Cost of Living · MX vs ZA
🇲🇽 Mexico City vs 🇿🇦 Cape Town: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,258 in Mexico vs $833 in South Africa — 33.8% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in South Africa
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -37.86%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -37.86%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -37.86%
Closest to Mexico prices
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -12.72%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -12.73%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: -12.81%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Mexico | South Africa | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $836 | $520 (9,293 ZAR) | -37.86% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $669 | $416 (7,435 ZAR) | -37.86% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,529 | $950 (16,994 ZAR) | -37.86% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $10.07 | $6.93 (124 ZAR) | -31.18% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $41.98 | $28.88 (517 ZAR) | -31.21% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $6.49 | $4.62 (83 ZAR) | -28.81% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.72 | $0.55 (10 ZAR) | -23.61% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.10 | $1.60 (29 ZAR) | -23.81% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.23 | $1.70 (30 ZAR) | -23.77% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $6.56 | $5.00 (89 ZAR) | -23.78% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.62 | $2.00 (36 ZAR) | -23.66% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $3.15 | $2.40 (43 ZAR) | -23.81% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $7.87 | $5.99 (107 ZAR) | -23.89% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.31 | $1.00 (18 ZAR) | -23.66% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $3.36 | $2.31 (41 ZAR) | -31.25% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.48 | $5.65 (101 ZAR) | -12.81% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $2.80 | $1.93 (35 ZAR) | -31.07% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.51 | $1.15 (21 ZAR) | -23.84% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $38.35 | $27.30 (488 ZAR) | -28.81% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.62 | $1.16 (21 ZAR) | -28.4% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $2.24 | $1.54 (28 ZAR) | -31.25% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.01 | $0.69 (12 ZAR) | -31.68% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.77 | $0.67 (12 ZAR) | -12.99% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $118 | $84.00 (1,503 ZAR) | -28.81% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $41.30 | $29.40 (526 ZAR) | -28.81% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $26.55 | $18.90 (338 ZAR) | -28.81% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $27.98 | $19.26 (345 ZAR) | -31.17% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $7.84 | $5.39 (96 ZAR) | -31.25% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $16.79 | $11.55 (207 ZAR) | -31.21% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $44.54 | $38.87 (695 ZAR) | -12.73% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $72.88 | $63.61 (1,138 ZAR) | -12.72% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $140 | $96.28 (1,722 ZAR) | -31.19% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much cheaper is South Africa than Mexico?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $833 in South Africa versus $1,258 in Mexico — 33.8% less. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in South Africa?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $2.31 in South Africa (≈ 41.32 ZAR), versus about $3.36 in Mexico.
- How much is rent in South Africa compared to Mexico?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $520/month in South Africa versus $836/month in Mexico (-37.86%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.