Mexico vs South Africa - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Mexico South Africa
🚶 Cost of living one person
$889
$972
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2187
$2272
🏠 One person rent
$400
$492
🏘️ Family rent
$731
$860
🍽️ Food expenses
$330
$276
🚐 Transport expenses
$77.5
$121
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$710
$1527
💸 GDP per capita
$13926
$6253
😃 Human freedom index
6.55
6.92
❤️ Life expectancy
74.8
61.5
👮 Corruption perceptions index
31
41
🌐 English speaking %
13%
31%
🎓 Higher education
89
83
😀 Quality of life
44
37
🏙️ Population
125M
62M

The average cost of living in Mexico ($889) is 8% less expensive than in South Africa ($972). Mexico ranked 102nd vs 90th for South Africa in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 0.8 months in Mexico compared to 1.6 months in South Africa. Ranked 97th and 124th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Mexico vs South Africa infographic

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Prices in Mexico vs South Africa

We calculate prices for Mexico and South Africa as a population-weighted mean of 144 and 36 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

Mexico South Africa
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$9.2
$8.2
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$32.2
$35.1
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$7.35
$4.71
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.26
$2.23
 Cappuccino
$3.29
$2.03
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.13
$0.98
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$490
$491
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$301
$357
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$928
$867
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$581
$678
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$36.4
$66.3
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$56.1
$102
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$24.9
$41.6
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
11.44%
11.47%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1726
$1199
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1355
$888
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.57
$1.77
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$27.5
$53.1
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$11.7
$9.36
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.16
$1.32
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.33
$1.12
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.9
$0.99
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.45
$1.45
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.23
$2.48
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$7.98
$8.56
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$7.09
$5.09
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$10.5
$6.88
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.42
$1.57
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.3
$1.53
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.62
$1.5
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.52
$1.59
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.69
$1.39
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.68
$1.41
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.62
$0.64
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.7
$1.37
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$11.5
$5.62
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.44
$1.37
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.62
$2.94
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$5.51
$4.76
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.31
$3.55
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.83
$1.85
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.77
$1.31
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$36.2
$30.6
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$4.34
$6.65
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$32.8
$29.9
💇 Haircut, simple
$9.71
$6.65
👖 Brand Jeans
$48.6
$50.4
👟 Brand Sneakers
$83.6
$91.9
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$260
$203
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$5383
$4974

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Mexico vs South Africa

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Mexico

City Cost of living Population
Mexico City
$1190
9.21M
Tijuana
$1050
1.96M
Zapopan
$1012
1.48M
Monterrey
$1257
1.14M
Ecatepec de Morelos
$734
1.93M
Ciudad Juarez
$974
1.32M
Leon
$719
1.58M
Guadalajara
$985
1.46M
Puebla
$939
1.43M
Mexicali
$955
1.03M
Aguascalientes
$826
934K
Queretaro
$941
795K
Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl
$723
1.07M
Guadalupe
$945
692K
Saltillo
$829
864K
Chihuahua
$854
878K
Culiacan
$746
808K
Morelia
$748
963K
Cancun
$1143
889K
Naucalpan
$835
872K
Acapulco
$727
673K
Apodaca
$958
523K
San Luis Potosi
$879
773K
Hermosillo
$854
856K
Merida
$1090
892K
San Nicolas de los Garza
$863
443K
Tlaquepaque
$683
664K
Reynosa
$849
589K
Torreon
$681
690K
Tlalnepantla
$783
653K

In South Africa

City Cost of living Population
Johannesburg
$1079
4.43M
Cape Town
$1120
3.78M
Soweto
$971
1.27M
Pretoria
$909
742K
Pietermaritzburg
$674
839K
Rustenburg
$943
550K
Durban
$834
595K
Randburg
$874
337K
Centurion
$838
237K
East London
$703
267K
Sandton
$997
222K
Port Elizabeth
$970
312K
Benoni
$822
159K
Kroonstad
$788
169K
Springs
$696
122K
Klerksdorp
$689
187K
Kimberley
$859
225K
Bloemfontein
$696
256K
Paarl
$850
112K
Vereeniging
$717
99K
Vanderbijlpark
$768
95.8K
Mthatha
$862
96.1K
Potchefstroom
$717
149K
Uitenhage
$901
104K
Komani
$953
68.9K
George
$790
157K
Middelburg
$841
87.3K
Bethal
$819
60.8K
Upington
$741
121K
Brits
$848
53.5K