Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arlington, VA and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $3,582 in Arlington, VA, rent and utilities included – about $24,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

173

Cost of Living Index in Arlington, VA
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Arlington, VA Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Arlington, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,582

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,582 per month in Arlington, VA vs $1,548 in Mexico City, rent included.

Arlington, VA $3,582
Mexico City $1,548

A couple spends around $5,415 per month in Arlington, VA vs $2,436 in Mexico City, rent included.

Arlington, VA $5,415
Mexico City $2,436

A family of three spends $7,249 per month in Arlington, VA vs $3,323 in Mexico City, rent included.

Arlington, VA $7,249
Mexico City $3,323

Arlington, VA costs about 131% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Arlington, VA and Mexico City sit above the global median – Arlington, VA by 164%, Mexico City by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.99 $23.99

$11.02 MX$204

117.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$48.68 MX$900

106.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.93 $10.93

$10.90 MX$201

0.28%

Cappuccino

$5.78 $5.78

$3.68 MX$68.1

57.07%

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

$2.98 $2.98

$1.63 MX$30.18

82.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.25 MX$23.07

94.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.14 $8.14

$3.25 MX$60.1

150.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.81 $8.81

$5.53 MX$102

59.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.70 MX$31.50

-26.47%

White Bread (500g)

$4.39 $4.39

$3.02 MX$55.8

45.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.21 $5.21

$1.92 MX$35.53

171.35%

Eggs

$5.07 $5.07

$2.73 MX$50.5

85.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.53 $21.53

$11.77 MX$218

82.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.69 $15.69

$9.53 MX$176

64.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.56 $22.56

$14.41 MX$266

56.56%

Apples (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$3.02 MX$55.8

84.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.89 MX$35.01

-0.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$1.99 MX$36.70

129.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.75 $5.75

$2.19 MX$40.38

162.56%

Potato (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.92 MX$35.43

69.79%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.87 MX$34.49

100.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.44 MX$26.62

56.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.27 MX$23.39

92.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.73 $9.73

$5.22 MX$96.4

86.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.20 $17.20

$16.17 MX$299

6.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.90 MX$35.03

48.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$4.22 MX$78.0

-32.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.74 $2.74

$0.34 MX$6.30

705.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$121 $121

$19.65 MX$363

514.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.93 $3.93

$2.00 MX$36.90

96.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 $1.21

$0.52 MX$9.67

132.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.92 $24.92

$5.34 MX$98.7

366.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.52 MX$28.13

-30.92%

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

$29.2K $29.2K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

32.11%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

4.76%

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

$162 $162

$61.1 MX$1,129

164.81%

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

$51.5 $51.5

$28.58 MX$528

80.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.7 $61.7

$34.47 MX$637

78.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 $71.4

$56.4 MX$1,042

26.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.14 $19.14

$24.88 MX$460

-23.07%

Cinema Ticket

$16.58 $16.58

$6.66 MX$123

148.95%

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

$1,572 $1,572

$427 MX$7,891

268.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.5K $35.5K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

205.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 $55.3

$67.8 MX$1,253

-18.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.2 $62.2

$52.0 MX$960

19.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$106 MX$1,959

-2.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 $163

$113 MX$2,080

44.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,452 $2,452

$1,025 MX$18.9K

139.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,010 $2,010

$654 MX$12.1K

207.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,832 $4,832

$2,308 MX$42.7K

109.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,600 $3,600

$1,242 MX$22.9K

189.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,750 $5,750

$3,613 MX$66.8K

59.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,742 $4,742

$1,936 MX$35.8K

144.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,973 $6,973

$964 MX$17.8K

623.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.3

-39.91%

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

Last update for Arlington, VA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arlington, VA

$2K 56.1%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 67.4% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Arlington, VA

$504 14.1%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 36.9% $186

Eating Out

Arlington, VA

$374 10.4%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 45.5% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arlington, VA

$275 7.7%

Mexico City

$124 8% 54.9% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Arlington, VA

$173 4.8%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 11.8% $20

Getting Around

Arlington, VA

$142 4%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 81.9% $116

Sport & Entertainment

Arlington, VA

$105 2.9%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 33.3% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,452 in Arlington, VA versus $1,025 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 623% higher in Arlington, VA, 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 $101 in Arlington, VA versus $49.00 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $504 vs $318 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Arlington, VA

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

06:51 6:51 AM

04:51 4:51 AM

2 h behind Arlington, VA

🌤 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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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Arlington, VA Mexico City 3,030 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Arlington, VA costs about 131% more than Mexico City, 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 $5,373 per month in Arlington, VA and $2,322 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 58% more in Arlington, VA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Arlington, VA and $49.00 in Mexico City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,548, than in Arlington, VA at $3,582. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arlington, VA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mexico City costs $1,548 versus $3,582 in Arlington, VA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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