Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cedar Rapids, IA and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,032 in Cedar Rapids, IA, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Cedar Rapids, IA
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Cedar Rapids, IA Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Cedar Rapids, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,032

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,032 per month in Cedar Rapids, IA vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

Cedar Rapids, IA $2,032
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $3,053 per month in Cedar Rapids, IA vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

Cedar Rapids, IA $3,053
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $4,074 per month in Cedar Rapids, IA vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

Cedar Rapids, IA $4,074
Mexico City $3,490

Cedar Rapids, IA costs about 26% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cedar Rapids, IA and Mexico City sit above the global median – Cedar Rapids, IA by 49%, Mexico City by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.97 $14.97

$10.62 MX$198

40.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.5 $70.5

$48.35 MX$901

45.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.80 $10.80

$10.35 MX$193

4.35%

Cappuccino

$5.73 $5.73

$3.69 MX$68.8

55.28%

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

$2.82 $2.82

$1.67 MX$31.07

68.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.27 MX$23.59

45.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.57 $4.57

$3.19 MX$59.5

43.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.83 $5.83

$5.31 MX$98.9

9.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.73 $0.73

$1.72 MX$32.15

-57.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 $2.45

$3.04 MX$56.7

-19.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$1.94 MX$36.19

139.69%

Eggs

$2.44 $2.44

$2.89 MX$53.8

-15.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.35 $14.35

$10.97 MX$205

30.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.92 $10.92

$9.25 MX$172

18.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 $16.61

$15.13 MX$282

9.78%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$3.05 MX$56.8

66.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.94 MX$36.19

-43.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$2.03 MX$37.75

160.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$2.31 MX$43.15

98.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.04 MX$37.94

28.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.80 MX$33.55

28.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.48 MX$27.58

37.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.27 MX$23.63

74.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.90 $9.90

$5.30 MX$98.9

86.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.90 $10.90

$16.10 MX$300

-32.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.98 MX$36.97

13.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 $3.27

$4.25 MX$79.3

-23.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.31 MX$5.69

229.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.96 $29.96

$19.73 MX$368

51.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.56 $3.56

$1.84 MX$34.25

93.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 $1.84

$0.53 MX$9.94

247.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.55 $45.55

$5.30 MX$98.7

759.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.51 MX$28.16

-44.37%

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

$33.3K $33.3K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

53.11%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$24.0K MX$447.1K

11.34%

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

$204 $204

$63.0 MX$1,174

224.29%

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

$54.7 $54.7

$27.39 MX$511

99.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$35.67 MX$665

95.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.8 $70.8

$58.9 MX$1,099

20.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.31 $19.31

$23.64 MX$441

-18.32%

Cinema Ticket

$13.21 $13.21

$6.40 MX$119

106.41%

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

$871 $871

$432 MX$8,045

101.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.8 $61.8

$68.2 MX$1,272

-9.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.4 $63.4

$53.1 MX$990

19.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 $128

$108 MX$2,009

18.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 $152

$117 MX$2,186

29.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 $1,125

$1,113 MX$20.8K

1.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$732 $732

$710 MX$13.2K

3.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,602 $1,602

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-38.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 $1,228

$1,406 MX$26.2K

-12.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,774 $1,774

$3,631 MX$67.7K

-51.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,492 $1,492

$2,135 MX$39.8K

-30.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,701 $3,701

$946 MX$17.6K

291.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

11.35

-41.59%

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

Last update for Cedar Rapids, IA: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cedar Rapids, IA

$732 36%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 3% $22

Groceries & Markets

Cedar Rapids, IA

$371 18.2%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 13.8% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cedar Rapids, IA

$329 16.2%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 61.7% $203

Eating Out

Cedar Rapids, IA

$274 13.5%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 27.5% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Cedar Rapids, IA

$182 9%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 14.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Cedar Rapids, IA

$97 4.8%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 26.2% $26

Getting Around

Cedar Rapids, IA

$47 2.3%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 45.6% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,125 in Cedar Rapids, IA versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Cedar Rapids, IA are about 3.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Cedar Rapids, IA versus $48 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $371 vs $320 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cedar Rapids, IA

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

20:03 8:03 PM

19:03 7:03 PM

1 h behind Cedar Rapids, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

137,710

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Cedar Rapids, IA Mexico City 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cedar Rapids, 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

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

Yes – Cedar Rapids, IA is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,048 per month in Cedar Rapids, IA and $2,412 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,125 in Cedar Rapids, IA and $1,113 in Mexico City. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Cedar Rapids, IA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Cedar Rapids, IA and $48 in Mexico City. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,032 in Cedar Rapids, IA and $1,608 in Mexico City, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,608 in Mexico City to $2,032 in Cedar Rapids, IA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cedar Rapids, IA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.