Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,674 a month against $2,274 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
Learn more

Wellington Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,274

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,274 in Wellington versus $1,674 in Mexico City.

Wellington $2,274
Mexico City $1,674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,372 in Wellington versus $2,606 in Mexico City.

Wellington $3,372
Mexico City $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,470 in Wellington versus $3,537 in Mexico City.

Wellington $4,470
Mexico City $3,537

Living in Wellington is roughly 36% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wellington 68% above, Mexico City 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.09 NZ$25.01

$10.59 MX$197

33.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.6 NZ$116

$52.0 MX$964

26.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.40 NZ$16.69

$10.73 MX$199

-12.40%

Cappuccino

$3.32 NZ$5.89

$3.80 MX$70.5

-12.63%

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

$2.35 NZ$4.17

$1.61 MX$29.93

45.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 NZ$3.08

$1.21 MX$22.49

42.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.32 NZ$12.99

$3.18 MX$59.0

130.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.65 NZ$11.80

$5.44 MX$101

22.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 NZ$3.24

$1.72 MX$31.88

6.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 NZ$3.79

$2.97 MX$55.1

-28.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.84 NZ$3.26

$1.93 MX$35.74

-4.66%

Eggs

$6.89 NZ$12.24

$2.77 MX$51.5

148.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.32 NZ$16.54

$11.67 MX$217

-20.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 NZ$17.52

$9.48 MX$176

4.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.86 NZ$26.38

$15.37 MX$285

-3.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 NZ$5.24

$3.10 MX$57.6

-4.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 NZ$3.92

$1.96 MX$36.39

12.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 NZ$5.35

$1.98 MX$36.78

52.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.27 NZ$11.14

$2.34 MX$43.34

167.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 NZ$3.73

$2.02 MX$37.56

3.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 NZ$2.48

$1.82 MX$33.86

-23.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 NZ$3.62

$1.54 MX$28.66

32.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 NZ$2.10

$1.31 MX$24.35

-9.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.59 NZ$43.66

$5.35 MX$99.3

359.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.27 NZ$20.01

$16.19 MX$300

-30.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.23 NZ$5.74

$1.96 MX$36.36

64.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 NZ$5.22

$4.35 MX$80.8

-32.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.78 NZ$4.93

$0.30 MX$5.66

826.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 NZ$185

$19.49 MX$362

434.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 NZ$3.26

$1.92 MX$35.58

-4.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 NZ$3.17

$0.47 MX$8.77

278.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.07 NZ$60.5

$5.41 MX$100

529.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 NZ$3.23

$1.48 MX$27.53

22.97%

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

$27.7K NZ$49.2K

$21.4K MX$396.6K

29.67%

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

$23.6K NZ$42.0K

$23.8K MX$440.9K

-0.47%

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

$188 NZ$333

$62.0 MX$1,151

202.98%

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

$31.98 NZ$56.8

$28.47 MX$528

12.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 NZ$91.8

$34.11 MX$633

51.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.71 NZ$65.2

$58.4 MX$1,084

-37.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.00 NZ$28.40

$24.50 MX$455

-34.69%

Cinema Ticket

$12.00 NZ$21.31

$6.59 MX$122

82.09%

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

$1,062 NZ$1,886

$434 MX$8,059

144.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.7K NZ$40.3K

$14.0K MX$260.5K

61.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.3 NZ$139

$68.4 MX$1,269

14.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.75 NZ$49.26

$54.8 MX$1,017

-49.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$181

$111 MX$2,057

-8.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 NZ$268

$116 MX$2,153

29.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 NZ$2,038

$1,179 MX$21.9K

-2.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,064 NZ$1,889

$771 MX$14.3K

38.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,996 NZ$3,544

$2,570 MX$47.7K

-22.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,796 NZ$3,188

$1,420 MX$26.3K

26.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,545 NZ$11.6K

$3,586 MX$66.5K

82.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,561 NZ$6,322

$2,064 MX$38.3K

72.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,741 NZ$4,866

$1,003 MX$18.6K

173.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

11.35

-52.51%

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

Last update for Wellington: November 1, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 46.8%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 27.5% $293

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$344 15.1%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 5.9% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$272 11.9%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 54.1% $147

Eating Out

Wellington

$247 10.9%

Mexico City

$201 12% 18.8% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$161 7.1%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 2.4% $3.8

Getting Around

Wellington

$126 5.5%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 80.2% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$61 2.7%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 17.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,148 in Wellington and $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wellington pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Wellington vs $52 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $344 vs $324 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

12:10 12:10 PM

17:10 5:10 PM

19 h behind Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.502 EUR

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.502 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 NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wellington Mexico City 11,100 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Wellington
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,274 in Wellington and $1,674 in Mexico City, so Mexico City is about 26% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Wellington is about 2.7 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: $1,148 in Wellington 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 81% less than in Wellington. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,062 in Wellington 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.

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