Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Springs and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Springs: $989 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Springs
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Springs Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Springs

🇿🇦 South Africa

$989

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $989 in Springs versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Springs $989
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,605 in Springs versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Springs $1,605
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,222 in Springs versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Springs $2,222
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Springs 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: Springs is 27% below, Mexico City is 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.96 R 148

$11.02 MX$204

-18.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.11 R 611

$48.68 MX$900

-23.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.13 R 84.5

$10.90 MX$201

-52.94%

Cappuccino

$2.32 R 38.18

$3.68 MX$68.1

-36.96%

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

$0.89 R 14.58

$1.63 MX$30.18

-45.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 R 11.42

$1.25 MX$23.07

-44.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.85 R 30.52

$3.25 MX$60.1

-43.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 R 34.09

$5.53 MX$102

-62.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 R 20.02

$1.70 MX$31.50

-28.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 R 17.65

$3.02 MX$55.8

-64.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.57

$1.92 MX$35.53

-6.77%

Eggs

$2.57 R 42.29

$2.73 MX$50.5

-5.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.52 R 140

$11.77 MX$218

-27.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.89 R 80.6

$9.53 MX$176

-48.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.37 R 121

$14.41 MX$266

-48.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.32 R 21.72

$3.02 MX$55.8

-56.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 R 18.33

$1.89 MX$35.01

-41.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.70

$1.99 MX$36.70

-12.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 R 19.90

$2.19 MX$40.38

-44.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 R 18.49

$1.92 MX$35.43

-41.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R 20.38

$1.87 MX$34.49

-33.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 R 19.59

$1.44 MX$26.62

-17.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 R 13.05

$1.27 MX$23.39

-37.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.19 R 52.6

$5.22 MX$96.4

-38.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.91 R 64.4

$16.17 MX$299

-75.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.78

$1.90 MX$35.03

-40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 R 28.79

$4.22 MX$78.0

-58.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.18

$2.00 MX$36.90

-84.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 R 13.23

$0.52 MX$9.67

53.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.52 R 239

$5.34 MX$98.7

171.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 R 24.16

$1.52 MX$28.13

-3.29%

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

$35.9K R 591.3K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

62.56%

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

$33.7K R 556.0K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

37.69%

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

$151 R 2,489

$61.1 MX$1,129

147.42%

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

$37.57 R 619

$28.58 MX$528

31.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.55 R 586

$34.47 MX$637

3.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.64 R 653

$56.4 MX$1,042

-29.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$7.45 R 123

$6.66 MX$123

11.86%

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

$92.7 R 1,527

$427 MX$7,891

-78.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,821 R 30.0K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

-84.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 R 877

$67.8 MX$1,253

-21.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.07 R 545

$52.0 MX$960

-36.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 R 1,544

$106 MX$1,959

-11.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.6 R 1,410

$113 MX$2,080

-23.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$289 R 4,767

$1,025 MX$18.9K

-71.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$276 R 4,539

$654 MX$12.1K

-57.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$732 R 12.1K

$2,308 MX$42.7K

-68.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$706 R 11.6K

$1,242 MX$22.9K

-43.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,499 R 24.7K

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-58.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$694 R 11.4K

$1,936 MX$35.8K

-64.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,171 R 19.3K

$964 MX$17.8K

21.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.75

11.3

-4.87%

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

Last update for Springs: October 20, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Springs

$276 27.9%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 138% $379

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Springs

$224 22.7%

Mexico City

$124 8% 44.6% $100

Groceries & Markets

Springs

$176 17.8%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 80.9% $142

Eating Out

Springs

$135 13.6%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 51.5% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Springs

$120 12.1%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 27.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Springs

$55 5.5%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 27.8% $15

Getting Around

Springs

$4.3 * 0.4%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 492% $21

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 $289 in Springs and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Springs pays 21% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $37.00 in Springs vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $176 vs $318 per month, with Springs cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Springs

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

12:52 12:52 PM

04:52 4:52 AM

8 h behind Springs

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,996

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 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 ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Springs Mexico City 14,620 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Springs
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

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

Springs and Mexico City differ by about 57% in total monthly costs ($989 vs $1,548 including rent). Springs is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 21% higher in Springs, 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: $289 in Springs versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $92.7 in Springs versus $427 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 Springs – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $49.00 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $989 in Springs versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Springs but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Springs 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.

Expats usually find Springs gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.