Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aalst and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $2,067 in Aalst, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Aalst
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Aalst Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Aalst

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,067

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,067 in Aalst versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Aalst $2,067
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,086 in Aalst versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Aalst $3,086
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,105 in Aalst versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Aalst $4,105
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Aalst is roughly 32% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Aalst 53% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.53 €20.04

$10.75 MX$199

109.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 €94.0

$50.3 MX$929

110.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.43 €11.95

$11.10 MX$205

20.99%

Cappuccino

$4.43 €3.94

$3.68 MX$68.1

20.38%

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

$3.63 €3.23

$1.65 MX$30.42

120.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 €2.82

$1.30 MX$24.08

143.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.55 €4.94

$3.32 MX$61.3

67.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 €4.92

$5.54 MX$102

-0.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.77 MX$32.68

-25.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 €2.50

$3.05 MX$56.4

-7.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.01 MX$37.20

5.97%

Eggs

$3.83 €3.41

$2.77 MX$51.1

38.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.39 €15.47

$11.91 MX$220

46.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.87 €10.55

$9.33 MX$172

27.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.29 €19.83

$15.02 MX$278

48.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$3.08 MX$56.8

-2.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 €2.16

$1.95 MX$35.97

24.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.67 €2.37

$2.03 MX$37.54

31.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.23 €2.87

$2.21 MX$40.92

46.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$2.02 MX$37.41

22.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.82 MX$33.67

7.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.52 MX$28.07

1.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.28 MX$23.65

-17.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.93 €11.50

$5.27 MX$97.4

145.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.74 €7.77

$16.12 MX$298

-45.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.95 MX$36.05

-11.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.85

$4.25 MX$78.6

-51.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.09 €2.75

$0.31 MX$5.82

896.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 €2.55

$2.00 MX$36.93

43.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.53 MX$9.86

343.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.40 €35.93

$5.62 MX$104

618.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.88

$1.52 MX$28.07

39.47%

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

$34.7K €30.8K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

64.81%

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

$32.8K €29.2K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

30.32%

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

$203 €180

$62.5 MX$1,155

224.53%

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

$21.94 €19.51

$28.77 MX$532

-23.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.8 €45.21

$34.45 MX$637

47.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.21 €32.21

$57.1 MX$1,055

-36.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.03 €18.71

$24.81 MX$458

-15.24%

Cinema Ticket

$15.18 €13.50

$6.67 MX$123

127.59%

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

$1,605 €1,428

$431 MX$7,964

272.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.7K €30.0K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

187.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 €101

$70.8 MX$1,308

59.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.17 €41.07

$51.8 MX$958

-10.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €90.6

$109 MX$2,011

-6.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 €145

$112 MX$2,076

45.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$911 €810

$1,051 MX$19.4K

-13.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$808 €718

$665 MX$12.3K

21.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,384 €1,232

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-40.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 €982

$1,227 MX$22.7K

-10.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 €3,702

$3,554 MX$65.7K

17.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,890 €2,571

$1,977 MX$36.5K

46.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,782 €2,475

$975 MX$18.0K

185.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

11.3

-69.38%

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

Last update for Aalst: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aalst

$807 39.1%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 17.6% $142

Groceries & Markets

Aalst

$360 17.4%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 10.4% $37

Eating Out

Aalst

$340 16.4%

Mexico City

$203 13% 40.2% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aalst

$276 13.3%

Mexico City

$126 8% 54.4% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Aalst

$191 9.2%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 19% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Aalst

$67 3.2%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 5.8% $3.9

Getting Around

Aalst

$27 * 1.3%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 4.3% $1.2

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $911 in Aalst and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aalst pays 185% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $106 in Aalst vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $360 vs $323 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Aalst

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

02:19 2:19 AM

18:19 6:19 PM

8 h behind Aalst

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,271

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Aalst Mexico City 9,220 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Aalst
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

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

Aalst and Mexico City differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($2,067 vs $1,567 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 185% higher in Aalst, 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: $911 in Aalst versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Aalst. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,067 per month in Aalst versus $1,567 in Mexico City – a 32% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $2,067 in Aalst, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Aalst. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Aalst and Mexico City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Aalst. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.