Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Somerset West and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Somerset West: $1,160 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Somerset West
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Somerset West Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Somerset West

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,160

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,160 in Somerset West versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Somerset West $1,160
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,888 in Somerset West versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Somerset West $1,888
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,615 in Somerset West versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Somerset West $2,615
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Somerset West costs roughly 28% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Somerset West is 15% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.23 R 204

$10.62 MX$198

15.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.52 R 759

$48.35 MX$901

-5.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.44 R 90.7

$10.35 MX$193

-47.44%

Cappuccino

$2.06 R 34.34

$3.69 MX$68.8

-44.17%

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

$1.06 R 17.74

$1.67 MX$31.07

-36.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 R 14.01

$1.27 MX$23.59

-33.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 R 42.91

$3.19 MX$59.5

-19.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 R 54.5

$5.31 MX$98.9

-38.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 R 17.13

$1.72 MX$32.15

-40.12%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 R 16.39

$3.04 MX$56.7

-67.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.08 R 34.70

$1.94 MX$36.19

7.22%

Eggs

$2.28 R 38.00

$2.89 MX$53.8

-21.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.34 R 139

$10.97 MX$205

-23.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.18 R 86.3

$9.25 MX$172

-44.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.22 R 154

$15.13 MX$282

-39.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 R 30.23

$3.05 MX$56.8

-40.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.47

$1.94 MX$36.19

-2.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 R 29.00

$2.03 MX$37.75

-14.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 R 28.20

$2.31 MX$43.15

-26.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 R 25.23

$2.04 MX$37.94

-25.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.48

$1.80 MX$33.55

-15.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 R 21.42

$1.48 MX$27.58

-12.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 R 17.80

$1.27 MX$23.63

-15.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.39 R 56.5

$5.30 MX$98.9

-36.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.89 R 98.1

$16.10 MX$300

-63.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 R 22.73

$1.98 MX$36.97

-31.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 R 29.17

$4.25 MX$79.3

-58.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 R 18.47

$0.31 MX$5.69

258.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.4 R 1,007

$19.73 MX$368

206.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.81

$1.84 MX$34.25

-67.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.72

$0.53 MX$9.94

190.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.94 R 82.4

$5.30 MX$98.7

-6.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 R 23.68

$1.51 MX$28.16

-5.96%

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

$29.3K R 487.5K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

34.49%

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

$29.4K R 489.1K

$24.0K MX$447.1K

22.38%

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

$82.1 R 1,368

$63.0 MX$1,174

30.31%

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

$29.05 R 484

$27.39 MX$511

6.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.47 R 674

$35.67 MX$665

13.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.16 R 736

$58.9 MX$1,099

-25.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.43 R 174

$23.64 MX$441

-55.88%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 R 121

$6.40 MX$119

13.75%

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

$251 R 4,175

$432 MX$8,045

-41.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,596 R 59.9K

$11.4K MX$212.9K

-68.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.99 R 516

$68.2 MX$1,272

-54.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.32 R 522

$53.1 MX$990

-41.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.3 R 1,189

$108 MX$2,009

-33.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.3 R 939

$117 MX$2,186

-51.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$643 R 10.7K

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-42.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$426 R 7,095

$710 MX$13.2K

-40.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 R 22.3K

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-48.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$937 R 15.6K

$1,406 MX$26.2K

-33.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,221 R 20.3K

$3,631 MX$67.7K

-66.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$892 R 14.9K

$2,135 MX$39.8K

-58.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,418 R 23.6K

$946 MX$17.6K

49.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

11.35

-10.84%

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

Last update for Somerset West: 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

Somerset West

$426 36.7%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 66.9% $285

Groceries & Markets

Somerset West

$200 17.2%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 60.1% $120

Eating Out

Somerset West

$166 14.3%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 19.7% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Somerset West

$152 13.1%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 16.9% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Somerset West

$86 7.4%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 82.3% $70

Getting Around

Somerset West

$73 6.3%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 65.2% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Somerset West

$59 5.1%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 22.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $643 in Somerset West and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Somerset West pays 50% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46 in Somerset West vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $200 vs $320 per month, with Somerset West cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Somerset West

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

22:51 10:51 PM

14:51 2:51 PM

8 h behind Somerset West

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

55,166

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Somerset West Mexico City 13,740 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Somerset West
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

Somerset West vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,160 in Somerset West and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Somerset West is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 50% higher in Somerset West, 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: $643 in Somerset West versus $1,113 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 67% less than in Somerset West. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $251 in Somerset West versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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