Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Madison, IA and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Fort Madison, IA
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Fort Madison, IA Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Fort Madison, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,559

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,559 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $1,548 in Mexico City, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $2,559
Mexico City $1,548

A couple spends around $3,754 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $2,436 in Mexico City, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $3,754
Mexico City $2,436

A family of three spends $4,950 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $3,323 in Mexico City, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $4,950
Mexico City $3,323

Fort Madison, IA costs about 65% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Fort Madison, IA and Mexico City sit above the global median – Fort Madison, IA by 89%, Mexico City by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.82 $19.82

$11.02 MX$204

79.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.2 $76.2

$48.68 MX$900

56.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 $11.40

$10.90 MX$201

4.59%

Cappuccino

$5.49 $5.49

$3.68 MX$68.1

49.18%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$1.63 MX$30.18

61.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.25 MX$23.07

58.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.13 $6.13

$3.25 MX$60.1

88.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 $7.37

$5.53 MX$102

33.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.70 MX$31.50

-38.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.45 $3.45

$3.02 MX$55.8

14.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$1.92 MX$35.53

123.96%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$2.73 MX$50.5

52.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 $12.60

$11.77 MX$218

7.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 $11.33

$9.53 MX$176

18.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.07 $17.07

$14.41 MX$266

18.46%

Apples (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$3.02 MX$55.8

61.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.89 MX$35.01

-16.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$1.99 MX$36.70

112.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$2.19 MX$40.38

120.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$1.92 MX$35.43

47.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.87 MX$34.49

57.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.44 MX$26.62

48.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.27 MX$23.39

74.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$5.22 MX$96.4

93.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.04 $15.04

$16.17 MX$299

-6.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.90 MX$35.03

-11.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$4.22 MX$78.0

-28.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.34 MX$6.30

567.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.00 MX$36.90

66.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.52 MX$9.67

238.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.70 $31.70

$5.34 MX$98.7

493.63%

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)

$26.6K $26.6K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

20.28%

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

$23.8K $23.8K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

-2.84%

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

$201 $201

$61.1 MX$1,129

229.85%

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

$59.0 $59.0

$28.58 MX$528

106.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.0 $71.0

$34.47 MX$637

105.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.05 $41.05

$56.4 MX$1,042

-27.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$14.14 $14.14

$6.66 MX$123

112.31%

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

$1,439 $1,439

$427 MX$7,891

236.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

103.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 $53.8

$67.8 MX$1,253

-20.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.89 $40.89

$52.0 MX$960

-21.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 $88.0

$106 MX$1,959

-17.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$113 MX$2,080

1.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,582 $1,582

$1,025 MX$18.9K

54.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 $1,287

$654 MX$12.1K

96.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,533 $2,533

$2,308 MX$42.7K

9.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,141 $2,141

$1,242 MX$22.9K

72.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 $2,414

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-33.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,589 $2,589

$1,936 MX$35.8K

33.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

11.3

-41.86%

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

Last update for Fort Madison, IA: 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

Fort Madison, IA

$1.3K 50.3%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 49.2% $633

Groceries & Markets

Fort Madison, IA

$393 15.4%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 19.1% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Madison, IA

$331 13%

Mexico City

$124 8% 62.5% $207

Eating Out

Fort Madison, IA

$322 12.6%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 36.8% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Madison, IA

$134 5.2%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 13.8% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Madison, IA

$69 2.7%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 0.5% $0.4

Getting Around

Fort Madison, IA

$21 * 0.8%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 20.8% $4.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,582 in Fort Madison, IA versus $1,025 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Fort Madison, IA versus $49.00 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $393 vs $318 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Madison, IA

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

20:00 8:00 PM

19:00 7:00 PM

1 h behind Fort Madison, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,270

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Fort Madison, IA Mexico City 2,470 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Fort Madison, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA, $1,548 in Mexico City – roughly 65% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,838 per month in Fort Madison, IA and $2,322 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mexico City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Fort Madison, IA and $49.00 in Mexico City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Fort Madison, IA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,548, than in Fort Madison, IA at $2,559. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fort Madison, IA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,548 in Mexico City to $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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