Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palmerston North and Mexico City

For one person, living costs are similar in Palmerston North and in Mexico City: $1,562 and $1,567 a month, rent and utilities included.

76

Cost of Living Index in Palmerston North
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Palmerston North Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Palmerston North

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,562

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,562 in Palmerston North versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Palmerston North $1,562
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,537 in Palmerston North versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Palmerston North $2,537
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,511 in Palmerston North versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Palmerston North $3,511
Mexico City $3,333

Monthly costs are close between Palmerston North and Mexico City; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Palmerston North 16% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.50 NZ$23.87

$10.75 MX$199

25.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.7 NZ$113

$50.3 MX$929

26.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 NZ$15.56

$11.10 MX$205

-20.72%

Cappuccino

$3.13 NZ$5.54

$3.68 MX$68.1

-14.95%

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

$2.36 NZ$4.18

$1.65 MX$30.42

43.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 NZ$2.97

$1.30 MX$24.08

29.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.43 NZ$11.38

$3.32 MX$61.3

93.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.52 NZ$11.53

$5.54 MX$102

17.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 NZ$3.26

$1.77 MX$32.68

3.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 NZ$3.78

$3.05 MX$56.4

-29.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 NZ$2.42

$2.01 MX$37.20

-31.84%

Eggs

$4.85 NZ$8.58

$2.77 MX$51.1

75.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.41 NZ$11.34

$11.91 MX$220

-46.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.50 NZ$16.80

$9.33 MX$172

1.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.78 NZ$19.06

$15.02 MX$278

-28.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 NZ$4.48

$3.08 MX$56.8

-17.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 NZ$3.94

$1.95 MX$35.97

14.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 NZ$4.07

$2.03 MX$37.54

13.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.53 NZ$9.78

$2.21 MX$40.92

150.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 NZ$2.49

$2.02 MX$37.41

-30.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 NZ$1.53

$1.82 MX$33.67

-52.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 NZ$3.04

$1.52 MX$28.07

13.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 NZ$1.33

$1.28 MX$23.65

-41.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.06 NZ$39.00

$5.27 MX$97.4

318.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.91 NZ$13.99

$16.12 MX$298

-50.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 NZ$4.69

$1.95 MX$36.05

35.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 NZ$4.91

$4.25 MX$78.6

-34.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.93 NZ$6.95

$0.31 MX$5.82

1167.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.3 NZ$146

$19.85 MX$367

314.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 NZ$3.30

$2.00 MX$36.93

-6.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 NZ$3.14

$0.53 MX$9.86

235.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 NZ$29.40

$5.62 MX$104

195.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 NZ$2.90

$1.52 MX$28.07

7.89%

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

$21.6K NZ$38.1K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

2.54%

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

$23.9K NZ$42.3K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

-4.99%

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

$68.2 NZ$121

$62.5 MX$1,155

9.17%

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

$32.09 NZ$56.8

$28.77 MX$532

11.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.64 NZ$61.3

$34.45 MX$637

0.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.79 NZ$38.54

$57.1 MX$1,055

-61.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.08 NZ$24.90

$24.81 MX$458

-43.25%

Cinema Ticket

$11.60 NZ$20.52

$6.67 MX$123

73.91%

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

$1,034 NZ$1,829

$431 MX$7,964

139.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,550 NZ$15.1K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

-27.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.5 NZ$123

$70.8 MX$1,308

-1.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.70 NZ$48.98

$51.8 MX$958

-46.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.1 NZ$147

$109 MX$2,011

-23.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 NZ$146

$112 MX$2,076

-26.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$906 NZ$1,602

$1,051 MX$19.4K

-13.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$639 NZ$1,129

$665 MX$12.3K

-3.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,587 NZ$2,807

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-32.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,311 NZ$2,318

$1,227 MX$22.7K

6.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,023 NZ$3,577

$3,554 MX$65.7K

-43.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,836 NZ$3,247

$1,977 MX$36.5K

-7.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,494 NZ$4,411

$975 MX$18.0K

155.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

11.3

-52.30%

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

Last update for Palmerston North: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Palmerston North

$639 40.9%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 4.1% $26

Groceries & Markets

Palmerston North

$283 18.1%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 14% $40

Eating Out

Palmerston North

$233 14.9%

Mexico City

$203 13% 13% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palmerston North

$135 8.6%

Mexico City

$126 8% 6.9% $9.2

Clothing & Footwear

Palmerston North

$118 7.6%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 30.8% $36

Getting Around

Palmerston North

$109 7%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 76.3% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Palmerston North

$45 2.9%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 56.5% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $906 in Palmerston North and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Palmerston North pays 156% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $64.0 in Palmerston North vs $50.0 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $323, with Palmerston North cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Palmerston North

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

15:04 3:04 PM

20:04 8:04 PM

19 h behind Palmerston North

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

90,500

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Palmerston North Mexico City 11,010 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Palmerston North
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

Palmerston North vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 156% higher in Palmerston North, 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: $906 in Palmerston North versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,034 in Palmerston North versus $431 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 Palmerston North – a meal for two runs $64.0 versus $50.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,562 in Palmerston North versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Palmerston North but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Palmerston North 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.

Safety-wise, Palmerston North and Mexico City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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