City comparison
Cost of living in Mexico City vs Cape Town
One person needs about €1,284 a month in Mexico City and €1,260 in Cape Town, rent included — Cape Town is 2% cheaper overall.
Salary you'd need to keep the same lifestyle
Enter your current net monthly pay. We scale it by the full cost basket — rent, groceries, transport, utilities, eating out and internet.
To live in Cape Town the way you live in Mexico City on €3,000, you need
€2,944/ month net
2% less than today (-€56)
- Mexico City today
- Basket €1,284 · left over €1,716 (57%)
- Cape Town at the matched salary
- Basket €1,260 · left over €1,684 (57%)
Local pay context: average tech net pay covers the basket 143% over in Cape Town (adequate) vs 148% in Mexico City. Purchasing power index · How we calculate this
🇲🇽 Mexico City
Great food, US time zones, and rents rising quickly in Roma and Condesa.
Monthly budget: €1,284
Sources: Eurostat, Harmonised price indices (2025) · 0 community reports
🇿🇦 Cape Town
Mountain-and-ocean setting at a discount; load-shedding is the hidden cost.
Monthly budget: €1,260
Sources: Eurostat, Harmonised price indices (2025) · 0 community reports
Should you move to Mexico City or Cape Town?
On salary, Mexico City pays more for tech roles (€1,900 versus €1,800 a month), so the money left over after costs is €616 in Mexico City at the top end.
Rent drives most of the gap: €850 in Mexico City against €750 in Cape Town. Groceries, transport and utilities move far less between the two.
For remote workers, the nomad index scores Mexico City at 78 and Cape Town at 74 — see the full nomad index and our data methodology.