Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oamaru and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,809 in Oamaru, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Oamaru
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Oamaru Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Oamaru

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,809

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,809 in Oamaru versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Oamaru $1,809
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,753 in Oamaru versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Oamaru $2,753
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,698 in Oamaru versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Oamaru $3,698
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Oamaru is roughly 13% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Oamaru 33% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 NZ$25.67

$10.62 MX$199

36.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 NZ$121

$48.35 MX$908

41.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.20 NZ$16.33

$10.35 MX$194

-11.11%

Cappuccino

$3.35 NZ$5.94

$3.69 MX$69.3

-9.21%

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

$2.30 NZ$4.09

$1.67 MX$31.29

37.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 NZ$3.15

$1.27 MX$23.76

40.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.64 NZ$11.79

$3.19 MX$59.9

108.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.97 NZ$12.37

$5.31 MX$99.6

31.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 NZ$3.08

$1.72 MX$32.38

0.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 NZ$2.34

$3.04 MX$57.1

-56.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 NZ$2.60

$1.94 MX$36.44

-24.23%

Eggs

$5.53 NZ$9.82

$2.89 MX$54.2

91.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.53 NZ$13.36

$10.97 MX$206

-31.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.85 NZ$15.72

$9.25 MX$174

-4.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.64 NZ$24.21

$15.13 MX$284

-9.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 NZ$4.25

$3.05 MX$57.2

-21.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 NZ$3.73

$1.94 MX$36.45

8.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 NZ$4.70

$2.03 MX$38.02

30.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.91 NZ$5.17

$2.31 MX$43.46

25.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 NZ$2.67

$2.04 MX$38.21

-26.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 NZ$2.47

$1.80 MX$33.79

-22.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 NZ$3.68

$1.48 MX$27.77

39.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 NZ$1.16

$1.27 MX$23.80

-48.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.01 NZ$42.63

$5.30 MX$99.6

353.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.66 NZ$10.05

$16.10 MX$302

-64.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.42 NZ$6.08

$1.98 MX$37.23

72.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 NZ$7.89

$4.25 MX$79.8

4.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 NZ$3.63

$0.31 MX$5.73

561.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 NZ$191

$19.73 MX$371

444.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 NZ$4.58

$1.84 MX$34.50

40.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 NZ$3.06

$0.53 MX$10.02

224.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.67 NZ$50.9

$5.30 MX$99.4

440.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 NZ$2.88

$1.51 MX$28.36

7.28%

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

$28.8K NZ$51.2K

$21.8K MX$408.4K

32.54%

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

$23.7K NZ$42.1K

$24.0K MX$450.3K

-1.04%

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

$157 NZ$279

$63.0 MX$1,182

149.41%

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

$20.20 NZ$35.86

$27.39 MX$514

-26.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.97 NZ$79.8

$35.67 MX$670

26.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.17 NZ$69.6

$58.9 MX$1,107

-33.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$10.03 NZ$17.81

$6.40 MX$120

56.72%

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

$677 NZ$1,202

$432 MX$8,103

56.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.4K NZ$39.7K

$11.4K MX$214.5K

95.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 NZ$102

$68.2 MX$1,281

-15.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.36 NZ$30.83

$53.1 MX$997

-67.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.93 NZ$81.6

$108 MX$2,023

-57.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.0 NZ$90.6

$117 MX$2,202

-56.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,042 NZ$1,850

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-6.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$799 NZ$1,419

$710 MX$13.3K

12.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,588 NZ$2,820

$2,588 MX$48.6K

-38.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,426 NZ$2,531

$1,406 MX$26.4K

1.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,866 NZ$8,638

$3,631 MX$68.2K

34.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,783 NZ$6,716

$2,135 MX$40.1K

77.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,950 NZ$3,462

$946 MX$17.8K

106.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

11.35

-47.93%

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

Last update for Oamaru: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oamaru

$799 44.2%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 11.1% $89

Groceries & Markets

Oamaru

$277 15.3%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 15.5% $43

Eating Out

Oamaru

$247 13.7%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 19.6% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oamaru

$222 12.3%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 43.3% $96

Getting Around

Oamaru

$127 7%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 79.9% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Oamaru

$77 4.3%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 102% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Oamaru

$59 3.3%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 21.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,042 in Oamaru and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oamaru pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Oamaru vs $48 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $277 vs $320, with Oamaru cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Oamaru

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

11:38 11:38 AM

16:38 4:38 PM

19 h behind Oamaru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,850

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Oamaru Mexico City 11,520 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Oamaru
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,809 in Oamaru and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Mexico City is about 11% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Oamaru is about 2.1 times higher, 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: $1,042 in Oamaru versus $1,113 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 82% less than in Oamaru. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $677 in Oamaru versus $432 in Mexico City. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Mexico City wins on affordability, Oamaru on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.