Cost of Living Comparison Between Drachten and Mexico City Cost of Living Comparison Between Drachten and Mexico City

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,966 in Drachten versus $1,467 in Mexico City.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,869 in Drachten versus $2,371 in Mexico City.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,773 in Drachten versus $3,274 in Mexico City.

Living in Drachten is roughly 34% more expensive than Mexico City, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Drachten 47% above, Mexico City 10% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.87 €16.25

$13.18 MX$228

43.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.2 €62.2

$53.9 MX$934

33.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.74 €10.97

$9.42 MX$163

35.24%

Cappuccino

$3.50 €3.01

$3.55 MX$61.5

-1.41%

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

$3.13 €2.69

$1.62 MX$28.03

93.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 €2.09

$1.11 MX$19.31

118.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.77 €4.97

$3.12 MX$54.1

84.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 €3.39

$4.63 MX$80.2

-15.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.05

$1.70 MX$29.48

-28.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 €1.19

$2.72 MX$47.10

-48.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 €1.36

$1.91 MX$33.13

-17.80%

Eggs

$4.78 €4.11

$2.54 MX$43.94

88.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.00 €12.05

$10.03 MX$174

39.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.93 €11.99

$8.09 MX$140

72.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.61 €10.86

$11.62 MX$201

8.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 €2.06

$2.97 MX$51.4

-19.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.51 €2.16

$1.81 MX$31.30

38.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 €1.65

$2.01 MX$34.88

-4.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.31 €2.85

$2.03 MX$35.26

63.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.53

$2.12 MX$36.82

-16.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 €1.42

$2.27 MX$39.32

-27.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 €1.05

$1.40 MX$24.26

-12.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 €0.58

$1.13 MX$19.59

-39.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.27 €7.98

$4.27 MX$74.0

117.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.18 €6.18

$15.56 MX$270

-53.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.17

$1.76 MX$30.44

-22.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 €2.33

$3.60 MX$62.3

-24.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.11 €3.54

$0.38 MX$6.64

981.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.34 €39.04

$19.18 MX$332

136.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.30 €3.70

$1.38 MX$23.84

211.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.62 €2.26

$0.28 MX$4.79

835.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.9 €44.72

$5.45 MX$94.4

853.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.87

$1.30 MX$22.60

66.92%

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

$44.6K €38.4K

$18.7K MX$323.8K

138.80%

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

$39.2K €33.8K

$23.1K MX$400.8K

69.49%

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

$267 €230

$40.86 MX$708

553.01%

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

$30.31 €26.10

$26.81 MX$465

13.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 €44.04

$29.96 MX$519

70.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 €49.46

$52.0 MX$901

10.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.78 €19.62

$26.84 MX$465

-15.13%

Cinema Ticket

$15.15 €13.05

$6.30 MX$109

140.48%

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

$1,896 €1,633

$436 MX$7,558

334.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,148 €5,294

$10.4K MX$180.5K

-40.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 €80.3

$56.7 MX$982

64.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.45 €39.14

$44.38 MX$769

2.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.6 €74.6

$103 MX$1,784

-15.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 €78.2

$106 MX$1,829

-14.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 €788

$1,022 MX$17.7K

-10.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$763 €657

$631 MX$10.9K

21.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,382 €1,190

$2,136 MX$37.0K

-35.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 €908

$1,243 MX$21.5K

-15.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,648 €4,003

$3,903 MX$67.6K

19.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,550 €3,057

$2,064 MX$35.8K

71.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,669 €2,298

$1,115 MX$19.3K

139.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.25

11.34

-71.34%

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

Last update for Drachten: May 30, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $915 in Drachten and $1,022 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Drachten pays 139% 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: $72.0 in Drachten vs $54.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $300 vs $288 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

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

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

Mexico City is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Eating Out, Clothing & Footwear, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 34% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Drachten pays 139% more on average, 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: $915 in Drachten versus $1,022 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,896 in Drachten versus $436 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Drachten. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,467 in Mexico City versus $1,966 in Drachten, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Drachten. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Mexico City is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Drachten, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Drachten 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 34% less than in Drachten. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.