Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pietermaritzburg and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Pietermaritzburg: $1,033 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Pietermaritzburg
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Pietermaritzburg Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Pietermaritzburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,033

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,033 in Pietermaritzburg versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Pietermaritzburg $1,033
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,555 in Pietermaritzburg versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Pietermaritzburg $1,555
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,077 in Pietermaritzburg versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Pietermaritzburg $2,077
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Pietermaritzburg costs roughly 36% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Pietermaritzburg is 24% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.74 R 129

$10.62 MX$199

-27.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.63 R 593

$48.35 MX$904

-26.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 R 96.4

$10.35 MX$193

-43.96%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.21

$3.69 MX$69.0

-36.04%

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

$1.16 R 19.37

$1.67 MX$31.14

-30.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.12

$1.27 MX$23.65

-18.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 R 35.72

$3.19 MX$59.7

-32.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R 41.69

$5.31 MX$99.2

-52.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 R 22.13

$1.72 MX$32.23

-22.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 R 15.30

$3.04 MX$56.8

-69.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.26

$1.94 MX$36.27

-12.37%

Eggs

$3.16 R 52.6

$2.89 MX$54.0

9.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.22 R 120

$10.97 MX$205

-34.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.94 R 82.1

$9.25 MX$173

-46.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.36 R 106

$15.13 MX$283

-57.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 R 33.94

$3.05 MX$57.0

-33.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.23

$1.94 MX$36.27

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 R 38.68

$2.03 MX$37.85

14.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 R 33.85

$2.31 MX$43.25

-12.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.63

$2.04 MX$38.03

-12.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 R 30.04

$1.80 MX$33.63

0.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 R 24.74

$1.48 MX$27.64

0.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 R 17.26

$1.27 MX$23.69

-18.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.14 R 52.2

$5.30 MX$99.1

-40.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.92 R 65.3

$16.10 MX$301

-75.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 R 23.66

$1.98 MX$37.06

-28.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 R 29.16

$4.25 MX$79.5

-58.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 R 47.62

$0.31 MX$5.70

822.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.71 R 328

$19.73 MX$369

-0.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 R 26.48

$1.84 MX$34.34

-13.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 R 17.66

$0.53 MX$9.97

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.0

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 R 23.92

$1.51 MX$28.23

-4.64%

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

$26.5K R 441.6K

$21.8K MX$406.5K

22.02%

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

$26.8K R 445.6K

$24.0K MX$448.2K

11.66%

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

$205 R 3,410

$63.0 MX$1,177

225.45%

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

$32.46 R 540

$27.39 MX$512

18.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.19 R 619

$35.67 MX$666

4.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.80 R 729

$58.9 MX$1,101

-25.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.05 R 50.8

$23.64 MX$442

-87.10%

Cinema Ticket

$4.84 R 80.5

$6.40 MX$120

-24.38%

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

$177 R 2,945

$432 MX$8,065

-58.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,103 R 84.9K

$11.4K MX$213.5K

-55.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 R 943

$68.2 MX$1,275

-16.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.35 R 572

$53.1 MX$993

-35.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 R 1,894

$108 MX$2,014

5.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.9 R 1,163

$117 MX$2,191

-40.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$216 R 3,601

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-80.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$217 R 3,607

$710 MX$13.3K

-69.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 R 9,583

$2,588 MX$48.4K

-77.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$405 R 6,742

$1,406 MX$26.3K

-71.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,914 R 98.4K

$3,631 MX$67.8K

62.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$148 R 2,466

$2,135 MX$39.9K

-93.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,058 R 17.6K

$946 MX$17.7K

11.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.67

11.35

2.82%

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

Last update for Pietermaritzburg: October 24, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pietermaritzburg

$275 26.6%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 54.1% $149

Accommodation & Living

Pietermaritzburg

$217 21%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 228% $494

Groceries & Markets

Pietermaritzburg

$194 18.8%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 64.3% $125

Eating Out

Pietermaritzburg

$132 12.8%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 50.4% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Pietermaritzburg

$124 12%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 26.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Pietermaritzburg

$53 5.2%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 34.2% $18

Getting Around

Pietermaritzburg

$38 3.7%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 33.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $216 in Pietermaritzburg and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pietermaritzburg pays 12% 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 Pietermaritzburg vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $194 vs $320 per month, with Pietermaritzburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pietermaritzburg

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

14:02 2:02 PM

06:02 6:02 AM

8 h behind Pietermaritzburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

618,536

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Pietermaritzburg Mexico City 14,820 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Pietermaritzburg
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

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

Pietermaritzburg and Mexico City differ by about 56% in total monthly costs ($1,033 vs $1,608 including rent). Pietermaritzburg is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 12% higher in Pietermaritzburg, 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: $216 in Pietermaritzburg versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $177 in Pietermaritzburg versus $432 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 Pietermaritzburg – a meal for two runs $36 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Pietermaritzburg 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.