Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Townsville and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,674 a month against $2,606 in Townsville, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Townsville
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Townsville Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Townsville

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,606

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,606 in Townsville versus $1,674 in Mexico City.

Townsville $2,606
Mexico City $1,674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,842 in Townsville versus $2,606 in Mexico City.

Townsville $3,842
Mexico City $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,078 in Townsville versus $3,537 in Mexico City.

Townsville $5,078
Mexico City $3,537

Living in Townsville is roughly 56% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Townsville 93% above, Mexico City 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.82 A$32.52

$10.59 MX$197

115.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 A$100

$52.0 MX$964

35.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.33

$10.73 MX$199

13.33%

Cappuccino

$3.58 A$5.10

$3.80 MX$70.5

-5.79%

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

$2.64 A$3.76

$1.61 MX$29.93

63.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 A$3.52

$1.21 MX$22.49

104.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.53 A$12.16

$3.18 MX$59.0

168.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.27

$5.44 MX$101

32.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 A$2.53

$1.72 MX$31.88

2.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 A$3.23

$2.97 MX$55.1

-23.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 A$1.94

$1.93 MX$35.74

-29.53%

Eggs

$5.23 A$7.45

$2.77 MX$51.5

88.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.16 A$11.63

$11.67 MX$217

-30.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.89 A$14.09

$9.48 MX$176

4.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.37 A$19.06

$15.37 MX$285

-13.01%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 A$5.89

$3.10 MX$57.6

33.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 A$3.85

$1.96 MX$36.39

37.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 A$5.10

$1.98 MX$36.78

80.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 A$6.11

$2.34 MX$43.34

83.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 A$3.76

$2.02 MX$37.56

30.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.07

$1.82 MX$33.86

56.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.28

$1.54 MX$28.66

49.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 A$4.64

$1.31 MX$24.35

148.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$30.58 A$43.58

$5.35 MX$99.3

471.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.71 A$15.26

$16.19 MX$300

-33.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.93 A$9.88

$1.96 MX$36.36

253.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.54 A$12.17

$4.35 MX$80.8

96.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.11 A$3.01

$0.30 MX$5.66

603.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.2 A$78.7

$19.49 MX$362

183.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 A$3.74

$1.92 MX$35.58

36.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 A$2.91

$0.47 MX$8.77

334.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.02 A$62.7

$5.41 MX$100

713.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 A$1.76

$1.48 MX$27.53

-16.22%

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

$28.1K A$40.1K

$21.4K MX$396.6K

31.70%

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

$27.8K A$39.7K

$23.8K MX$440.9K

17.23%

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

$383 A$545

$62.0 MX$1,151

517.50%

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

$36.42 A$51.9

$28.47 MX$528

27.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.0 A$94.1

$34.11 MX$633

93.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.4 A$78.9

$58.4 MX$1,084

-5.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.73 A$28.11

$24.50 MX$455

-19.47%

Cinema Ticket

$15.23 A$21.71

$6.59 MX$122

131.11%

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

$2,084 A$2,970

$434 MX$8,059

379.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K A$17.5K

$14.0K MX$260.5K

-12.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.5 A$132

$68.4 MX$1,269

35.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.1 A$99.9

$54.8 MX$1,017

27.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$164 A$233

$111 MX$2,057

47.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$187

$116 MX$2,153

13.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,286 A$1,832

$1,179 MX$21.9K

9.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 A$1,460

$771 MX$14.3K

32.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,313 A$3,296

$2,570 MX$47.7K

-10.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,845 A$2,630

$1,420 MX$26.3K

30.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,976 A$7,091

$3,586 MX$66.5K

38.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,112 A$5,860

$2,064 MX$38.3K

99.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,066 A$5,794

$1,003 MX$18.6K

305.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.68

11.35

-49.96%

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

Last update for Townsville: November 3, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Townsville

$1K 39.3%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 24.8% $254

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Townsville

$485 18.6%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 74.3% $361

Groceries & Markets

Townsville

$389 14.9%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 16.7% $65

Eating Out

Townsville

$340 13%

Mexico City

$201 12% 40.9% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Townsville

$206 7.9%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 23.5% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Townsville

$86 3.3%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 16.6% $14

Getting Around

Townsville

$77 2.9%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 67.3% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,286 in Townsville and $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Townsville pays about 4.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $70 in Townsville vs $52 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $389 vs $324 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Townsville

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

08:33 8:33 AM

16:33 4:33 PM

16 h behind Townsville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

173,724

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.702 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.56 MXN (100 MXN = 5.39 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Townsville Mexico City 13,140 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Townsville
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,606 in Townsville and $1,674 in Mexico City, so Mexico City is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Townsville is about 4.1 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: $1,286 in Townsville versus $1,179 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 65% less than in Townsville. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $2,084 in Townsville versus $434 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.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Townsville. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.