Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St Francis Bay and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in St Francis Bay: $979 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in St Francis Bay
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St Francis Bay Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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St Francis Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$979

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $979 in St Francis Bay versus $1,674 in Mexico City.

St Francis Bay $979
Mexico City $1,674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,629 in St Francis Bay versus $2,606 in Mexico City.

St Francis Bay $1,629
Mexico City $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,279 in St Francis Bay versus $3,537 in Mexico City.

St Francis Bay $2,279
Mexico City $3,537

Living in St Francis Bay costs roughly 42% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: St Francis Bay is 28% below, Mexico City is 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.81 R 178

$10.59 MX$197

2.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.74 R 687

$52.0 MX$967

-19.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.53 R 58.1

$10.73 MX$200

-67.10%

Cappuccino

$2.14 R 35.16

$3.80 MX$70.7

-43.68%

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

$1.01 R 16.66

$1.61 MX$30.01

-37.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R 11.93

$1.21 MX$22.55

-40.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.06 R 33.81

$3.18 MX$59.1

-35.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 R 30.32

$5.44 MX$101

-66.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 R 15.47

$1.72 MX$31.96

-45.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 R 16.37

$2.97 MX$55.2

-66.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.70

$1.93 MX$35.84

-22.28%

Eggs

$2.70 R 44.44

$2.77 MX$51.6

-2.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.11 R 117

$11.67 MX$217

-39.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.22 R 85.9

$9.48 MX$176

-44.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.63 R 142

$15.37 MX$286

-43.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 R 35.80

$3.10 MX$57.8

-29.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 R 23.99

$1.96 MX$36.49

-25.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.03

$1.98 MX$36.88

-14.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.70

$2.34 MX$43.46

-22.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.56

$2.02 MX$37.66

-13.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 R 22.62

$1.82 MX$33.95

-24.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 R 20.35

$1.54 MX$28.74

-19.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.88

$1.31 MX$24.42

-21.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.14 R 51.6

$5.35 MX$99.6

-41.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.74 R 77.9

$16.19 MX$301

-70.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R 20.90

$1.96 MX$36.46

-35.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 R 29.80

$4.35 MX$81.0

-58.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 R 29.24

$0.30 MX$5.67

493.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 R 13.47

$1.92 MX$35.68

-57.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 R 7.53

$0.47 MX$8.80

-2.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.62 R 142

$5.41 MX$101

59.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 R 21.50

$1.48 MX$27.61

-11.49%

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

$21.0K R 345.5K

$21.4K MX$397.7K

-1.72%

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

$35.2K R 578.5K

$23.8K MX$442.1K

48.03%

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

$60.8 R 999

$62.0 MX$1,154

-2.00%

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

$34.39 R 566

$28.47 MX$530

20.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.35 R 680

$34.11 MX$635

21.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.64 R 471

$58.4 MX$1,087

-50.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.00 R 197

$24.50 MX$456

-51.02%

Cinema Ticket

$9.20 R 151

$6.59 MX$123

39.61%

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

$179 R 2,941

$434 MX$8,081

-58.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,135 R 100.9K

$14.0K MX$261.2K

-56.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 R 1,182

$68.4 MX$1,272

5.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.31 R 647

$54.8 MX$1,020

-28.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 R 1,846

$111 MX$2,063

1.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.1 R 1,564

$116 MX$2,159

-18.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$420 R 6,910

$1,179 MX$21.9K

-64.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 R 5,069

$771 MX$14.3K

-60.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 R 13.7K

$2,570 MX$47.8K

-67.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 R 11.7K

$1,420 MX$26.4K

-49.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$784 R 12.9K

$3,586 MX$66.7K

-78.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$648 R 10.7K

$2,064 MX$38.4K

-68.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.94

11.35

5.20%

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

Last update for St Francis Bay: November 1, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St Francis Bay

$308 31.5%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 150% $463

Groceries & Markets

St Francis Bay

$190 19.4%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 70.6% $134

Eating Out

St Francis Bay

$144 14.7%

Mexico City

$201 12% 39.6% $57

Clothing & Footwear

St Francis Bay

$143 14.7%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 9.9% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St Francis Bay

$136 14%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 8.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

St Francis Bay

$47 4.8%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 52.1% $25

Getting Around

St Francis Bay

$10 * 1%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 145% $15

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 $420 in St Francis Bay and $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $42 in St Francis Bay vs $52 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $190 vs $324 per month, with St Francis Bay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 St Francis Bay

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

10:58 10:58 AM

02:58 2:58 AM

8 h behind St Francis Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,910

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.08 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.45 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.08 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

St Francis Bay Mexico City 14,290 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

St Francis Bay
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

St Francis Bay vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $979 in St Francis Bay and $1,674 in Mexico City, so St Francis Bay is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,468 in St Francis Bay and $2,510 in Mexico City to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $420 in St Francis Bay versus $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $179 in St Francis Bay versus $434 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 St Francis Bay – a meal for two runs $42 versus $52 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $979 in St Francis Bay versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in St Francis Bay but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes St Francis Bay 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.