Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Timaru and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,992 in Timaru, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Timaru
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Timaru Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Timaru

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,992

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,992 in Timaru versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Timaru $1,992
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,048 in Timaru versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Timaru $3,048
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,104 in Timaru versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Timaru $4,104
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Timaru is roughly 24% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Timaru 46% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.41 NZ$25.59

$10.62 MX$199

35.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 NZ$109

$48.35 MX$908

26.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.87 NZ$19.29

$10.35 MX$194

5.02%

Cappuccino

$3.29 NZ$5.84

$3.69 MX$69.3

-10.84%

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

$2.13 NZ$3.78

$1.67 MX$31.29

27.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 NZ$3.15

$1.27 MX$23.76

40.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 NZ$10.11

$3.19 MX$59.9

78.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.12 NZ$10.86

$5.31 MX$99.6

15.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 NZ$2.04

$1.72 MX$32.38

-33.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 NZ$3.17

$3.04 MX$57.1

-41.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 NZ$1.99

$1.94 MX$36.44

-42.27%

Eggs

$5.98 NZ$10.61

$2.89 MX$54.2

106.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.28 NZ$14.70

$10.97 MX$206

-24.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 NZ$16.35

$9.25 MX$174

-0.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.69 NZ$29.62

$15.13 MX$284

10.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 NZ$5.21

$3.05 MX$57.2

-3.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 NZ$4.29

$1.94 MX$36.45

24.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 NZ$5.63

$2.03 MX$38.02

56.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.25 NZ$9.32

$2.31 MX$43.46

127.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 NZ$3.30

$2.04 MX$38.21

-8.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.29

$1.80 MX$33.79

2.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 NZ$4.13

$1.48 MX$27.77

56.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 NZ$0.98

$1.27 MX$23.80

-56.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.06 NZ$37.40

$5.30 MX$99.6

297.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.57 NZ$9.90

$16.10 MX$302

-65.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.63

$1.98 MX$37.23

60.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 NZ$2.23

$4.25 MX$79.8

-70.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 NZ$3.45

$0.31 MX$5.73

525.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 NZ$196

$19.73 MX$371

458.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.23 NZ$3.97

$1.84 MX$34.50

21.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 NZ$3.17

$0.53 MX$10.02

237.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.93 NZ$51.4

$5.30 MX$99.4

445.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 NZ$2.76

$1.51 MX$28.36

3.31%

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

$28.5K NZ$50.6K

$21.8K MX$408.4K

30.92%

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

$22.9K NZ$40.7K

$24.0K MX$450.3K

-4.33%

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

$113 NZ$201

$63.0 MX$1,182

79.63%

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

$22.85 NZ$40.58

$27.39 MX$514

-16.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 NZ$93.2

$35.67 MX$670

47.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.92 NZ$70.9

$58.9 MX$1,107

-32.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$11.39 NZ$20.22

$6.40 MX$120

77.97%

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

$590 NZ$1,047

$432 MX$8,103

36.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K NZ$28.5K

$11.4K MX$214.5K

40.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.4 NZ$106

$68.2 MX$1,281

-12.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.10 NZ$62.3

$53.1 MX$997

-33.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.0 NZ$162

$108 MX$2,023

-15.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 NZ$244

$117 MX$2,202

17.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 NZ$1,968

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-0.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$921 NZ$1,635

$710 MX$13.3K

29.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,790 NZ$3,179

$2,588 MX$48.6K

-30.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 NZ$2,972

$1,406 MX$26.4K

19.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,547 NZ$8,073

$3,631 MX$68.2K

25.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,866 NZ$5,088

$2,135 MX$40.1K

34.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

11.35

-37.71%

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

Last update for Timaru: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Timaru

$921 46.2%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 22.8% $210

Groceries & Markets

Timaru

$302 15.1%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 6% $18

Eating Out

Timaru

$244 12.2%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 18.5% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Timaru

$188 9.5%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 33.1% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Timaru

$145 7.3%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 7.3% $11

Getting Around

Timaru

$129 6.5%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 80.3% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Timaru

$63 3.2%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 14.4% $9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,108 in Timaru and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Timaru vs $48 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $302 vs $320, with Timaru cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Timaru

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

05:52 5:52 AM

10:52 10:52 AM

19 h behind Timaru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,600

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 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 NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Timaru Mexico City 11,470 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Timaru
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,992 in Timaru and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Mexico City is about 19% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,987 in Timaru and $2,412 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: $1,108 in Timaru 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 82% less than in Timaru. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $590 in Timaru versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.