Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Dorado, AR and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $1,746 in El Dorado, AR, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in El Dorado, AR
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El Dorado, AR Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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El Dorado, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$1,746

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,746 in El Dorado, AR versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

El Dorado, AR $1,746
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,547 in El Dorado, AR versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

El Dorado, AR $2,547
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,348 in El Dorado, AR versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

El Dorado, AR $3,348
Mexico City $3,323

Living in El Dorado, AR is roughly 13% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: El Dorado, AR 29% above, Mexico City 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.29 $17.29

$11.02 MX$204

56.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.0 $59.0

$48.68 MX$900

21.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.86 $10.86

$10.90 MX$201

-0.37%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$3.68 MX$68.1

36.96%

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

$3.04 $3.04

$1.63 MX$30.18

86.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.25 MX$23.07

92.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 $4.95

$3.25 MX$60.1

52.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.31 $6.31

$5.53 MX$102

14.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.70 MX$31.50

-35.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 $2.70

$3.02 MX$55.8

-10.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.92 MX$35.53

45.83%

Eggs

$3.36 $3.36

$2.73 MX$50.5

23.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.17 $10.17

$11.77 MX$218

-13.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.99 $11.99

$9.53 MX$176

25.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.50 $22.50

$14.41 MX$266

56.14%

Apples (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$3.02 MX$55.8

42.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.89 MX$35.01

-23.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$1.99 MX$36.70

125.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.76 $3.76

$2.19 MX$40.38

71.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.92 MX$35.43

-18.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.87 MX$34.49

34.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.44 MX$26.62

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.27 MX$23.39

44.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.36 $9.36

$5.22 MX$96.4

79.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.55 $13.55

$16.17 MX$299

-16.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.90 MX$35.03

-6.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$4.22 MX$78.0

-59.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 $1.81

$0.34 MX$6.30

432.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 $2.46

$2.00 MX$36.90

23.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$0.52 MX$9.67

192.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.11 $24.11

$5.34 MX$98.7

351.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.52 MX$28.13

-39.47%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

21.06%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

7.37%

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

$134 $134

$61.1 MX$1,129

118.65%

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

$59.8 $59.8

$28.58 MX$528

109.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.23 $39.23

$34.47 MX$637

13.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 $42.36

$56.4 MX$1,042

-24.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$9.09 $9.09

$6.66 MX$123

36.49%

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

$1,036 $1,036

$427 MX$7,891

142.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.1K $19.1K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

64.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 $50.9

$67.8 MX$1,253

-24.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 $34.32

$52.0 MX$960

-33.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 $79.1

$106 MX$1,959

-25.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.0 $61.0

$113 MX$2,080

-45.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 $1,537

$1,025 MX$18.9K

49.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 $678

$654 MX$12.1K

3.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 $1,892

$2,308 MX$42.7K

-18.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$941 $941

$1,242 MX$22.9K

-24.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,185 $1,185

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-67.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,146 $1,146

$1,936 MX$35.8K

-40.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,169 $4,169

$964 MX$17.8K

332.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

11.3

-40.27%

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

Last update for El Dorado, AR: October 18, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

El Dorado, AR

$678 38.8%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 3.4% $23

Groceries & Markets

El Dorado, AR

$366 21%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 13.2% $48

Eating Out

El Dorado, AR

$291 16.6%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 29.9% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Dorado, AR

$233 13.3%

Mexico City

$124 8% 46.6% $108

Clothing & Footwear

El Dorado, AR

$101 5.8%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 50.2% $51

Sport & Entertainment

El Dorado, AR

$61 3.5%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 15.1% $9.1

Getting Around

El Dorado, AR

$17 * 1%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 48.4% $8.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,537 in El Dorado, AR and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

El Dorado, AR pays 332% 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 El Dorado, AR 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

🇺🇸 El Dorado, AR

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

06:25 6:25 AM

1 h behind El Dorado, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,756

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

El Dorado, AR Mexico City 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

El Dorado, AR
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

El Dorado, AR vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 13% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 332% higher in El Dorado, AR, 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: $1,537 in El Dorado, AR versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you'll spend $1,746 per month in El Dorado, AR versus $1,548 in Mexico City – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,746 in El Dorado, AR, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in El Dorado, AR. 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 El Dorado, AR, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in El Dorado, AR. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.