Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Vila and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $3,148 in Port Vila, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

154

Cost of Living Index in Port Vila
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Port Vila Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Port Vila

🇻🇺 Vanuatu

$3,148

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,148 in Port Vila versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Port Vila $3,148
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,290 in Port Vila versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Port Vila $4,290
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,432 in Port Vila versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Port Vila $5,432
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Port Vila is roughly 101% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Port Vila 133% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.57 VUV 1,474

$10.75 MX$199

16.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.9 VUV 6,558

$50.3 MX$929

11.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.47 VUV 1,697

$11.10 MX$205

30.36%

Cappuccino

$3.99 VUV 468

$3.68 MX$68.1

8.42%

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

$2.30 VUV 270

$1.65 MX$30.42

39.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 VUV 276

$1.30 MX$24.08

80.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.14 VUV 603

$3.32 MX$61.3

54.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.16 VUV 839

$5.54 MX$102

29.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.73 VUV 320

$1.77 MX$32.68

54.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 VUV 231

$3.05 MX$56.4

-35.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.63 VUV 426

$2.01 MX$37.20

80.60%

Eggs

$6.30 VUV 739

$2.77 MX$51.1

127.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.57 VUV 2,061

$11.91 MX$220

47.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.60 VUV 1,947

$9.33 MX$172

77.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.68 VUV 1,604

$15.02 MX$278

-8.92%

Apples (1kg)

$7.13 VUV 837

$3.08 MX$56.8

131.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 VUV 252

$1.95 MX$35.97

10.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.86 VUV 453

$2.03 MX$37.54

90.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$9.44 VUV 1,107

$2.21 MX$40.92

327.15%

Potato (1kg)

$9.13 VUV 1,071

$2.02 MX$37.41

351.98%

Onion (1kg)

$3.47 VUV 407

$1.82 MX$33.67

90.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.58 VUV 303

$1.52 MX$28.07

69.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 VUV 140

$1.28 MX$23.65

-6.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.06 VUV 1,063

$5.27 MX$97.4

71.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.51 VUV 1,467

$16.12 MX$298

-22.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 VUV 287

$1.95 MX$36.05

25.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 VUV 316

$4.25 MX$78.6

-36.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 VUV 151

$0.31 MX$5.82

316.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.6 VUV 8,052

$19.85 MX$367

245.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 VUV 302

$2.00 MX$36.93

28.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 VUV 103

$0.53 MX$9.86

66.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.19 VUV 609

$5.62 MX$104

-7.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 VUV 206

$1.52 MX$28.07

15.79%

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

$22.8K VUV 2.7M

$21.0K MX$388.7K

8.58%

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

$37.9K VUV 4.5M

$25.2K MX$465.3K

50.67%

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

$636 VUV 74.6K

$62.5 MX$1,155

917.22%

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

$22.30 VUV 2,615

$28.77 MX$532

-22.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$362 VUV 42.4K

$34.45 MX$637

949.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.7 VUV 7,936

$57.1 MX$1,055

18.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.93 VUV 1,986

$24.81 MX$458

-31.76%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

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

$631 VUV 74.0K

$431 MX$7,964

46.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,973 VUV 818.0K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

-40.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.45 VUV 4,862

$70.8 MX$1,308

-41.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.0 VUV 7,856

$51.8 MX$958

29.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.0 VUV 10.1K

$109 MX$2,011

-21.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 VUV 12.0K

$112 MX$2,076

-8.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 VUV 181.7K

$1,051 MX$19.4K

47.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,120 VUV 131.3K

$665 MX$12.3K

68.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,413 VUV 400.3K

$2,346 MX$43.3K

45.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,886 VUV 221.3K

$1,227 MX$22.7K

53.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,917 VUV 694.1K

$3,554 MX$65.7K

66.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,162 VUV 253.6K

$1,977 MX$36.5K

9.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$678 VUV 79.5K

$975 MX$18.0K

-30.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.18

11.3

-45.31%

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

Last update for Port Vila: October 10, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Vila

$1.1K 35.6%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 40.6% $454

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Vila

$1K 32.4%

Mexico City

$126 8% 87.7% $894

Groceries & Markets

Port Vila

$476 15.1%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 32.3% $154

Eating Out

Port Vila

$250 8%

Mexico City

$203 13% 18.9% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Port Vila

$134 4.2%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 15.8% $21

Getting Around

Port Vila

$81 2.6%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 68.1% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Port Vila

$68 * 2.2%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 4.1% $2.8

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 $1,549 in Port Vila and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 44% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $56.0 in Port Vila vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $476 vs $323 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇺 Port Vila

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

17:25 5:25 PM

00:25 12:25 AM

17 h behind Port Vila

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,039 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Vanuatu Vatu VUV Vt

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VUV = 8.53 USD

1,000 VUV = 7.58 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to VUV – Vanuatu Vatu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇺 Vanuatu Vatu (Vt)

Vanuatu Vatu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 117 VUV (1,000 VUV = 8.53 USD). 1 EUR = 132 VUV (1,000 VUV = 7.58 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 VUV in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Port Vila Mexico City 10,910 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Vila
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

Port Vila vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Vila and Mexico City differ by about 101% in total monthly costs ($3,148 vs $1,567 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 44% 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: $1,549 in Port Vila versus $1,051 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 246% less than in Port Vila. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $631 in Port Vila versus $431 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $3,148 in Port Vila, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Port Vila. 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, Port Vila 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 101% less than in Port Vila. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.