Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arad and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Arad: $873 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Arad
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Arad Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Arad

🇷🇴 Romania

$873

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $873 per month in Arad vs $1,567 in Mexico City, rent included.

Arad $873
Mexico City $1,567

A couple spends around $1,366 per month in Arad vs $2,450 in Mexico City, rent included.

Arad $1,366
Mexico City $2,450

A family of three spends $1,858 per month in Arad vs $3,333 in Mexico City, rent included.

Arad $1,858
Mexico City $3,333

Arad is about 44% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Arad sits 35% below the global median, while Mexico City is 16% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.16 RON 38.63

$10.75 MX$199

-24.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.35 RON 153

$50.3 MX$929

-35.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.15 RON 33.83

$11.10 MX$205

-35.59%

Cappuccino

$2.63 RON 12.45

$3.68 MX$68.1

-28.53%

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

$1.48 RON 7.00

$1.65 MX$30.42

-10.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 RON 7.53

$1.30 MX$24.08

22.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 RON 10.15

$3.32 MX$61.3

-35.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 RON 11.71

$5.54 MX$102

-55.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 RON 5.32

$1.77 MX$32.68

-36.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 RON 5.76

$3.05 MX$56.4

-60.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.16

$2.01 MX$37.20

-14.43%

Eggs

$2.57 RON 12.17

$2.77 MX$51.1

-7.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.17 RON 33.94

$11.91 MX$220

-39.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.87 RON 23.03

$9.33 MX$172

-47.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.13 RON 47.93

$15.02 MX$278

-32.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$3.08 MX$56.8

-48.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 RON 8.05

$1.95 MX$35.97

-12.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 RON 8.02

$2.03 MX$37.54

-16.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.40 RON 6.60

$2.21 MX$40.92

-36.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 RON 3.59

$2.02 MX$37.41

-62.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 RON 4.04

$1.82 MX$33.67

-53.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 RON 5.60

$1.52 MX$28.07

-22.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 RON 3.63

$1.28 MX$23.65

-39.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.95 RON 28.14

$5.27 MX$97.4

12.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.73 RON 27.10

$16.12 MX$298

-64.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 RON 5.78

$1.95 MX$36.05

-37.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 RON 8.40

$4.25 MX$78.6

-58.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 RON 4.11

$0.31 MX$5.82

180.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.34 RON 139

$19.85 MX$367

47.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 RON 3.71

$2.00 MX$36.93

-60.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 RON 5.06

$0.53 MX$9.86

101.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.40 RON 49.22

$5.62 MX$104

85.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 RON 8.72

$1.52 MX$28.07

21.05%

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

$27.8K RON 131.8K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

32.41%

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

$24.9K RON 117.8K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

-1.08%

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

$125 RON 590

$62.5 MX$1,155

99.50%

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

$8.19 RON 38.74

$28.77 MX$532

-71.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.28 RON 34.42

$34.45 MX$637

-78.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.12 RON 161

$57.1 MX$1,055

-40.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.83 RON 146

$24.81 MX$458

24.26%

Cinema Ticket

$5.27 RON 24.91

$6.67 MX$123

-20.99%

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

$159 RON 752

$431 MX$7,964

-63.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,847 RON 18.2K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

-67.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.29 RON 200

$70.8 MX$1,308

-40.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.47 RON 102

$51.8 MX$958

-58.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.9 RON 335

$109 MX$2,011

-34.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.6 RON 343

$112 MX$2,076

-35.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$332 RON 1,571

$1,051 MX$19.4K

-68.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 RON 1,052

$665 MX$12.3K

-66.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 RON 2,505

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-77.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$412 RON 1,951

$1,227 MX$22.7K

-66.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,420 RON 6,719

$3,554 MX$65.7K

-60.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,062 RON 5,027

$1,977 MX$36.5K

-46.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$919 RON 4,349

$975 MX$18.0K

-5.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.35

11.3

-34.96%

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

Last update for Arad: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arad

$222 25.5%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 199% $443

Groceries & Markets

Arad

$188 21.5%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 71.7% $135

Eating Out

Arad

$146 16.8%

Mexico City

$203 13% 38.7% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arad

$140 16%

Mexico City

$126 8% 10.3% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Arad

$93 10.7%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 65.9% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Arad

$45 5.1%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 57.8% $26

Getting Around

Arad

$39 4.5%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 33.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $332 in Arad versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 6% higher in Mexico City, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Arad versus $50.0 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $188 vs $323 – making Arad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Arad

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

20:17 8:17 PM

11:17 11:17 AM

9 h behind Arad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

159,074

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

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 RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arad Mexico City 10,590 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Arad
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

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

Mexico City costs about 79% more than Arad, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,310 per month in Arad and $2,351 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Arad and $50.0 in Mexico City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $873 in Arad and $1,567 in Mexico City. That's a gap of about 79%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Arad, where all-in costs run around $873, than in Mexico City at $1,567. In Arad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Arad costs $873 versus $1,567 in Mexico City. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Arad. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mexico City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.