Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arlington, TX and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $2,439 in Arlington, TX, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Arlington, TX
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Arlington, TX Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Arlington, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,439

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,439 in Arlington, TX versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Arlington, TX $2,439
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,647 in Arlington, TX versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Arlington, TX $3,647
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,855 in Arlington, TX versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Arlington, TX $4,855
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Arlington, TX is roughly 56% 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: Arlington, TX 81% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.39 $20.39

$10.75 MX$199

89.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.3 $55.3

$50.3 MX$929

10.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.11 $10.11

$11.10 MX$205

-8.92%

Cappuccino

$4.86 $4.86

$3.68 MX$68.1

32.07%

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

$2.56 $2.56

$1.65 MX$30.42

55.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.30 MX$24.08

76.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.38 $5.38

$3.32 MX$61.3

62.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.68 $6.68

$5.54 MX$102

20.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.77 MX$32.68

-55.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.64 $3.64

$3.05 MX$56.4

19.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.26 $5.26

$2.01 MX$37.20

161.69%

Eggs

$2.67 $2.67

$2.77 MX$51.1

-3.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.60 $10.60

$11.91 MX$220

-11.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.10 $13.10

$9.33 MX$172

40.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.02 $18.02

$15.02 MX$278

19.97%

Apples (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$3.08 MX$56.8

44.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.95 MX$35.97

36.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.12 $5.12

$2.03 MX$37.54

152.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.21 MX$40.92

81.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.02 MX$37.41

25.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.82 MX$33.67

63.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.52 MX$28.07

25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.28 MX$23.65

60.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.52 $9.52

$5.27 MX$97.4

80.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.03 $12.03

$16.12 MX$298

-25.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.95 MX$36.05

3.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 $3.36

$4.25 MX$78.6

-20.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$6.09 $6.09

$0.31 MX$5.82

1864.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$19.85 MX$367

104.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.00 MX$36.93

46.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$0.53 MX$9.86

220.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.81 $23.81

$5.62 MX$104

323.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.52 MX$28.07

-38.16%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

70.19%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

2.15%

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

$211 $211

$62.5 MX$1,155

237.57%

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

$66.4 $66.4

$28.77 MX$532

130.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.1 $64.1

$34.45 MX$637

86.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.87 $40.87

$57.1 MX$1,055

-28.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$14.74 $14.74

$6.67 MX$123

120.99%

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

$1,332 $1,332

$431 MX$7,964

209.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.4K $28.4K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

141.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.6 $61.6

$70.8 MX$1,308

-13.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.0 $51.0

$51.8 MX$958

-1.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 $84.9

$109 MX$2,011

-22.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$112 MX$2,076

-9.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,536 $1,536

$1,051 MX$19.4K

46.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,112 $1,112

$665 MX$12.3K

67.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,533 $2,533

$2,346 MX$43.3K

7.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,031 $2,031

$1,227 MX$22.7K

65.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,173 $2,173

$3,554 MX$65.7K

-38.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,217 $2,217

$1,977 MX$36.5K

12.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,699 $3,699

$975 MX$18.0K

279.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

11.3

-42.39%

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

Last update for Arlington, TX: 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

Arlington, TX

$1.1K 45.6%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 40.2% $447

Groceries & Markets

Arlington, TX

$393 16.1%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 17.8% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arlington, TX

$341 14%

Mexico City

$126 8% 63.2% $216

Eating Out

Arlington, TX

$311 12.8%

Mexico City

$203 13% 34.8% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Arlington, TX

$135 5.5%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 15% $20

Getting Around

Arlington, TX

$76 3.1%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 66.2% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Arlington, TX

$70 2.9%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 0.1% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,536 in Arlington, TX and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arlington, TX pays 279% 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: $55.0 in Arlington, TX vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $393 vs $323 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Arlington, TX

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

12:17 12:17 PM

11:17 11:17 AM

1 h behind Arlington, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

365,438

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arlington, TX Mexico City 1,490 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Arlington, TX
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

Arlington, TX vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 56% lower than in Arlington, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mexico City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 279% higher in Arlington, TX, 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: $1,536 in Arlington, TX versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,439 per month in Arlington, TX versus $1,567 in Mexico City – a 56% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 104% less than in Arlington, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $2,439 in Arlington, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Arlington, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Mexico City delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,567 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mexico City hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Arlington, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.