Cost of Living Comparison Between Des Moines, IA and Mexico City Cost of Living Comparison Between Des Moines, IA and Mexico City

😐 Solo nomad: Des Moines, IA is 30.1% more expensive than Mexico City without rent, and 43.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Des Moines, IA is 28.8% more expensive than Mexico City without rent, and 30.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.08 $16.08

$13.12 MX$233

22.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 $79.5

$53.8 MX$957

47.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.19 $12.19

$9.40 MX$167

29.68%

Cappuccino

$4.80 $4.80

$3.56 MX$63.4

34.83%

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

$2.38 $2.38

$1.60 MX$28.52

48.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.15 MX$20.54

61.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 $5.07

$3.16 MX$56.2

60.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.90 $6.90

$4.85 MX$86.2

42.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.63 MX$29.07

-41.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.73 MX$48.64

-7.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.88 MX$33.42

14.36%

Eggs

$3.55 $3.55

$2.63 MX$46.81

34.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.78 $12.78

$9.89 MX$176

29.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.38 $10.38

$8.40 MX$149

23.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 $12.69

$11.63 MX$207

9.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$2.97 MX$52.9

52.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.78 MX$31.75

-17.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 $3.70

$2.06 MX$36.57

79.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$1.97 MX$35.13

83.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$2.09 MX$37.11

-20.10%

Onion (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$2.26 MX$40.19

34.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.46 MX$25.94

53.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.09 MX$19.39

-1.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.12 $7.12

$4.34 MX$77.2

64.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.31 $14.31

$13.62 MX$242

5.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.67 MX$29.78

4.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 $4.01

$3.54 MX$63.0

13.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 $1.72

$0.36 MX$6.40

377.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.4 $58.4

$18.96 MX$337

207.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.32 MX$23.54

55.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 $1.22

$0.30 MX$5.36

306.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.84 $19.84

$5.49 MX$97.6

261.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.34 MX$23.78

-38.81%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$19.1K MX$340.1K

33.64%

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

$24.6K $24.6K

$23.8K MX$422.8K

3.47%

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

$147 $147

$41.11 MX$731

257.14%

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

$51.4 $51.4

$27.78 MX$494

84.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 $54.4

$30.00 MX$534

81.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.3 $67.3

$53.5 MX$952

25.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.61 $19.61

$26.13 MX$465

-24.95%

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 $15.02

$6.28 MX$112

139.17%

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

$1,348 $1,348

$439 MX$7,817

206.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K $11.8K

$10.7K MX$191.1K

9.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$57.1 MX$1,016

-8.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.52 $42.52

$45.30 MX$806

-6.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.7 $71.7

$104 MX$1,854

-31.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 $124

$108 MX$1,926

14.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 $1,207

$996 MX$17.7K

21.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$902 $902

$624 MX$11.1K

44.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,775 $1,775

$2,106 MX$37.5K

-15.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,498 $1,498

$1,218 MX$21.7K

22.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,283 $2,283

$3,799 MX$67.6K

-39.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,303 $2,303

$2,230 MX$39.7K

3.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,601 $3,601

$1,096 MX$19.5K

228.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

11.34

-42.68%

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

Last update for Des Moines, IA: March 2, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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