Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $3,027 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $17,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Perth
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Perth Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,027

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,027 in Perth versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Perth $3,027
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,162 in Perth versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Perth $4,162
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,297 in Perth versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Perth $5,297
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Perth is roughly 96% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Perth 123% above, Mexico City 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.22 A$30.54

$11.02 MX$204

92.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 A$122

$48.68 MX$900

73.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.01 A$15.84

$10.90 MX$201

1.01%

Cappuccino

$4.43 A$6.38

$3.68 MX$68.1

20.38%

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

$2.88 A$4.15

$1.63 MX$30.18

76.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$1.25 MX$23.07

80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.44 A$12.14

$3.25 MX$60.1

159.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.22 A$11.83

$5.53 MX$102

48.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 A$2.51

$1.70 MX$31.50

2.35%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 A$4.49

$3.02 MX$55.8

3.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 A$2.96

$1.92 MX$35.53

7.29%

Eggs

$5.21 A$7.50

$2.73 MX$50.5

90.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.02 A$12.98

$11.77 MX$218

-23.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 A$13.43

$9.53 MX$176

-2.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.80 A$19.85

$14.41 MX$266

-4.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 A$6.60

$3.02 MX$55.8

51.99%

Banana (1kg)

$3.23 A$4.65

$1.89 MX$35.01

70.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.40 A$4.89

$1.99 MX$36.70

70.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 A$7.03

$2.19 MX$40.38

123.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 A$4.12

$1.92 MX$35.43

48.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 A$2.72

$1.87 MX$34.49

1.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 A$3.15

$1.44 MX$26.62

52.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 A$2.00

$1.27 MX$23.39

9.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.45 A$61.1

$5.22 MX$96.4

713.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.73 A$18.31

$16.17 MX$299

-21.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.56 A$6.56

$1.90 MX$35.03

140.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 A$4.78

$4.22 MX$78.0

-21.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.40 A$3.45

$0.34 MX$6.30

605.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.4 A$142

$19.65 MX$363

400.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 A$5.07

$2.00 MX$36.90

76.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 A$2.09

$0.52 MX$9.67

180.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.43 A$58.2

$5.34 MX$98.7

657.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 A$1.95

$1.52 MX$28.13

-10.53%

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

$29.6K A$42.6K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

34.12%

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

$27.7K A$39.9K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

13.10%

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

$205 A$295

$61.1 MX$1,129

236.20%

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

$32.82 A$47.23

$28.58 MX$528

14.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.0 A$92.1

$34.47 MX$637

85.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.2 A$79.4

$56.4 MX$1,042

-2.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.94 A$30.13

$24.88 MX$460

-15.84%

Cinema Ticket

$17.27 A$24.85

$6.66 MX$123

159.31%

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

$2,320 A$3,339

$427 MX$7,891

443.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K A$32.9K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

96.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.4 A$110

$67.8 MX$1,253

12.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.1 A$90.8

$52.0 MX$960

21.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 A$176

$106 MX$1,959

15.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 A$235

$113 MX$2,080

44.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,936 A$2,786

$1,025 MX$18.9K

88.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,624 A$2,337

$654 MX$12.1K

148.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,820 A$4,058

$2,308 MX$42.7K

22.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,161 A$3,110

$1,242 MX$22.9K

74.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,369 A$12.0K

$3,613 MX$66.8K

131.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,001 A$8,635

$1,936 MX$35.8K

209.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,209 A$6,056

$964 MX$17.8K

336.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

11.3

-47.26%

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

Last update for Perth: October 19, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Perth

$1.6K 53.7%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 59.7% $970

Groceries & Markets

Perth

$366 12.1%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 13% $48

Eating Out

Perth

$335 11.1%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 39.2% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perth

$302 10%

Mexico City

$124 8% 58.9% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Perth

$191 6.3%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 20.3% $39

Getting Around

Perth

$119 3.9%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 78.4% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Perth

$90 3%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 22.3% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,936 in Perth and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Perth pays 337% 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: $85.0 in Perth vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $366 vs $318 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Perth

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

12:57 12:57 PM

22:57 10:57 PM

14 h behind Perth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,043,762

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Perth Mexico City 16,260 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

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

Perth and Mexico City differ by about 96% in total monthly costs ($3,027 vs $1,548 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 337% higher in Perth, 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: $1,936 in Perth versus $1,025 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 401% less than in Perth. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,320 in Perth versus $427 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $3,027 in Perth, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Perth. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City 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, Perth 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.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 96% less than in Perth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.