Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rarotonga and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Rarotonga: $1,117 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Rarotonga

🇨🇰 Cook Islands

$1,117

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,117 in Rarotonga versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Rarotonga $1,117
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,581 in Rarotonga versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Rarotonga $1,581
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,045 in Rarotonga versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Rarotonga $2,045
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Rarotonga costs roughly 31% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.31 NZ$25.18

$10.62 MX$199

34.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.0 NZ$89.8

$48.35 MX$904

5.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 NZ$10.03

$10.35 MX$193

-44.93%

Cappuccino

$3.33 NZ$5.86

$3.69 MX$69.0

-9.76%

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

$2.21 NZ$3.88

$1.67 MX$31.14

32.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 NZ$3.96

$1.27 MX$23.65

77.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.05 NZ$8.88

$3.19 MX$59.7

58.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 NZ$8.91

$5.31 MX$99.2

-4.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.80 NZ$4.92

$1.72 MX$32.23

62.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 NZ$5.12

$3.04 MX$56.8

-4.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.27

Eggs

$6.22 NZ$10.94

$2.89 MX$54.0

115.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.20 NZ$12.67

$10.97 MX$205

-34.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.0

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.27

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.85

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.25

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.03

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.63

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.64

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.69

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.49 NZ$20.22

$5.30 MX$99.1

116.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.19 NZ$19.70

$16.10 MX$301

-30.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.34 NZ$5.89

$1.98 MX$37.06

68.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 NZ$8.90

$4.25 MX$79.5

19.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.89 NZ$5.09

$0.31 MX$5.70

832.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$369

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$20.16 NZ$35.49

$1.84 MX$34.34

995.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.97

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.69 NZ$59.3

$5.30 MX$99.0

535.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.68 NZ$2.96

$1.51 MX$28.23

11.26%

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

$11.4K NZ$20.0K

$21.8K MX$406.5K

-47.71%

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

$24.0K MX$448.2K

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

$101 NZ$178

$63.0 MX$1,177

60.59%

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

$48.92 NZ$86.1

$27.39 MX$512

78.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$103 NZ$181

$35.67 MX$666

188.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,101

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$442

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

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

$432 MX$8,065

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$213.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,275

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$993

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,014

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,191

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$446 NZ$785

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-59.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$455 NZ$801

$710 MX$13.3K

-35.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$683 NZ$1,202

$2,588 MX$48.4K

-73.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 NZ$1,114

$1,406 MX$26.3K

-54.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,985 NZ$7,013

$946 MX$17.7K

321.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

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

Last update for Rarotonga: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rarotonga

–

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Groceries & Markets

Rarotonga

–

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Eating Out

Rarotonga

–

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Rarotonga

–

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rarotonga

–

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Sport & Entertainment

Rarotonga

–

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Getting Around

Rarotonga

–

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $446 in Rarotonga and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rarotonga pays about 4.2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $51 in Rarotonga vs $48 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $153 vs $320, with Rarotonga cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇰 Rarotonga

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

16:36 4:36 PM

20:36 8:36 PM

4 h ahead of Rarotonga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,373

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.568 USD

1 NZD = 0.51 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.76 NZD (1 NZD = 0.568 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 NZD (1 NZD = 0.51 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

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Rarotonga Mexico City 8,000 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rarotonga
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

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

Rarotonga and Mexico City differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($1,117 vs $1,608 including rent). Rarotonga is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Rarotonga is about 4.2 times higher, 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: $446 in Rarotonga versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $48 versus $51 in Rarotonga. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,117 per month in Rarotonga versus $1,608 in Mexico City – a 44% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Rarotonga is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.