Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kabul and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Kabul: $504 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Kabul
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Kabul Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$504

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $504 in Kabul versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Kabul $504
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $683 in Kabul versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Kabul $683
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $862 in Kabul versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Kabul $862
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Kabul costs roughly 69% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kabul is 63% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.70 ؋175

$10.62 MX$198

-74.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.75 ؋503

$48.35 MX$901

-83.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.68 ؋304

$10.35 MX$193

-54.78%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 ؋151

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ؋123

Cappuccino

$1.12 ؋72.4

$3.69 MX$68.8

-69.65%

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

$0.48 ؋31.20

$1.67 MX$31.07

-71.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 ؋8.66

$1.27 MX$23.59

-89.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 ؋53.3

$1.72 MX$32.15

-52.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.25 ؋16.30

$3.04 MX$56.7

-91.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 ؋116

$1.94 MX$36.19

-7.73%

Eggs

$1.57 ؋102

$2.89 MX$53.8

-45.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.39 ؋285

$10.97 MX$205

-59.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.89 ؋252

$9.25 MX$172

-57.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.68 ؋434

$15.13 MX$282

-55.85%

Apples (1kg)

$0.68 ؋44.41

$3.05 MX$56.8

-77.70%

Banana (1kg)

$0.84 ؋54.7

$1.94 MX$36.19

-56.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.94 ؋61.3

$2.03 MX$37.75

-53.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 ؋35.88

$2.31 MX$43.15

-76.19%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 ؋39.33

$2.04 MX$37.94

-70.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 ؋30.95

$1.80 MX$33.55

-73.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 ؋19.61

$1.48 MX$27.58

-79.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 ؋25.52

$1.27 MX$23.63

-69.29%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.81 ؋117

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ؋48.44

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 ؋68.7

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 ؋158

$5.30 MX$98.9

-54.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ؋10.14

$0.31 MX$5.69

-48.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.62 ؋1,339

$19.73 MX$368

4.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.04 ؋132

$1.84 MX$34.25

10.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 ؋31.24

$0.53 MX$9.94

-9.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.75 ؋178

$5.30 MX$98.7

-48.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ؋70.1

$1.51 MX$28.16

-28.48%

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

$8,581 ؋557.2K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

-60.55%

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

$33.9K ؋2.2M

$24.0K MX$447.1K

41.46%

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

$42.52 ؋2,761

$63.0 MX$1,174

-32.49%

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

$13.17 ؋855

$27.39 MX$511

-51.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$95.5 ؋6,201

$35.67 MX$665

167.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.01 ؋715

$58.9 MX$1,099

-81.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.01 ؋260

$23.64 MX$441

-83.04%

Cinema Ticket

$2.29 ؋149

$6.40 MX$119

-64.22%

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

$19.86 ؋1,290

$432 MX$8,045

-95.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,052 ؋68.3K

$11.4K MX$212.9K

-90.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.53 ؋684

$68.2 MX$1,272

-84.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.26 ؋1,056

$53.1 MX$990

-69.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.5 ؋3,798

$108 MX$2,009

-45.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$24.87 ؋1,615

$117 MX$2,186

-78.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$122 ؋7,935

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-89.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$110 ؋7,173

$710 MX$13.2K

-84.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 ؋14.3K

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-91.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$114 ؋7,434

$1,406 MX$26.2K

-91.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$669 ؋43.5K

$3,631 MX$67.7K

-81.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$355 ؋23.0K

$2,135 MX$39.8K

-83.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$339 ؋22.0K

$946 MX$17.6K

-64.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

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

Last update for Kabul: October 24, 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

Kabul

$151 30%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 16.6% $25

Accommodation & Living

Kabul

$110 21.9%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 543% $600

Groceries & Markets

Kabul

$101 19.9%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 218% $219

Eating Out

Kabul

$51 10.2%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 286% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Kabul

$50 9.8%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 215% $106

Getting Around

Kabul

$26 5.1%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 0.9% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Kabul

$16 3.1%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 360% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $122 in Kabul and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 2.8 times 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: $8 in Kabul vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $101 vs $320 per month, with Kabul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Kabul

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

02:43 2:43 AM

16:13 4:13 PM

10 h 30 min behind Kabul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,289,000 Capital

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 = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 64.94 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.29 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

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).

USD to AFN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kabul Mexico City 13,890 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Kabul
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $504 in Kabul and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Kabul is about 69% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 64% lower in Kabul. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $122 in Kabul versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 4% less than in Kabul. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $19.86 in Kabul versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $504 in Kabul versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kabul but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Kabul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Kabul wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.