MX$960

-70.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.69 ZMW 909

$106 MX$1,959

-56.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.4 ZMW 1,421

$113 MX$2,080

-36.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$177 ZMW 3,526

$1,025 MX$18.9K

-82.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 ZMW 2,948

$654 MX$12.1K

-77.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 ZMW 7,365

$2,308 MX$42.7K

-83.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,482 ZMW 29.5K

$1,242 MX$22.9K

19.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$596 ZMW 11.9K

$964 MX$17.8K

-38.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

156.64%

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

Last update for Ndola: October 18, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ndola

$223 31.1%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 42.4% $95

Accommodation & Living

Ndola

$148 20.6%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 341% $506

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ndola

$146 20.3%

Mexico City

$124 8% 14.9% $22

Eating Out

Ndola

$106 14.8%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 91.9% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Ndola

$70 9.8%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 117% $82

Getting Around

Ndola

$13 * 1.8%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 95.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Ndola

$12 * 1.7%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 477% $58

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 $177 in Ndola and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 62% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $30.00 in Ndola vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $223 vs $318 per month, with Ndola cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇲 Ndola

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

12:25 12:25 PM

04:25 4:25 AM

8 h behind Ndola

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

455,194

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZMW = 5.03 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ZMW – Zambian Kwacha Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇲 Zambian Kwacha (ZK)

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 19.89 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.03 USD). 1 EUR = 22.36 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to ZMW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ndola Mexico City 14,410 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Ndola
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

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

Ndola and Mexico City differ by about 115% in total monthly costs ($719 vs $1,548 including rent). Ndola is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 62% 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: $177 in Ndola versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $135 in Ndola versus $427 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ndola – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $49.00 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $719 in Ndola versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ndola but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Ndola 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.

Expats usually find Ndola gentler on the wallet – expenses run 115% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.