Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basra and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Basra: $652 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Basra
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Basra Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$652

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $652 in Basra versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Basra $652
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,179 in Basra versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Basra $1,179
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,706 in Basra versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Basra $1,706
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Basra costs roughly 58% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Basra is 52% below, Mexico City is 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.06 IQD 6,134

$10.75 MX$199

-62.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.00 IQD 39.3K

$50.3 MX$929

-48.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.42 IQD 9,706

$11.10 MX$205

-42.16%

Cappuccino

$2.21 IQD 3,342

$3.68 MX$68.1

-39.95%

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

$0.36 IQD 551

$1.65 MX$30.42

-78.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 IQD 455

$1.30 MX$24.08

-76.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 IQD 4,849

$3.32 MX$61.3

-3.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 IQD 5,394

$5.54 MX$102

-35.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 IQD 1,460

$1.77 MX$32.68

-45.20%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 IQD 841

$3.05 MX$56.4

-81.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 IQD 1,895

$2.01 MX$37.20

-37.81%

Eggs

$1.62 IQD 2,442

$2.77 MX$51.1

-41.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.28 IQD 9,486

$11.91 MX$220

-47.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 IQD 8,061

$9.33 MX$172

-42.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.12 IQD 18.3K

$15.02 MX$278

-19.31%

Apples (1kg)

$0.90 IQD 1,356

$3.08 MX$56.8

-70.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 IQD 1,787

$1.95 MX$35.97

-39.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.84 IQD 1,266

$2.03 MX$37.54

-58.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.60 IQD 904

$2.21 MX$40.92

-72.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 IQD 1,044

$2.02 MX$37.41

-65.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.53 IQD 802

$1.82 MX$33.67

-70.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 IQD 1,160

$1.52 MX$28.07

-49.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.36 IQD 546

$1.28 MX$23.65

-71.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.79 IQD 2,705

$5.27 MX$97.4

-66.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.93 IQD 16.5K

$16.12 MX$298

-32.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 IQD 2,204

$1.95 MX$36.05

-25.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 IQD 2,617

$4.25 MX$78.6

-59.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 IQD 756

$0.31 MX$5.82

61.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.76 IQD 25.3K

$19.85 MX$367

-15.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 IQD 2,946

$2.00 MX$36.93

-2.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 IQD 2,930

$0.53 MX$9.86

266.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.35 IQD 9,594

$5.62 MX$104

12.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.56 IQD 849

$1.52 MX$28.07

-63.16%

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

$11.7K IQD 17.7M

$21.0K MX$388.7K

-44.21%

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

$19.5K IQD 29.5M

$25.2K MX$465.3K

-22.50%

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

$44.55 IQD 67.3K

$62.5 MX$1,155

-28.71%

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

$22.24 IQD 33.6K

$28.77 MX$532

-22.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.88 IQD 51.2K

$34.45 MX$637

-1.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.91 IQD 46.7K

$57.1 MX$1,055

-45.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.94 IQD 18.0K

$24.81 MX$458

-51.87%

Cinema Ticket

$6.55 IQD 9,898

$6.67 MX$123

-1.80%

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

$109 IQD 164.7K

$431 MX$7,964

-74.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,250 IQD 4.9M

$11.7K MX$216.9K

-72.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.34 IQD 65.5K

$70.8 MX$1,308

-38.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.27 IQD 26.1K

$51.8 MX$958

-66.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.0 IQD 101.2K

$109 MX$2,011

-38.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.95 IQD 54.3K

$112 MX$2,076

-67.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$409 IQD 617.4K

$1,051 MX$19.4K

-61.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$129 IQD 195.6K

$665 MX$12.3K

-80.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$748 IQD 1.1M

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-68.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$539 IQD 814.7K

$1,227 MX$22.7K

-56.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,363 IQD 2.1M

$3,554 MX$65.7K

-61.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$688 IQD 1.0M

$1,977 MX$36.5K

-65.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 IQD 979.0K

$975 MX$18.0K

-33.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.33

11.3

-70.53%

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

Last update for Basra: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Basra

$170 26%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 90.2% $153

Accommodation & Living

Basra

$129 19.9%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 414% $536

Eating Out

Basra

$104 16%

Mexico City

$203 13% 94.9% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basra

$101 15.4%

Mexico City

$126 8% 24.9% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Basra

$74 11.3%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 110% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Basra

$44 6.8%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 60.1% $26

Getting Around

Basra

$30 4.7%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 15.2% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $409 in Basra and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 50% 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: $26.00 in Basra vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $170 vs $323 per month, with Basra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Basra

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

00:57 12:57 AM

15:57 3:57 PM

9 h behind Basra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,150,000

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Basra Mexico City 13,430 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Basra
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

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

Basra and Mexico City differ by about 140% in total monthly costs ($652 vs $1,567 including rent). Basra is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 50% 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: $409 in Basra versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 90% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Basra – a meal for two runs $26.00 versus $50.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $652 in Basra versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Basra but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Basra 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 Basra gentler on the wallet – expenses run 140% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.