Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Escondido and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Escondido: $1,151 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Escondido
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Puerto Escondido Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Puerto Escondido

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,151

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Puerto Escondido and in Cape Town

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Puerto Escondido and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,151 per month in Puerto Escondido vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Puerto Escondido $1,151
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $1,856 per month in Puerto Escondido vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Puerto Escondido $1,856
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $2,561 per month in Puerto Escondido vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Puerto Escondido $2,561
Cape Town $3,263

Puerto Escondido is about 27% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Puerto Escondido sits 15% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.52 MX$194

$12.14 R 200

-13.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.96 MX$794

$45.34 R 747

-5.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.65 MX$160

$5.88 R 96.9

47.11%

Cappuccino

$3.58 MX$66.1

$2.50 R 41.18

43.20%

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

$1.42 MX$26.25

$1.27 R 20.94

11.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 MX$19.38

$0.98 R 16.14

7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 MX$56.2

$2.99 R 49.33

1.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 MX$74.9

$3.72 R 61.4

8.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 MX$34.14

$1.30 R 21.40

42.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.84 MX$52.5

$1.25 R 20.68

127.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 MX$30.22

$2.23 R 36.76

-26.46%

Eggs

$2.80 MX$51.7

$3.11 R 51.2

-9.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.20 MX$152

$9.06 R 149

-9.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.98 MX$203

$6.92 R 114

58.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.54 MX$213

$9.30 R 153

24.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 MX$49.45

$1.84 R 30.25

45.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 MX$29.42

$1.96 R 32.29

-18.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.42

$1.67 R 27.45

11.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 MX$32.01

$2.17 R 35.70

-20.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 MX$29.46

$1.57 R 25.81

1.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.35

$1.48 R 24.45

36.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.28

$1.30 R 21.41

13.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 MX$21.15

$1.13 R 18.60

0.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.48 MX$82.7

$3.60 R 59.3

24.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 MX$191

$6.15 R 101

68.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 MX$45.43

$1.38 R 22.66

78.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 MX$57.1

$2.14 R 35.20

44.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 MX$15.35

$1.50 R 24.65

-44.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 MX$51.7

$0.59 R 9.71

374.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 MX$32.92

$1.50 R 24.65

18.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.89 MX$183

$5.11 R 84.2

93.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 MX$25.14

$1.55 R 25.50

-12.26%

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

$18.7K MX$344.9K

$36.2K R 596.5K

-48.45%

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

$25.2K MX$465.2K

$31.2K R 514.8K

-19.43%

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

$64.7 MX$1,196

$114 R 1,883

-43.40%

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

$22.92 MX$424

$28.91 R 476

-20.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.45 MX$674

$39.73 R 654

-8.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.77 MX$513

$49.01 R 808

-43.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.89 MX$368

$10.99 R 181

80.98%

Cinema Ticket

$4.56 MX$84.2

$9.15 R 151

-50.16%

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

$220 MX$4,069

$259 R 4,264

-14.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,364 MX$80.6K

$6,794 R 111.9K

-35.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.88 MX$922

$56.2 R 926

-11.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.79 MX$791

$32.41 R 534

32.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 MX$1,693

$121 R 1,987

-24.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.0 MX$1,553

$108 R 1,781

-22.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$601 MX$11.1K

$1,021 R 16.8K

-41.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,061

$717 R 11.8K

-46.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$960 MX$17.7K

$1,824 R 30.1K

-47.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$778 MX$14.4K

$1,327 R 21.9K

-41.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,036 MX$37.6K

$2,391 R 39.4K

-14.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,289 MX$23.8K

$1,542 R 25.4K

-16.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$327 MX$6,035

$1,639 R 27.0K

-80.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

10.97

3.01%

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

Last update for Puerto Escondido: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Puerto Escondido

$382 33.2%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 87.6% $335

Groceries & Markets

Puerto Escondido

$285 24.8%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 21.2% $61

Eating Out

Puerto Escondido

$186 16.2%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 5.4% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto Escondido

$124 10.8%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 47.5% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto Escondido

$121 10.5%

Cape Town

$143 9% 18.2% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto Escondido

$37 3.2%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 82.5% $30

Getting Around

Puerto Escondido

$15 * 1.3%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 398% $60

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $601 in Puerto Escondido versus $1,021 in Cape Town. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 402% higher in Cape Town, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Puerto Escondido versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Groceries tell a different story – $285 in Puerto Escondido vs $225 in Cape Town – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Puerto Escondido

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

17:04 5:04 PM

01:04 1:04 AM

8 h ahead of Puerto Escondido

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,902

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Puerto Escondido Cape Town 13,310 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Puerto Escondido
Cape Town

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

Puerto Escondido vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 38% more than Puerto Escondido, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,726 per month in Puerto Escondido and $2,379 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Puerto Escondido, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,151 in Puerto Escondido and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 38%.

Kindergarten costs $220 per month in Puerto Escondido and $259 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Puerto Escondido, where all-in costs run around $1,151, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Puerto Escondido it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Puerto Escondido costs $1,151 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Puerto Escondido. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.