Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashgabat and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,561 a month against $3,331 in Ashgabat, rent and utilities included – about $21,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

164

Cost of Living Index in Ashgabat
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Ashgabat Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Ashgabat

🇹🇲 Turkmenistan

$3,331

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,331 in Ashgabat versus $1,561 in Mexico City.

Ashgabat $3,331
Mexico City $1,561

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,094 in Ashgabat versus $2,440 in Mexico City.

Ashgabat $5,094
Mexico City $2,440

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,857 in Ashgabat versus $3,319 in Mexico City.

Ashgabat $6,857
Mexico City $3,319

Living in Ashgabat is roughly 113% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ashgabat 149% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.23 TMT 105

$11.12 MX$204

180.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.1 TMT 286

$48.99 MX$900

73.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.65 TMT 42.51

$11.23 MX$206

12.64%

Cappuccino

$6.59 TMT 22.13

$3.76 MX$69.0

75.27%

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

$1.53 TMT 5.16

$1.65 MX$30.34

-7.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 TMT 2.75

$1.28 MX$23.48

-35.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 TMT 19.04

$3.26 MX$59.8

73.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.74 TMT 46.18

$5.66 MX$104

142.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.48 TMT 15.05

$1.81 MX$33.23

147.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 TMT 6.90

$2.94 MX$54.0

-30.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.82 TMT 19.54

$2.05 MX$37.62

183.90%

Eggs

$5.93 TMT 19.93

$2.93 MX$53.7

102.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$37.90 TMT 127

$11.95 MX$219

217.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.09 TMT 67.5

$9.51 MX$175

111.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.50 TMT 79.0

$14.84 MX$273

58.36%

Apples (1kg)

$4.98 TMT 16.75

$3.14 MX$57.7

58.60%

Banana (1kg)

$8.53 TMT 28.66

$2.01 MX$36.99

324.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.32 TMT 24.60

$2.08 MX$38.10

251.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 TMT 12.12

$2.22 MX$40.72

62.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 TMT 7.82

$2.06 MX$37.82

13.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 TMT 4.91

$1.88 MX$34.46

-22.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.69 TMT 9.03

$1.48 MX$27.18

81.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 TMT 3.75

$1.35 MX$24.70

-17.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.56 TMT 85.9

$5.41 MX$99.3

372.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$42.09 TMT 141

$16.86 MX$310

149.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.26 TMT 17.67

$1.98 MX$36.43

165.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 TMT 9.70

$4.32 MX$79.4

-33.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 TMT 0.49

$0.34 MX$6.33

-55.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.89 TMT 33.23

$20.23 MX$371

-51.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 TMT 9.76

$2.10 MX$38.47

38.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 TMT 2.97

$0.53 MX$9.74

66.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.41 TMT 28.25

$5.41 MX$99.3

55.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.44 TMT 1.49

$1.52 MX$27.91

-71.05%

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

$44.6K TMT 149.7K

$21.7K MX$399.0K

105.04%

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

$57.2K TMT 192.0K

$24.8K MX$455.6K

130.34%

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

$580 TMT 1,950

$63.0 MX$1,156

821.50%

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

$56.8 TMT 191

$28.88 MX$530

96.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$103 TMT 348

$33.93 MX$623

204.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$191 TMT 642

$55.8 MX$1,024

242.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.50 TMT 153

$24.90 MX$457

82.73%

Cinema Ticket

$8.53 TMT 28.67

$6.77 MX$124

26.00%

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

$23.05 TMT 77.5

$428 MX$7,854

-94.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K TMT 83.3K

$11.9K MX$218.0K

108.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 TMT 184

$70.0 MX$1,286

-21.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$115 TMT 386

$53.7 MX$986

113.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$365 TMT 1,227

$110 MX$2,016

232.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$189 TMT 634

$115 MX$2,115

63.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 TMT 4,709

$1,062 MX$19.5K

31.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,000 TMT 3,361

$671 MX$12.3K

49.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,288 TMT 7,686

$2,379 MX$43.7K

-3.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 TMT 6,452

$1,260 MX$23.1K

52.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,527 TMT 11.9K

$3,716 MX$68.2K

-5.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,813 TMT 9,450

$1,976 MX$36.3K

42.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$736 TMT 2,475

$997 MX$18.3K

-26.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.5

11.3

-15.93%

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

Last update for Ashgabat: October 5, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ashgabat

$1K 29.5%

Mexico City

$671 42.4% 32.9% $330

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashgabat

$741 21.8%

Mexico City

$126 8% 83% $615

Groceries & Markets

Ashgabat

$671 19.8%

Mexico City

$327 20.7% 51.3% $344

Eating Out

Ashgabat

$432 12.7%

Mexico City

$207 13.1% 52.1% $225

Clothing & Footwear

Ashgabat

$326 9.6%

Mexico City

$157 9.9% 51.8% $169

Sport & Entertainment

Ashgabat

$208 6.1%

Mexico City

$69 4.4% 66.7% $139

Getting Around

Ashgabat

$18 0.5%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 48.1% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,402 in Ashgabat and $1,062 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 35% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $85.0 in Ashgabat vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $671 vs $327 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇲 Ashgabat

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

12:45 12:45 PM

01:45 1:45 AM

11 h behind Ashgabat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

909,000 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkmenistani Manat TMT m

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 TMT = 0.298 USD

1 TMT = 0.265 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to TMT – Turkmenistani Manat Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇲 Turkmenistani Manat (m)

Turkmenistani Manat exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.36 TMT (1 TMT = 0.298 USD). 1 EUR = 3.77 TMT (1 TMT = 0.265 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to TMT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ashgabat Mexico City 13,220 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Ashgabat
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

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

Ashgabat and Mexico City differ by about 113% in total monthly costs ($3,331 vs $1,561 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Mexico City. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,402 in Ashgabat versus $1,062 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $23.05 in Ashgabat versus $428 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 105% higher in Ashgabat. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,561 in Mexico City versus $3,331 in Ashgabat, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Ashgabat. 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, Ashgabat 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 113% less than in Ashgabat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.