Cost of Living Comparison Between Iowa City, IA and Mexico City Cost of Living Comparison Between Iowa City, IA and Mexico City

😐 Solo nomad: Iowa City, IA is 19% more expensive than Mexico City without rent, and 59.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Iowa City, IA is 32.8% more expensive than Mexico City without rent, and 31.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.08 $15.08

$13.12 MX$232

14.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.0 $74.0

$53.8 MX$952

37.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.11 $9.11

$9.40 MX$166

-3.09%

Cappuccino

$5.14 $5.14

$3.56 MX$63.0

44.38%

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

$2.46 $2.46

$1.60 MX$28.37

53.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.15 MX$20.44

54.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.05 $5.05

$3.16 MX$55.9

59.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.14 $7.14

$4.85 MX$85.8

47.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.63 MX$28.92

-45.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 $2.71

$2.73 MX$48.40

-0.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$1.88 MX$33.25

160.11%

Eggs

$3.92 $3.92

$2.63 MX$46.58

49.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 $9.46

$9.89 MX$175

-4.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.50 $10.50

$8.40 MX$149

25.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.32 $16.32

$11.63 MX$206

40.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$2.97 MX$52.6

13.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.78 MX$31.59

-32.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$2.06 MX$36.38

29.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$1.97 MX$34.96

144.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.09 MX$36.92

-2.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.26 MX$39.99

24.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.46 MX$25.81

33.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.09 MX$19.29

87.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.18 $9.18

$4.34 MX$76.8

111.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.78 $15.78

$13.62 MX$241

15.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.67 MX$29.63

5.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.70 $4.70

$3.54 MX$62.6

32.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.36 MX$6.37

450.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.81 $15.81

$18.96 MX$336

-16.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 $4.39

$1.32 MX$23.43

232.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 $2.23

$0.30 MX$5.33

643.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.99 $41.99

$5.49 MX$97.2

664.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.34 MX$23.66

-39.55%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$19.1K MX$338.3K

33.40%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$23.8K MX$420.6K

7.17%

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

$220 $220

$41.11 MX$728

434.40%

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

$51.2 $51.2

$27.78 MX$492

84.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.6 $75.6

$30.00 MX$531

151.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.87 $48.87

$53.5 MX$948

-8.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.77 $19.77

$26.13 MX$463

-24.34%

Cinema Ticket

$11.99 $11.99

$6.28 MX$111

90.92%

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

$1,248 $1,248

$439 MX$7,777

184.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K $24.4K

$10.7K MX$190.1K

126.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 $66.9

$57.1 MX$1,011

17.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.11 $48.11

$45.30 MX$802

6.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$104 MX$1,845

-2.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$108 MX$1,916

4.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 $1,209

$996 MX$17.6K

21.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 $1,095

$624 MX$11.0K

75.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,359 $2,359

$2,106 MX$37.3K

12.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,559 $1,559

$1,218 MX$21.6K

27.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,792 $3,792

$3,799 MX$67.2K

-0.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,918 $1,918

$2,230 MX$39.5K

-13.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,695 $3,695

$1,096 MX$19.4K

236.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

11.34

-43.30%

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

Last update for Iowa City, IA: March 3, 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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