Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wollongong and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,467 in Wollongong, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Wollongong
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Wollongong Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Wollongong

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,467

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,467 in Wollongong versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Wollongong $2,467
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,619 in Wollongong versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Wollongong $3,619
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,772 in Wollongong versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Wollongong $4,772
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Wollongong is roughly 53% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wollongong 81% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.38 A$24.62

$10.62 MX$198

63.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.8 A$119

$48.35 MX$901

73.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 A$15.10

$10.35 MX$193

3.00%

Cappuccino

$3.47 A$4.92

$3.69 MX$68.7

-5.96%

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

$3.03 A$4.30

$1.67 MX$31.05

81.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 A$3.23

$1.27 MX$23.58

79.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.17 A$10.16

$3.19 MX$59.5

124.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.05 A$9.99

$5.31 MX$98.9

32.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 A$1.68

$1.72 MX$32.13

-30.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.21

$3.04 MX$56.6

-2.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 A$3.13

$1.94 MX$36.17

13.92%

Eggs

$3.96 A$5.61

$2.89 MX$53.8

37.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.35 A$14.66

$10.97 MX$204

-5.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.43 A$13.36

$9.25 MX$172

1.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.68 A$22.22

$15.13 MX$282

3.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 A$4.12

$3.05 MX$56.8

-4.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 A$3.60

$1.94 MX$36.17

30.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 A$4.73

$2.03 MX$37.73

64.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 A$6.67

$2.31 MX$43.12

103.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 A$3.28

$2.04 MX$37.91

13.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 A$3.66

$1.80 MX$33.53

43.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.54 A$3.59

$1.48 MX$27.56

71.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 A$1.90

$1.27 MX$23.62

5.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.34 A$64.2

$5.30 MX$98.8

755.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.90 A$19.70

$16.10 MX$300

-13.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.48 A$6.35

$1.98 MX$36.95

126.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 A$6.90

$4.25 MX$79.2

14.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 A$3.32

$0.31 MX$5.68

658.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$196

$19.73 MX$368

600.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 A$5.64

$1.84 MX$34.23

116.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.21

$0.53 MX$9.94

194.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.53 A$61.7

$5.30 MX$98.7

721.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.89

$1.51 MX$28.14

-11.92%

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

$28.5K A$40.4K

$21.8K MX$405.3K

31.24%

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

$24.8K A$35.1K

$24.0K MX$446.9K

3.34%

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

$186 A$263

$63.0 MX$1,173

194.92%

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

$26.37 A$37.36

$27.39 MX$510

-3.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.87 A$70.7

$35.67 MX$664

39.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.3 A$86.9

$58.9 MX$1,098

4.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.78 A$19.52

$23.64 MX$441

-41.71%

Cinema Ticket

$13.51 A$19.14

$6.40 MX$119

111.09%

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

$2,193 A$3,107

$432 MX$8,041

408.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K A$28.7K

$11.4K MX$212.8K

77.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 A$100

$68.2 MX$1,271

3.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 A$79.0

$53.1 MX$990

4.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 A$151

$108 MX$2,008

-1.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 A$156

$117 MX$2,185

-5.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 A$1,984

$1,113 MX$20.7K

25.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,162 A$1,646

$710 MX$13.2K

63.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,398 A$3,397

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-7.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 A$2,597

$1,406 MX$26.2K

30.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,469 A$6,330

$3,631 MX$67.6K

23.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,568 A$5,055

$2,135 MX$39.8K

67.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,107 A$7,234

$946 MX$17.6K

439.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.23

11.35

-53.92%

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

Last update for Wollongong: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wollongong

$1.2K 47.1%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 38.9% $452

Groceries & Markets

Wollongong

$357 14.5%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 10.4% $37

Eating Out

Wollongong

$284 11.5%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 30% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wollongong

$262 10.6%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 51.9% $136

Getting Around

Wollongong

$159 6.5%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 84% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Wollongong

$155 6.3%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 0.9% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Wollongong

$88 3.6%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 18.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,400 in Wollongong and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wollongong pays about 5.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Wollongong vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $357 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Wollongong

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

22:58 10:58 PM

05:58 5:58 AM

17 h behind Wollongong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

280,153

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.633 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.706 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.633 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Wollongong Mexico City 13,010 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Wollongong
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,467 in Wollongong and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Mexico City is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Wollongong is about 5.4 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: $1,400 in Wollongong 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 86% less than in Wollongong. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $2,193 in Wollongong 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.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Wollongong. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.