Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

157

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,267 in Sydney versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Sydney $3,267
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,847 in Sydney versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Sydney $4,847
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,428 in Sydney versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Sydney $6,428
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Sydney is roughly 103% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sydney 140% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.88

$10.62 MX$199

64.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$128

$48.35 MX$908

86.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$16.99

$10.35 MX$194

15.56%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.69

$3.69 MX$69.3

8.40%

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

$2.81 A$4.00

$1.67 MX$31.29

68.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.16

$1.27 MX$23.76

74.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.56

$3.19 MX$59.9

154.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.23

$5.31 MX$99.6

35.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.42

$1.72 MX$32.38

-1.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.17

$3.04 MX$57.1

-3.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.57

$1.94 MX$36.44

29.38%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.04

$2.89 MX$54.2

95.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.36

$10.97 MX$206

11.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.24

$9.25 MX$174

0.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$23.98

$15.13 MX$284

11.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.55

$3.05 MX$57.2

27.87%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.58

$1.94 MX$36.45

65.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.88

$2.03 MX$38.02

68.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.16

$2.31 MX$43.46

87.45%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.76

$2.04 MX$38.21

64.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.41

$1.80 MX$33.79

33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.32

$1.48 MX$27.77

58.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

$1.27 MX$23.80

-8.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.6

$5.30 MX$99.6

757.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.89

$16.10 MX$302

-13.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.84

$1.98 MX$37.23

107.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.94

$4.25 MX$79.8

-1.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.44

$0.31 MX$5.73

906.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$216

$19.73 MX$371

669.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.92

$1.84 MX$34.50

88.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.22

$0.53 MX$10.02

194.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.2

$5.30 MX$99.4

646.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.06

$1.51 MX$28.36

-3.97%

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

$29.9K A$42.5K

$21.8K MX$408.4K

37.44%

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

$27.5K A$39.1K

$24.0K MX$450.3K

14.72%

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

$251 A$357

$63.0 MX$1,182

298.29%

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

$27.76 A$39.45

$27.39 MX$514

1.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.4

$35.67 MX$670

62.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$100

$58.9 MX$1,107

19.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.05

$23.64 MX$444

-1.65%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.34

$6.40 MX$120

178.59%

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

$2,358 A$3,352

$432 MX$8,103

446.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.6K

$11.4K MX$214.5K

137.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$114

$68.2 MX$1,281

17.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$98.5

$53.1 MX$997

30.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$157

$108 MX$2,023

2.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$117 MX$2,202

8.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,647

$1,113 MX$20.9K

130.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,548

$710 MX$13.3K

152.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,394

$2,588 MX$48.6K

100.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,487

$1,406 MX$26.4K

124.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.0K

$3,631 MX$68.2K

268.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.4K

$2,135 MX$40.1K

308.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,853

$946 MX$17.8K

335.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

11.35

-47.84%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 60.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 16.4% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 62.6% $211

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 33.6% $100

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 85.5% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 10.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 32.5% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,566 in Sydney and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $90 in Sydney vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $382 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

19:49 7:49 PM

02:49 2:49 AM

17 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Mexico City 12,970 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,267 in Sydney and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Mexico City is about 51% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Sydney is about 4.4 times higher, 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: $2,566 in Sydney 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 87% less than in Sydney. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $2,358 in Sydney versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,608 in Mexico City versus $3,267 in Sydney, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Sydney. 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 51% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.