Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burlington, IA and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $1,769 in Burlington, IA, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, IA
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Burlington, IA Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Burlington, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,769

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,769 in Burlington, IA versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Burlington, IA $1,769
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,675 in Burlington, IA versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Burlington, IA $2,675
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,580 in Burlington, IA versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Burlington, IA $3,580
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Burlington, IA is roughly 14% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Burlington, IA 31% above, Mexico City 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.35 $11.35

$11.02 MX$204

2.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.1 $59.1

$48.68 MX$900

21.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 $8.84

$10.90 MX$201

-18.90%

Cappuccino

$4.74 $4.74

$3.68 MX$68.1

28.80%

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

$1.95 $1.95

$1.63 MX$30.18

19.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.25 MX$23.07

61.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 $3.41

$3.25 MX$60.1

4.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 $4.58

$5.53 MX$102

-17.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.70 MX$31.50

-52.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.82 $2.82

$3.02 MX$55.8

-6.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.92 MX$35.53

126.04%

Eggs

$2.92 $2.92

$2.73 MX$50.5

6.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.37 $11.37

$11.77 MX$218

-3.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.93 $11.93

$9.53 MX$176

25.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.20 $14.20

$14.41 MX$266

-1.46%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$3.02 MX$55.8

33.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.89 MX$35.01

4.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$1.99 MX$36.70

131.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$2.19 MX$40.38

112.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.92 MX$35.43

42.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.87 MX$34.49

39.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.44 MX$26.62

6.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.27 MX$23.39

62.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.16 $8.16

$5.22 MX$96.4

56.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.29 $16.29

$16.17 MX$299

0.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.90 MX$35.03

-0.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$4.22 MX$78.0

-46.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$0.34 MX$6.30

470.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.76 $15.76

$19.65 MX$363

-19.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.67 $4.67

$2.00 MX$36.90

133.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.52 MX$9.67

96.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.19 $22.19

$5.34 MX$98.7

315.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.52 MX$28.13

-38.16%

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

$22.7K $22.7K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

2.96%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

1.93%

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

$184 $184

$61.1 MX$1,129

201.46%

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

$47.16 $47.16

$28.58 MX$528

65.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.2 $59.2

$34.47 MX$637

71.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.42 $42.42

$56.4 MX$1,042

-24.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$11.92 $11.92

$6.66 MX$123

78.98%

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

$1,210 $1,210

$427 MX$7,891

183.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K $13.3K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

14.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.72 $44.72

$67.8 MX$1,253

-34.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.53 $30.53

$52.0 MX$960

-41.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$106 MX$1,959

-17.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.90 $37.90

$113 MX$2,080

-66.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$754 $754

$1,025 MX$18.9K

-26.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$707 $707

$654 MX$12.1K

8.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,172 $1,172

$2,308 MX$42.7K

-49.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,280 $1,280

$1,242 MX$22.9K

3.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,026 $1,026

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-71.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,033 $1,033

$1,936 MX$35.8K

-46.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,446 $4,446

$964 MX$17.8K

361.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.54

11.3

-42.12%

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

Last update for Burlington, IA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burlington, IA

$707 40%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 7.4% $53

Groceries & Markets

Burlington, IA

$366 20.7%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 13.1% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burlington, IA

$290 16.4%

Mexico City

$124 8% 57.3% $166

Eating Out

Burlington, IA

$216 12.2%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 5.8% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Burlington, IA

$90 5.1%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 69.1% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Burlington, IA

$66 3.7%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 5.2% $3.4

Getting Around

Burlington, IA

$33 1.9%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 23% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $754 in Burlington, IA and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burlington, IA pays 361% 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: $59.0 in Burlington, IA vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $366 vs $318 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Burlington, IA

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

20:00 8:00 PM

19:00 7:00 PM

1 h behind Burlington, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,743

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Burlington, IA Mexico City 2,500 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Burlington, IA
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

Burlington, IA vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Burlington, IA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mexico City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 361% higher in Burlington, IA, 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: $754 in Burlington, IA versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,210 in Burlington, IA versus $427 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Burlington, IA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,769 in Burlington, IA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Burlington, IA. 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 $1,548 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mexico City hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Burlington, IA 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 14% less than in Burlington, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.