Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jalalabad and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Jalalabad: $498 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Jalalabad
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Jalalabad Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Jalalabad

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$498

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $498 per month in Jalalabad vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

Jalalabad $498
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $682 per month in Jalalabad vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

Jalalabad $682
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $866 per month in Jalalabad vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

Jalalabad $866
Mexico City $3,490

Jalalabad is about 69% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Jalalabad sits 63% below the global median, while Mexico City is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ؋148

$10.62 MX$199

-78.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.83 ؋508

$48.35 MX$908

-83.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.88 ؋252

$10.35 MX$194

-62.51%

Cappuccino

$0.76 ؋49.16

$3.69 MX$69.3

-79.40%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 ؋57.6

$1.72 MX$32.38

-48.26%

White Bread (500g)

$0.40 ؋25.78

$3.04 MX$57.1

-86.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 ؋122

$1.94 MX$36.44

-3.09%

Eggs

$1.69 ؋110

$2.89 MX$54.2

-41.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.49 ؋356

$10.97 MX$206

-49.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.73 ؋177

$9.25 MX$174

-70.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.03 ؋392

$15.13 MX$284

-60.15%

Apples (1kg)

$0.65 ؋42.24

$3.05 MX$57.2

-78.69%

Banana (1kg)

$0.60 ؋39.06

$1.94 MX$36.45

-69.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.74 ؋48.14

$2.03 MX$38.02

-63.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.47 ؋30.53

$2.31 MX$43.46

-79.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.36 ؋23.57

$2.04 MX$38.21

-82.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.29 ؋19.13

$1.80 MX$33.79

-83.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 ؋21.12

$1.48 MX$27.77

-77.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ؋19.45

$1.27 MX$23.80

-76.38%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.92 ؋255

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ؋51.3

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 ؋68.1

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 ؋149

$5.30 MX$99.6

-56.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 ؋9.65

$0.31 MX$5.73

-51.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.80 ؋701

$19.73 MX$371

-45.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ؋48.18

$1.84 MX$34.50

-59.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 ؋30.87

$0.53 MX$10.02

-9.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ؋97.8

$5.30 MX$99.4

-71.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ؋68.3

$1.51 MX$28.36

-30.46%

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

$8,330 ؋540.6K

$21.8K MX$408.4K

-61.71%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

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

$22.69 ؋1,472

$63.0 MX$1,182

-63.97%

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

$27.39 MX$514

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$231 ؋15.0K

$35.67 MX$670

547.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$7.84 ؋509

$58.9 MX$1,107

-86.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.57 ؋296

$23.64 MX$444

-80.67%

Cinema Ticket

$1.55 ؋101

$6.40 MX$120

-75.78%

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

$15.18 ؋985

$432 MX$8,103

-96.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,212 ؋78.7K

$11.4K MX$214.5K

-89.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.45 ؋1,197

$68.2 MX$1,281

-72.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.17 ؋985

$53.1 MX$997

-71.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$23.51 ؋1,526

$108 MX$2,023

-78.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.62 ؋1,987

$117 MX$2,202

-73.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$114 ؋7,424

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-89.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$45.97 ؋2,984

$710 MX$13.3K

-93.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$232 ؋15.0K

$2,588 MX$48.6K

-91.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$122 ؋7,933

$1,406 MX$26.4K

-91.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$466 ؋30.3K

$3,631 MX$68.2K

-87.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$232 ؋15.1K

$2,135 MX$40.1K

-89.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 ؋12.0K

$946 MX$17.8K

-80.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.88

11.35

22.29%

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

Last update for Jalalabad: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jalalabad

$254 * 51%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 50.3% $127

Groceries & Markets

Jalalabad

$94 18.9%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 240% $225

Accommodation & Living

Jalalabad

$46 9.2%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 1446% $665

Clothing & Footwear

Jalalabad

$39 7.9%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 295% $116

Eating Out

Jalalabad

$39 * 7.8%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 409% $160

Getting Around

Jalalabad

$15 2.9%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 75.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Jalalabad

$11 2.2%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 555% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $114 in Jalalabad 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 Mexico City are about 5.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8 in Jalalabad versus $48 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $94 vs $320 – making Jalalabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Jalalabad

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

14:37 2:37 PM

04:07 4:07 AM

10 h 30 min behind Jalalabad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

168,600

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to AFN – Afghanistan Afghani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇫 Afghanistan Afghani (؋)

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 64.9 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.47 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to AFN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jalalabad Mexico City 13,930 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Jalalabad
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $498 in Jalalabad, $1,608 in Mexico City – Jalalabad comes out roughly 69% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $746 per month in Jalalabad and $2,412 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jalalabad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $114 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Groceries cost about 240% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8 in Jalalabad and $48 in Mexico City. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Jalalabad, where all-in costs run around $498, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Jalalabad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jalalabad – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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