Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Upington and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Upington: $1,094 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Upington
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Upington Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Upington

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,094

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,094 in Upington versus $1,674 in Mexico City.

Upington $1,094
Mexico City $1,674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,708 in Upington versus $2,606 in Mexico City.

Upington $1,708
Mexico City $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,321 in Upington versus $3,537 in Mexico City.

Upington $2,321
Mexico City $3,537

Living in Upington costs roughly 35% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Upington is 19% below, Mexico City is 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 R 195

$10.59 MX$199

11.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.69 R 605

$52.0 MX$976

-29.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.79 R 95.4

$10.73 MX$201

-46.04%

Cappuccino

$1.68 R 27.74

$3.80 MX$71.3

-55.79%

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

$1.03 R 17.05

$1.61 MX$30.28

-36.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 R 11.59

$1.21 MX$22.76

-42.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 R 28.47

$3.18 MX$59.7

-45.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 R 45.34

$5.44 MX$102

-49.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 R 15.38

$1.72 MX$32.26

-45.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 R 19.26

$2.97 MX$55.7

-60.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.93 MX$36.17

-13.99%

Eggs

$2.73 R 45.06

$2.77 MX$52.1

-1.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.17 R 135

$11.67 MX$219

-29.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.55 R 74.9

$9.48 MX$178

-52.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.30 R 137

$15.37 MX$289

-46.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.75

$3.10 MX$58.3

-45.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 R 29.65

$1.96 MX$36.82

-8.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 R 33.11

$1.98 MX$37.22

1.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.47

$2.34 MX$43.86

-31.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.19

$2.02 MX$38.00

-24.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 R 20.77

$1.82 MX$34.26

-30.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.44

$1.54 MX$29.00

-15.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R 17.98

$1.31 MX$24.64

-16.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 R 44.32

$5.35 MX$100

-49.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.81 R 62.8

$16.19 MX$304

-76.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.13

$1.96 MX$36.79

-31.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 R 29.80

$4.35 MX$81.7

-58.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.61 R 26.55

$0.30 MX$5.72

436.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$366

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.85 R 13.93

$1.92 MX$36.01

-55.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R 13.71

$0.47 MX$8.88

76.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.98 R 197

$5.41 MX$102

121.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 R 24.98

$1.48 MX$27.86

2.70%

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

$39.7K R 653.4K

$21.4K MX$401.4K

85.53%

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

$32.1K R 529.4K

$23.8K MX$446.1K

35.24%

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

$146 R 2,407

$62.0 MX$1,164

135.65%

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

$30.89 R 509

$28.47 MX$535

8.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.70 R 605

$34.11 MX$641

7.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.48 R 535

$58.4 MX$1,097

-44.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.37 R 187

$24.50 MX$460

-53.59%

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 R 110

$6.59 MX$124

0.91%

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

$102 R 1,676

$434 MX$8,155

-76.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,021 R 99.2K

$14.0K MX$263.6K

-57.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.4 R 848

$68.4 MX$1,284

-24.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.50 R 536

$54.8 MX$1,029

-40.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.9 R 1,482

$111 MX$2,082

-18.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.5 R 1,475

$116 MX$2,178

-22.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,552

$1,179 MX$22.1K

-66.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 R 5,972

$771 MX$14.5K

-52.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$598 R 9,853

$2,570 MX$48.3K

-76.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 R 12.2K

$1,420 MX$26.7K

-47.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$729 R 12.0K

$3,586 MX$67.3K

-79.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$633 R 10.4K

$2,064 MX$38.8K

-69.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$780 R 12.8K

$1,003 MX$18.8K

-22.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.38

11.35

0.26%

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

Last update for Upington: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Upington

$362 33.1%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 113% $408

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Upington

$214 19.5%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 41.7% $89

Groceries & Markets

Upington

$189 17.3%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 70.9% $134

Eating Out

Upington

$153 14%

Mexico City

$201 12% 31% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Upington

$119 10.8%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 32.9% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Upington

$46 4.2%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 56.3% $26

Getting Around

Upington

$11 * 1.1%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 118% $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 $398 in Upington and $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 29% 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: $37 in Upington vs $52 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $189 vs $324 per month, with Upington cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Upington

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

13:56 1:56 PM

05:56 5:56 AM

8 h behind Upington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,834

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Upington Mexico City 13,930 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Upington
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,094 in Upington and $1,674 in Mexico City, so Upington is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 22% lower in Upington. 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: $398 in Upington versus $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $102 in Upington versus $434 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 Upington – a meal for two runs $37 versus $52 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Upington is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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