Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vung Tau and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Vung Tau: $608 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Vung Tau
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Vung Tau Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Vung Tau

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$608

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $608 in Vung Tau versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Vung Tau $608
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,015 in Vung Tau versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Vung Tau $1,015
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,423 in Vung Tau versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Vung Tau $1,423
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Vung Tau costs roughly 61% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Vung Tau is 55% below, Mexico City is 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.95 ₫50.5K

$10.75 MX$199

-81.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.66 ₫405.5K

$50.3 MX$929

-68.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.75 ₫97.0K

$11.10 MX$205

-66.22%

Cappuccino

$1.84 ₫47.6K

$3.68 MX$68.1

-50.00%

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

$0.41 ₫10.6K

$1.65 MX$30.42

-75.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₫8,662

$1.30 MX$24.08

-74.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.78 ₫20.2K

$3.32 MX$61.3

-76.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 ₫26.3K

$5.54 MX$102

-81.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 ₫36.3K

$1.77 MX$32.68

-20.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$3.05 MX$56.4

-63.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 ₫23.1K

$2.01 MX$37.20

-55.72%

Eggs

$1.65 ₫42.8K

$2.77 MX$51.1

-40.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.79 ₫124.0K

$11.91 MX$220

-59.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.60 ₫93.1K

$9.33 MX$172

-61.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.44 ₫244.4K

$15.02 MX$278

-37.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 ₫79.3K

$3.08 MX$56.8

-0.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$1.95 MX$35.97

-36.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.63 ₫16.3K

$2.03 MX$37.54

-68.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 ₫33.5K

$2.21 MX$40.92

-41.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$2.02 MX$37.41

-43.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.8K

$1.82 MX$33.67

-34.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ₫15.7K

$1.52 MX$28.07

-60.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ₫11.0K

$1.28 MX$23.65

-66.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.20 ₫31.1K

$5.27 MX$97.4

-77.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.74 ₫329.7K

$16.12 MX$298

-20.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₫21.1K

$1.95 MX$36.05

-58.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 ₫26.2K

$4.25 MX$78.6

-76.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 ₫18.1K

$2.00 MX$36.93

-65.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.59 ₫15.3K

$0.53 MX$9.86

11.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 ₫29.7K

$5.62 MX$104

-79.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 ₫20.7K

$1.52 MX$28.07

-47.37%

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

$30.2K ₫782.2M

$21.0K MX$388.7K

43.65%

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

$31.4K ₫811.9M

$25.2K MX$465.3K

24.55%

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

$46.69 ₫1.2M

$62.5 MX$1,155

-25.28%

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

$5.90 ₫152.7K

$28.77 MX$532

-79.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.99 ₫206.9K

$34.45 MX$637

-76.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.04 ₫441.1K

$57.1 MX$1,055

-70.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.41 ₫243.6K

$24.81 MX$458

-62.07%

Cinema Ticket

$3.54 ₫91.6K

$6.67 MX$123

-46.93%

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

$117 ₫3.0M

$431 MX$7,964

-72.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,586 ₫248.2M

$11.7K MX$216.9K

-18.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.13 ₫547.1K

$70.8 MX$1,308

-70.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.89 ₫489.1K

$51.8 MX$958

-63.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 ₫2.4M

$109 MX$2,011

-15.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.9 ₫1.8M

$112 MX$2,076

-39.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$304 ₫7.9M

$1,051 MX$19.4K

-71.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$199 ₫5.2M

$665 MX$12.3K

-70.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$752 ₫19.5M

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-67.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$504 ₫13.0M

$1,227 MX$22.7K

-58.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,301 ₫189.0M

$3,554 MX$65.7K

105.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,367 ₫113.1M

$1,977 MX$36.5K

120.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$572 ₫14.8M

$975 MX$18.0K

-41.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

11.3

-23.54%

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

Last update for Vung Tau: October 10, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vung Tau

$199 32.7%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 234% $466

Groceries & Markets

Vung Tau

$173 28.4%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 86.9% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Vung Tau

$90 14.8%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 71.8% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vung Tau

$61 10%

Mexico City

$126 8% 108% $65

Eating Out

Vung Tau

$58 9.5%

Mexico City

$203 13% 251% $145

Sport & Entertainment

Vung Tau

$24 4%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 192% $46

Getting Around

Vung Tau

$3.7 * 0.6%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 604% $22

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 $304 in Vung Tau and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 71% 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: $16.00 in Vung Tau vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $173 vs $323 per month, with Vung Tau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Vung Tau

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

05:48 5:48 AM

13 h behind Vung Tau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

380,000

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,108 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Vung Tau Mexico City 15,630 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Vung Tau
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

Vung Tau vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vung Tau and Mexico City differ by about 158% in total monthly costs ($608 vs $1,567 including rent). Vung Tau is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 71% lower in Mexico City. 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: $304 in Vung Tau versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $117 in Vung Tau versus $431 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 Vung Tau – a meal for two runs $16.00 versus $50.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $608 in Vung Tau versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Vung Tau but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Vung Tau 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.

Safety-wise, Vung Tau and Mexico City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Vung Tau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 158% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.