Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tembisa and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Tembisa: $1,105 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Tembisa
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Tembisa Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Tembisa

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,105

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,105 in Tembisa versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Tembisa $1,105
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,734 in Tembisa versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Tembisa $1,734
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,363 in Tembisa versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Tembisa $2,363
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Tembisa costs roughly 31% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tembisa is 19% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.69 R 161

$10.62 MX$198

-8.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.77 R 663

$48.35 MX$901

-17.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.82 R 97.0

$10.35 MX$193

-43.77%

Cappuccino

$2.31 R 38.53

$3.69 MX$68.8

-37.40%

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

$1.10 R 18.29

$1.67 MX$31.07

-34.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 R 13.79

$1.27 MX$23.59

-34.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 R 40.12

$3.19 MX$59.5

-24.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 R 46.70

$5.31 MX$98.9

-47.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.53

$1.72 MX$32.15

-31.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 R 18.37

$3.04 MX$56.7

-63.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 R 30.35

$1.94 MX$36.19

-6.19%

Eggs

$2.54 R 42.40

$2.89 MX$53.8

-12.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.39 R 140

$10.97 MX$205

-23.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.91 R 81.9

$9.25 MX$172

-46.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.19 R 120

$15.13 MX$282

-52.48%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 R 30.09

$3.05 MX$56.8

-40.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 R 28.11

$1.94 MX$36.19

-12.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.76

$2.03 MX$37.75

-14.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.71

$2.31 MX$43.15

-28.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.26

$2.04 MX$37.94

-28.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 R 24.12

$1.80 MX$33.55

-19.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 R 20.62

$1.48 MX$27.58

-16.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.41

$1.27 MX$23.63

-8.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.33 R 55.4

$5.30 MX$98.9

-37.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.03 R 83.8

$16.10 MX$300

-68.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.20

$1.98 MX$36.97

-29.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 R 32.84

$4.25 MX$79.3

-53.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.56 R 26.03

$0.31 MX$5.69

403.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 R 10.61

$1.84 MX$34.25

-65.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R 15.53

$0.53 MX$9.94

75.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.73 R 195

$5.30 MX$98.7

121.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 R 24.63

$1.51 MX$28.16

-1.99%

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

$36.3K R 604.7K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

66.80%

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

$33.3K R 554.9K

$24.0K MX$447.1K

38.82%

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

$149 R 2,479

$63.0 MX$1,174

136.20%

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

$35.37 R 589

$27.39 MX$511

29.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.16 R 619

$35.67 MX$665

4.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.03 R 534

$58.9 MX$1,099

-45.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.74 R 179

$23.64 MX$441

-54.57%

Cinema Ticket

$7.37 R 123

$6.40 MX$119

15.16%

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

$247 R 4,116

$432 MX$8,045

-42.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,513 R 91.9K

$11.4K MX$212.9K

-51.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.4 R 906

$68.2 MX$1,272

-20.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.07 R 551

$53.1 MX$990

-37.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R 1,687

$108 MX$2,009

-6.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.2 R 1,486

$117 MX$2,186

-23.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 R 6,537

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-64.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 R 5,987

$710 MX$13.2K

-49.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$746 R 12.4K

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-71.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$753 R 12.5K

$1,406 MX$26.2K

-46.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$877 R 14.6K

$3,631 MX$67.7K

-75.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$682 R 11.4K

$2,135 MX$39.8K

-68.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$566 R 9,430

$946 MX$17.6K

-40.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.35

-3.61%

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

Last update for Tembisa: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tembisa

$359 32.5%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 97.7% $351

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tembisa

$221 20%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 43% $95

Groceries & Markets

Tembisa

$193 17.5%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 65.5% $126

Eating Out

Tembisa

$148 13.4%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 34.1% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Tembisa

$125 11.3%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 24.6% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Tembisa

$47 4.2%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 53.4% $25

Getting Around

Tembisa

$12 * 1%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 121% $14

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 $392 in Tembisa and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 67% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $40 in Tembisa vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $320 per month, with Tembisa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Tembisa

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

22:34 10:34 PM

14:34 2:34 PM

8 h behind Tembisa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

463,109

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tembisa Mexico City 14,600 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Tembisa
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,105 in Tembisa and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Tembisa is about 31% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 40% lower in Tembisa. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $392 in Tembisa versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $247 in Tembisa versus $432 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 Tembisa – a meal for two runs $40 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,105 in Tembisa versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Tembisa but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Tembisa 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.

It comes down to priorities – Tembisa wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.