Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Haarlem and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $3,258 in Haarlem, rent and utilities included – about $19,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Haarlem, Netherlands
Mexico City, Mexico
Haarlem
🇳🇱 Netherlands
$3,258
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,258 per month in Haarlem vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Haarlem $3,258
  • Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $4,615 per month in Haarlem vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Haarlem $4,615
  • Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $5,971 per month in Haarlem vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Haarlem $5,971
  • Mexico City $3,490

Haarlem costs about 103% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Haarlem and Mexico City sit above the global median – Haarlem by 139%, Mexico City by 18%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Haarlem
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$29.24 €26.27
$10.62 MX$198
175.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$100 €89.9
$48.35 MX$901
107.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.67 €12.28
$10.35 MX$193
32.08%
Cappuccino
$4.14 €3.72
$3.69 MX$68.8
12.20%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.08 €3.67
$1.67 MX$31.07
144.31%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.37 €3.03
$1.27 MX$23.59
165.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.03 €7.21
$3.19 MX$59.5
151.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.63 €5.06
$5.31 MX$98.9
6.03%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Haarlem
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 €1.31
$1.72 MX$32.15
-15.12%
White Bread (500g)
$2.79 €2.51
$3.04 MX$56.7
-8.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.64 €2.37
$1.94 MX$36.19
36.08%
Eggs
$4.75 €4.27
$2.89 MX$53.8
64.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.92 €12.50
$10.97 MX$205
26.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.30 €11.95
$9.25 MX$172
43.78%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.49 €19.31
$15.13 MX$282
42.04%
Apples (1kg)
$2.98 €2.68
$3.05 MX$56.8
-2.30%
Banana (1kg)
$2.53 €2.27
$1.94 MX$36.19
30.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.80 €1.62
$2.03 MX$37.75
-11.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.98 €4.48
$2.31 MX$43.15
115.58%
Potato (1kg)
$1.89 €1.70
$2.04 MX$37.94
-7.35%
Onion (1kg)
$2.27 €2.04
$1.80 MX$33.55
26.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.29 €1.16
$1.48 MX$27.58
-12.84%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.00 €0.90
$1.27 MX$23.63
-21.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.88 €12.47
$5.30 MX$98.9
161.89%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.73 €6.95
$16.10 MX$300
-51.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.50 €1.34
$1.98 MX$36.97
-24.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 €2.12
$4.25 MX$79.3
-44.47%
🚌 Getting Around
Haarlem
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.84 €2.55
$0.31 MX$5.69
816.13%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$83.0 €74.6
$19.73 MX$368
320.73%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.19 €5.56
$1.84 MX$34.25
236.41%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.50 €2.24
$0.53 MX$9.94
371.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.38 €23.70
$5.30 MX$98.7
397.74%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.53 €2.27
$1.51 MX$28.16
67.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$41.4K €37.2K
$21.8K MX$405.5K
90.54%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.6K €35.5K
$24.0K MX$447.1K
64.92%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Haarlem
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$249 €224
$63.0 MX$1,174
295.20%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.98 €21.54
$27.39 MX$511
-12.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$60.9 €54.7
$35.67 MX$665
70.82%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Haarlem
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.3 €47.91
$58.9 MX$1,099
-9.52%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.02 €25.17
$23.64 MX$441
18.53%
Cinema Ticket
$16.09 €14.45
$6.40 MX$119
151.41%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Haarlem
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,598 €2,334
$432 MX$8,045
502.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,587 €5,917
$11.4K MX$212.9K
-42.34%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Haarlem
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$85.1 €76.4
$68.2 MX$1,272
24.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$63.2 €56.8
$53.1 MX$990
19.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$97.7 €87.8
$108 MX$2,009
-9.34%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$147 €132
$117 MX$2,186
24.93%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Haarlem
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,031 €1,825
$1,113 MX$20.8K
82.43%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,781 €1,600
$710 MX$13.2K
150.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,215 €2,888
$2,588 MX$48.2K
24.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,603 €2,338
$1,406 MX$26.2K
85.14%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,820 €7,025
$3,631 MX$67.7K
115.37%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,830 €5,237
$2,135 MX$39.8K
173.07%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Haarlem
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,219 €3,790
$946 MX$17.6K
345.97%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.8
11.35
-66.52%

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

Last update for Haarlem: 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
Haarlem
$1.8K
Mexico City
$710 60.1% $1.1K
Eating Out
Haarlem
$406
Mexico City
$199 51.1% $207
Groceries & Markets
Haarlem
$362
Mexico City
$320 11.8% $43
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Haarlem
$334
Mexico City
$126 62.2% $208
Clothing & Footwear
Haarlem
$177
Mexico City
$156 11.7% $21
Getting Around
Haarlem
$113
Mexico City
$25 77.5% $88
Sport & Entertainment
Haarlem
$86
Mexico City
$72 16.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,031 in Haarlem 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 Haarlem are about 4.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Haarlem versus $48 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $362 vs $320 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇳🇱 Haarlem
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🕒 Local time
20:58 8:58 PM
13:58 1:58 PM
7 h behind Haarlem
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
165,396
9,209,944 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Haarlem Mexico City 9,200 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Haarlem
  • 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
Haarlem vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Haarlem or Mexico City?
Haarlem costs about 103% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Haarlem and in Mexico City?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,887 per month in Haarlem and $2,412 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Haarlem or Mexico City?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Mexico City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,113 there versus $2,031 in Haarlem.
How do dining costs compare in Haarlem and in Mexico City?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Haarlem and $48 in Mexico City. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Haarlem compared to Mexico City?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,258 in Haarlem and $1,608 in Mexico City. That makes Mexico City about 51% cheaper.
Can you live on $3,000/month in Haarlem or in Mexico City?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,608, than in Haarlem at $3,258. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Haarlem it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Haarlem or Mexico City?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mexico City costs $1,608 versus $3,258 in Haarlem. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Should I move to Haarlem or to Mexico City?
If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Haarlem makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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