Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney, NS and Mexico City

For one person, living costs are similar in Sydney, NS and in Mexico City: $1,614 and $1,548 a month, rent and utilities included.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sydney, NS
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Sydney, NS Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

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Sydney, NS

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,614

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Sydney, NS versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Sydney, NS $1,614
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,535 in Sydney, NS versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Sydney, NS $2,535
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,456 in Sydney, NS versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Sydney, NS $3,456
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Sydney, NS is roughly 4% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney, NS 19% above, Mexico City 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.13 CA$15.74

$11.02 MX$204

1.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 CA$88.0

$48.68 MX$900

27.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.16 CA$10.12

$10.90 MX$201

-34.31%

Cappuccino

$2.87 CA$4.06

$3.68 MX$68.1

-22.01%

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

$2.33 CA$3.30

$1.63 MX$30.18

42.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 CA$2.92

$1.25 MX$23.07

65.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 CA$3.04

$1.70 MX$31.50

26.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 CA$3.61

$3.02 MX$55.8

-15.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 CA$3.41

$1.92 MX$35.53

25.52%

Eggs

$3.32 CA$4.69

$2.73 MX$50.5

21.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.27 CA$8.87

$11.77 MX$218

-46.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.23 CA$11.63

$9.53 MX$176

-13.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 CA$18.36

$14.41 MX$266

-9.85%

Apples (1kg)

$7.01 CA$9.91

$3.02 MX$55.8

132.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 CA$1.63

$1.89 MX$35.01

-38.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.95

$2.19 MX$40.38

-36.99%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 CA$1.18

$1.92 MX$35.43

-56.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.68

$1.87 MX$34.49

1.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$6.30 CA$8.90

$1.44 MX$26.62

337.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.78 CA$25.14

$5.22 MX$96.4

240.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 CA$5.92

$4.22 MX$78.0

-0.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 CA$1.53

$0.34 MX$6.30

217.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.48 CA$68.5

$19.65 MX$363

146.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.15 CA$5.87

$2.00 MX$36.90

107.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 CA$1.70

$1.52 MX$28.13

-21.05%

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

$25.7K CA$36.4K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

16.62%

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

$19.1K CA$27.1K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

-21.87%

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

$86.3 CA$122

$61.1 MX$1,129

41.30%

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

$36.04 CA$51.0

$28.58 MX$528

26.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.3 CA$104

$34.47 MX$637

112.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.94 CA$70.6

$56.4 MX$1,042

-11.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.45 CA$4.88

$24.88 MX$460

-86.13%

Cinema Ticket

$7.04 CA$9.96

$6.66 MX$123

5.71%

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

$721 CA$1,020

$427 MX$7,891

68.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.1 CA$96.3

$67.8 MX$1,253

0.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.2 CA$95.1

$52.0 MX$960

29.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 CA$141

$106 MX$1,959

-5.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CA$148

$113 MX$2,080

-6.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$893 CA$1,262

$1,025 MX$18.9K

-12.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 CA$1,024

$654 MX$12.1K

10.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,753 CA$2,479

$2,308 MX$42.7K

-24.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,374 CA$1,943

$1,242 MX$22.9K

10.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,527 CA$3,573

$964 MX$17.8K

162.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.8

11.3

-48.67%

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

Last update for Sydney, NS: October 17, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney, NS

$724 44.9%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 9.7% $70

Groceries & Markets

Sydney, NS

$258 * 16%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 23.5% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney, NS

$196 12.1%

Mexico City

$124 8% 36.6% $72

Eating Out

Sydney, NS

$163 * 10.1%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 25.4% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney, NS

$153 9.5%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 0.5% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney, NS

$64 4%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 8.8% $5.7

Getting Around

Sydney, NS

$57 * 3.5%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 55% $31

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 $893 in Sydney, NS and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney, NS pays 162% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62.0 in Sydney, NS vs $49.00 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $318, with Sydney, NS cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Sydney, NS

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

01:14 1:14 AM

22:14 10:14 PM

3 h behind Sydney, NS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,960

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney, NS Mexico City 4,620 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney, NS
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

Sydney, NS vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney, NS and Mexico City differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($1,614 vs $1,548 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 162% higher in Sydney, NS, 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: $893 in Sydney, NS versus $1,025 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 147% less than in Sydney, NS. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $721 in Sydney, NS versus $427 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,614 in Sydney, NS, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Sydney, NS. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City 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 Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Sydney, NS. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.