Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athlone and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,674 a month against $2,688 in Athlone, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Athlone, Ireland
Mexico City, Mexico
Athlone
🇮🇪 Ireland
$2,688
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,674
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,688 in Athlone versus $1,674 in Mexico City.

  • Athlone $2,688
  • Mexico City $1,674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,966 in Athlone versus $2,606 in Mexico City.

  • Athlone $3,966
  • Mexico City $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,244 in Athlone versus $3,537 in Mexico City.

  • Athlone $5,244
  • Mexico City $3,537

Living in Athlone is roughly 61% 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: Athlone 99% above, Mexico City 24% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Athlone
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.04 €19.66
$10.59 MX$199
108.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$101 €89.8
$52.0 MX$978
93.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.06 €11.65
$10.73 MX$202
21.71%
Cappuccino
$3.84 €3.43
$3.80 MX$71.4
1.05%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 €1.90
$1.61 MX$30.35
32.30%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.91 €1.71
$1.21 MX$22.81
57.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.79 €6.05
$3.18 MX$59.8
113.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.64 €5.03
$5.44 MX$102
3.68%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Athlone
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 €1.26
$1.72 MX$32.32
-18.02%
White Bread (500g)
$1.32 €1.17
$2.97 MX$55.8
-55.56%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.75 €1.56
$1.93 MX$36.24
-9.33%
Eggs
$3.87 €3.46
$2.77 MX$52.2
39.71%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.04 €9.85
$11.67 MX$220
-5.40%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.36 €10.13
$9.48 MX$178
19.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.82 €10.54
$15.37 MX$289
-23.10%
Apples (1kg)
$2.60 €2.32
$3.10 MX$58.4
-16.13%
Banana (1kg)
$1.64 €1.46
$1.96 MX$36.90
-16.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.41 €2.15
$1.98 MX$37.30
21.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.77 €2.47
$2.34 MX$43.95
18.38%
Potato (1kg)
$2.51 €2.24
$2.02 MX$38.08
24.26%
Onion (1kg)
$2.29 €2.05
$1.82 MX$34.34
25.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.13 €1.90
$1.54 MX$29.06
38.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.89 €1.69
$1.31 MX$24.70
44.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$17.94 €16.00
$5.35 MX$101
235.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.10 €9.90
$16.19 MX$305
-31.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.27 €2.92
$1.96 MX$36.87
66.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.41 €3.94
$4.35 MX$81.9
1.38%
🚌 Getting Around
Athlone
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.82 €1.63
$0.30 MX$5.74
506.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$102 €91.4
$19.49 MX$367
425.50%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.06 €4.51
$1.92 MX$36.08
163.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.46 €1.30
$0.47 MX$8.90
210.64%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$31.05 €27.69
$5.41 MX$102
473.94%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.98 €1.77
$1.48 MX$27.92
33.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.7K €35.4K
$21.4K MX$402.2K
85.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.5K €33.5K
$23.8K MX$447.1K
58.00%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Athlone
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$254 €227
$62.0 MX$1,167
310.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.71 €27.40
$28.47 MX$536
7.87%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.71 €42.56
$34.11 MX$642
39.87%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Athlone
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.70 €43.44
$58.4 MX$1,099
-16.60%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$34.91 €31.14
$24.50 MX$461
42.49%
Cinema Ticket
$11.12 €9.92
$6.59 MX$124
68.74%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Athlone
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$990 €883
$434 MX$8,172
127.98%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,200 €4,638
$14.0K MX$264.1K
-62.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Athlone
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$114 €102
$68.4 MX$1,286
66.55%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.19 €36.74
$54.8 MX$1,031
-24.84%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$86.8 €77.4
$111 MX$2,086
-21.68%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$76.6 €68.4
$116 MX$2,183
-33.93%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Athlone
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,510 €1,347
$1,179 MX$22.2K
28.04%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,384 €1,235
$771 MX$14.5K
79.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,620 €2,337
$2,570 MX$48.4K
1.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,270 €2,025
$1,420 MX$26.7K
59.92%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,301 €2,945
$3,586 MX$67.5K
-7.94%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,384 €3,018
$2,064 MX$38.8K
63.94%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Athlone
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,150 €2,810
$1,003 MX$18.9K
214.14%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.73
11.35
-67.14%

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

Last update for Athlone: October 31, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Athlone
$1.4K
Mexico City
$771 44.3% $613
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Athlone
$333
Mexico City
$125 62.6% $208
Eating Out
Athlone
$323
Mexico City
$201 37.9% $122
Groceries & Markets
Athlone
$312
Mexico City
$324 3.6% $11
Clothing & Footwear
Athlone
$143
Mexico City
$158 9.9% $14
Getting Around
Athlone
$122
Mexico City
$25 79.5% $97
Sport & Entertainment
Athlone
$71
Mexico City
$72 0.9% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,510 in Athlone and $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athlone pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $101 in Athlone vs $52 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $312 vs $324, with Athlone cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇮🇪 Athlone
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🕒 Local time
08:29 8:29 AM
02:29 2:29 AM
6 h behind Athlone
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
21,000
9,209,944 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Athlone Mexico City 8,360 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Athlone
  • 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
Athlone vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Athlone or Mexico City?
Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 38% 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.
Are salaries higher in Athlone or in Mexico City?
Average pay in Athlone is about 3.1 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Athlone compared to Mexico City?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,510 in Athlone versus $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Athlone and in Mexico City?
Childcare runs $990 in Athlone versus $434 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Are groceries more expensive in Athlone or in Mexico City?
Shoppers in Athlone pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Can you live on $3,000/month in Athlone or in Mexico City?
Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Athlone or Mexico City?
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.
Should I move to Athlone or to Mexico City?
It comes down to priorities – Mexico City wins on affordability, Athlone on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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