Cost of Living Comparison Between Athlone and Mexico City Cost of Living Comparison Between Athlone and Mexico City

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,142 in Athlone versus $1,484 in Mexico City.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,106 in Athlone versus $2,381 in Mexico City.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,070 in Athlone versus $3,278 in Mexico City.

Living in Athlone is roughly 112% more expensive than Mexico City, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athlone 135% above, Mexico City 11% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.01 €17.13

$12.98 MX$227

54.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.8 €80.3

$53.1 MX$929

76.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 €8.88

$9.72 MX$170

6.69%

Cappuccino

$4.58 €3.92

$3.75 MX$65.6

22.13%

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

$2.49 €2.13

$1.57 MX$27.46

58.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 €1.93

$1.13 MX$19.76

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.06 €6.04

$3.18 MX$55.7

122.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.71 €5.75

$4.66 MX$81.6

43.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 €1.17

$1.62 MX$28.37

-15.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 €1.12

$2.71 MX$47.36

-52.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 €1.48

$1.88 MX$32.89

-7.98%

Eggs

$4.10 €3.51

$2.51 MX$43.90

63.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.36 €9.73

$10.08 MX$176

12.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.67 €9.99

$8.29 MX$145

40.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 €10.43

$11.94 MX$209

2.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 €2.37

$2.86 MX$50.1

-3.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 €1.27

$1.75 MX$30.62

-14.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 €2.07

$2.08 MX$36.48

16.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.32

$1.97 MX$34.46

37.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.70 €2.31

$2.16 MX$37.79

25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 €1.79

$2.18 MX$38.16

-4.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 €1.38

$1.39 MX$24.34

15.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 €1.69

$1.12 MX$19.69

76.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.14 €17.24

$4.20 MX$73.5

379.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.64 €9.96

$14.25 MX$249

-18.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.49 €2.99

$1.76 MX$30.85

98.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 €3.16

$3.68 MX$64.5

0.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 €1.55

$0.39 MX$6.74

364.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.4 €83.3

$18.66 MX$327

421.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 €4.43

$1.39 MX$24.26

272.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.75 €2.35

$0.30 MX$5.32

816.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.13 €24.93

$5.42 MX$94.9

437.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.79

$1.35 MX$23.63

54.81%

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

$42.3K €36.2K

$18.9K MX$330.5K

124.14%

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

$39.2K €33.6K

$23.2K MX$405.2K

69.33%

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

$239 €205

$40.82 MX$714

485.86%

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

$22.00 €18.83

$27.50 MX$481

-20.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.02 €41.11

$30.38 MX$532

58.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.7 €51.9

$53.4 MX$935

13.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.21 €14.73

$26.30 MX$460

-34.56%

Cinema Ticket

$14.16 €12.12

$6.27 MX$110

125.84%

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

$1,365 €1,169

$436 MX$7,632

213.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,200 €6,163

$10.5K MX$183.2K

-31.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 €88.3

$56.8 MX$993

81.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.86 €36.68

$44.79 MX$784

-4.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.9 €76.1

$103 MX$1,799

-13.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 €68.0

$108 MX$1,888

-26.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,475 €1,263

$1,000 MX$17.5K

47.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,813 €1,552

$620 MX$10.9K

192.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,466 €2,111

$2,137 MX$37.4K

15.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,249 €1,926

$1,235 MX$21.6K

82.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,518 €3,012

$3,865 MX$67.6K

-8.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,578 €3,063

$2,332 MX$40.8K

53.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,375 €2,889

$1,067 MX$18.7K

216.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

11.34

-59.44%

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

Last update for Athlone: April 27, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,475 in Athlone and $1,000 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athlone pays 216% 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: $94.0 in Athlone vs $53.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $286 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

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

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

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 112% lower than in Athlone. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mexico City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Athlone pays 216% more on average, 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: $1,475 in Athlone versus $1,000 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,365 in Athlone versus $436 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Athlone. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,484 in Mexico City versus $3,142 in Athlone, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Athlone. 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 $1,484 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mexico City hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athlone 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 112% less than in Athlone. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.