Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashburn, VA and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $3,317 in Ashburn, VA, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

160

Cost of Living Index in Ashburn, VA
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Ashburn, VA Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Ashburn, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,317

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,317 in Ashburn, VA versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Ashburn, VA $3,317
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,512 in Ashburn, VA versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Ashburn, VA $4,512
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,708 in Ashburn, VA versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Ashburn, VA $5,708
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Ashburn, VA is roughly 106% 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: Ashburn, VA 144% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.82 $24.82

$10.62 MX$198

133.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.2 $90.2

$48.35 MX$901

86.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.86 $12.86

$10.35 MX$193

24.25%

Cappuccino

$6.06 $6.06

$3.69 MX$68.8

64.23%

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

$2.97 $2.97

$1.67 MX$31.07

77.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.27 MX$23.59

102.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.07 $8.07

$3.19 MX$59.5

152.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.93 $9.93

$5.31 MX$98.9

87.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.72 MX$32.15

-31.40%

White Bread (500g)

$4.01 $4.01

$3.04 MX$56.7

31.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$1.94 MX$36.19

173.71%

Eggs

$5.53 $5.53

$2.89 MX$53.8

91.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.28 $17.28

$10.97 MX$205

57.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.58 $15.58

$9.25 MX$172

68.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.85 $18.85

$15.13 MX$282

24.59%

Apples (1kg)

$5.40 $5.40

$3.05 MX$56.8

77.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.94 MX$36.19

21.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.43 $6.43

$2.03 MX$37.75

216.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$2.31 MX$43.15

154.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$2.04 MX$37.94

38.73%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 $3.76

$1.80 MX$33.55

108.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.48 MX$27.58

62.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.27 MX$23.63

114.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.64 $9.64

$5.30 MX$98.9

81.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.74 $15.74

$16.10 MX$300

-2.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.98 MX$36.97

13.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 $4.56

$4.25 MX$79.3

7.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 $2.30

$0.31 MX$5.69

641.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.7 $70.7

$19.73 MX$368

258.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.84 MX$34.25

58.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 $1.48

$0.53 MX$9.94

179.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.07 $22.07

$5.30 MX$98.7

316.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.51 MX$28.16

-33.11%

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

$35.5K $35.5K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

63.19%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$24.0K MX$447.1K

5.82%

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

$165 $165

$63.0 MX$1,174

161.77%

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

$66.5 $66.5

$27.39 MX$511

142.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.0 $78.0

$35.67 MX$665

118.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.1 $61.1

$58.9 MX$1,099

3.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.98 $11.98

$23.64 MX$441

-49.32%

Cinema Ticket

$18.19 $18.19

$6.40 MX$119

184.22%

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

$1,610 $1,610

$432 MX$8,045

272.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.7K $32.7K

$11.4K MX$212.9K

186.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 $53.8

$68.2 MX$1,272

-21.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.28 $43.28

$53.1 MX$990

-18.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.5 $99.5

$108 MX$2,009

-7.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 $124

$117 MX$2,186

5.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,010 $2,010

$1,113 MX$20.8K

80.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,795 $1,795

$710 MX$13.2K

152.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,037 $4,037

$2,588 MX$48.2K

55.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,250 $2,250

$1,406 MX$26.2K

60.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,996 $2,996

$3,631 MX$67.7K

-17.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,103 $3,103

$2,135 MX$39.8K

45.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,539 $7,539

$946 MX$17.6K

696.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

11.35

-39.91%

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

Last update for Ashburn, VA: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ashburn, VA

$1.8K 54.1%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 60.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Ashburn, VA

$488 14.7%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 34.5% $169

Eating Out

Ashburn, VA

$392 11.8%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 49.4% $194

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashburn, VA

$309 9.3%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 59.3% $183

Clothing & Footwear

Ashburn, VA

$144 4.3%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 8.2% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Ashburn, VA

$97 2.9%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 26.4% $26

Getting Around

Ashburn, VA

$90 2.7%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 71.8% $65

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,010 in Ashburn, VA and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ashburn, VA pays about 8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $90 in Ashburn, VA vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $488 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ashburn, VA

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

09:49 9:49 AM

2 h behind Ashburn, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,511

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ashburn, VA Mexico City 3,010 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ashburn, 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

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

Ashburn, VA and Mexico City differ by about 106% in total monthly costs ($3,317 vs $1,608 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Ashburn, VA is about 8 times higher, 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: $2,010 in Ashburn, VA versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,610 in Ashburn, VA versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Ashburn, VA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,608 in Mexico City versus $3,317 in Ashburn, VA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Ashburn, VA. 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.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Ashburn, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.