Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stellenbosch and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Stellenbosch: $1,165 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Stellenbosch
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Stellenbosch Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Stellenbosch

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,165

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,165 in Stellenbosch versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Stellenbosch $1,165
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,913 in Stellenbosch versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Stellenbosch $1,913
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,660 in Stellenbosch versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Stellenbosch $2,660
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Stellenbosch costs roughly 26% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Stellenbosch is 14% below, Mexico City is 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.29 R 120

$10.75 MX$199

-32.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.82 R 590

$50.3 MX$929

-28.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.72 R 77.8

$11.10 MX$205

-57.48%

Cappuccino

$2.05 R 33.74

$3.68 MX$68.1

-44.29%

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

$1.00 R 16.52

$1.65 MX$30.42

-39.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 R 12.67

$1.30 MX$24.08

-40.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 R 44.51

$3.32 MX$61.3

-18.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 R 50.7

$5.54 MX$102

-44.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R 22.16

$1.77 MX$32.68

-24.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 R 18.85

$3.05 MX$56.4

-62.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 R 30.68

$2.01 MX$37.20

-7.46%

Eggs

$2.84 R 46.86

$2.77 MX$51.1

2.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.62 R 142

$11.91 MX$220

-27.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.80 R 95.6

$9.33 MX$172

-37.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.51 R 124

$15.02 MX$278

-50.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.67

$3.08 MX$56.8

-43.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.14

$1.95 MX$35.97

-24.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 R 27.78

$2.03 MX$37.54

-16.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 R 26.17

$2.21 MX$40.92

-28.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 R 17.89

$2.02 MX$37.41

-46.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.17

$1.82 MX$33.67

-15.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.50

$1.52 MX$28.07

-14.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 R 19.36

$1.28 MX$23.65

-8.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.52 R 58.1

$5.27 MX$97.4

-33.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 R 102

$16.12 MX$298

-61.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 R 21.93

$1.95 MX$36.05

-31.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.91

$4.25 MX$78.6

-48.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 R 10.10

$2.00 MX$36.93

-69.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 R 25.56

$0.53 MX$9.86

192.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.02 R 82.7

$5.62 MX$104

-10.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 R 23.05

$1.52 MX$28.07

-7.89%

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

$35.0K R 577.2K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

66.57%

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

$31.0K R 510.9K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

23.15%

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

$103 R 1,691

$62.5 MX$1,155

64.23%

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

$28.53 R 470

$28.77 MX$532

-0.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.28 R 565

$34.45 MX$637

-0.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.25 R 482

$57.1 MX$1,055

-48.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.81 R 277

$24.81 MX$458

-32.25%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$6.67 MX$123

33.28%

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

$264 R 4,351

$431 MX$7,964

-38.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,389 R 39.4K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

-79.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 R 858

$70.8 MX$1,308

-26.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.72 R 473

$51.8 MX$958

-44.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,951

$109 MX$2,011

8.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.2 R 1,486

$112 MX$2,076

-19.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$698 R 11.5K

$1,051 MX$19.4K

-33.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$488 R 8,038

$665 MX$12.3K

-26.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,443 R 23.8K

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-38.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 R 19.0K

$1,227 MX$22.7K

-5.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,556 R 42.1K

$975 MX$18.0K

162.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.7

11.3

-5.31%

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

Last update for Stellenbosch: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stellenbosch

$488 41.9%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 36.3% $177

Groceries & Markets

Stellenbosch

$202 17.4%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 59.5% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stellenbosch

$165 14.2%

Mexico City

$126 8% 24% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Stellenbosch

$130 11.2%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 18.8% $24

Eating Out

Stellenbosch

$124 10.6%

Mexico City

$203 13% 63.9% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Stellenbosch

$47 4%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 49.7% $23

Getting Around

Stellenbosch

$8.4 * 0.7%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 208% $17

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 $698 in Stellenbosch and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stellenbosch pays 162% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $36.00 in Stellenbosch vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $202 vs $323 per month, with Stellenbosch cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Stellenbosch

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

05:24 5:24 AM

21:24 9:24 PM

8 h behind Stellenbosch

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,068

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

Stellenbosch Mexico City 13,740 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Stellenbosch
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

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

Stellenbosch and Mexico City differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($1,165 vs $1,567 including rent). Stellenbosch is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 162% higher in Stellenbosch, 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: $698 in Stellenbosch versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $264 in Stellenbosch versus $431 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 Stellenbosch – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $50.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,165 in Stellenbosch versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Stellenbosch but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Stellenbosch 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 Stellenbosch gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.