Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Abadan, Iran

For one person, living is cheaper in Abadan: $534 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Mexico City, Mexico
Abadan, Iran
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,674
/mo nomad
Abadan
🇮🇷 Iran
$534
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Abadan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mexico City and in Abadan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $534 in Abadan.

  • Mexico City $1,674
  • Abadan $534

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $851 in Abadan.

  • Mexico City $2,606
  • Abadan $851

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $1,167 in Abadan.

  • Mexico City $3,537
  • Abadan $1,167

Living in Mexico City is roughly 213% more expensive than in Abadan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Abadan is 60% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Abadan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.59 MX$198
$2.96 $2.96
257.77%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$52.0 MX$972
$16.06 $16.06
223.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.73 MX$201
$3.94 $3.94
172.34%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$0.68 $0.68
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.12 $1.12
-
Cappuccino
$3.80 MX$71.0
$1.10 $1.10
245.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.61 MX$30.16
$0.49 $0.49
228.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.21 MX$22.67
$0.98 $0.98
23.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 MX$59.4
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.44 MX$102
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Abadan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 MX$32.13
$1.04 $1.04
65.38%
White Bread (500g)
$2.97 MX$55.5
$0.48 $0.48
518.75%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.93 MX$36.02
$2.07 $2.07
-6.76%
Eggs
$2.77 MX$51.9
$1.18 $1.18
134.75%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.67 MX$218
$4.50 $4.50
159.33%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.48 MX$177
$3.41 $3.41
178.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.37 MX$288
$10.39 $10.39
47.93%
Apples (1kg)
$3.10 MX$58.1
$1.03 $1.03
200.97%
Banana (1kg)
$1.96 MX$36.67
$1.61 $1.61
21.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.98 MX$37.07
$0.86 $0.86
130.23%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.34 MX$43.68
$0.56 $0.56
317.86%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.85
$0.54 $0.54
274.07%
Onion (1kg)
$1.82 MX$34.13
$0.47 $0.47
287.23%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.54 MX$28.89
$0.57 $0.57
170.18%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.31 MX$24.54
$0.24 $0.24
445.83%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$0.77 $0.77
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.55 $0.55
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.38 $1.38
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.35 MX$100
$2.53 $2.53
111.46%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.19 MX$303
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.96 MX$36.64
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.35 MX$81.4
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Abadan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.30 MX$5.70
$0.14 $0.14
114.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.49 MX$365
$9.46 $9.46
106.03%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.92 MX$35.86
$0.38 $0.38
405.26%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.47 MX$8.84
$0.29 $0.29
62.07%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.41 MX$101
$2.64 $2.64
104.92%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.48 MX$27.75
$0.09 $0.09
1544.44%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.4K MX$399.7K
$50.0K $50.0K
-57.24%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$444.3K
$45.1K $45.1K
-47.37%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Abadan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.0 MX$1,160
$13.23 $13.23
368.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.47 MX$533
$1.58 $1.58
1701.90%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.11 MX$638
$4.02 $4.02
748.51%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Abadan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.4 MX$1,092
$18.95 $18.95
208.13%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.50 MX$458
$13.28 $13.28
84.49%
Cinema Ticket
$6.59 MX$123
$1.95 $1.95
237.95%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Abadan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$434 MX$8,122
$108 $108
300.74%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.0K MX$262.5K
$2,416 $2,416
480.91%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Abadan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.4 MX$1,278
$22.77 $22.77
200.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.8 MX$1,025
$28.89 $28.89
89.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 MX$2,073
$96.2 $96.2
15.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$116 MX$2,169
$73.1 $73.1
58.61%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Abadan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,179 MX$22.1K
$290 $290
305.96%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$771 MX$14.4K
$208 $208
270.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,570 MX$48.1K
$799 $799
221.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,420 MX$26.6K
$363 $363
291.20%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,586 MX$67.1K
$712 $712
403.44%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,064 MX$38.6K
$1,037 $1,037
99.11%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Abadan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,003 MX$18.8K
$447 $447
124.16%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.35
24.3
-53.29%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Abadan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$771
Abadan
$208 73% $563
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$324
Abadan
$119 63.3% $205
Eating Out
Mexico City
$201
Abadan
$55 72.8% $146
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$158
Abadan
$99 36.9% $58
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$125
Abadan
$19 84.9% $106
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$72
Abadan
$23 68.1% $49
Getting Around
Mexico City
$25
Abadan
$12 52.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $290 in Abadan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 2.2 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: $52 in Mexico City vs $16 in Abadan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $119 per month, with Abadan cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇮🇷 Abadan
🕒 Local time
16:25 4:25 PM
01:55 1:55 AM
9 h 30 min ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
231,476
💱 Currency
USD USD
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Abadan 13,470 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Abadan

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
Mexico City vs Abadan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Abadan cheaper than Mexico City?
Abadan is about 68% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Mexico City or Abadan?
Average pay in Mexico City is about 2.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Mexico City and Abadan?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $290 in Abadan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Mexico City or in Abadan?
Dining out is cheaper in Abadan – a meal for two runs $16 versus $52 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Mexico City and in Abadan?
All in, you’ll spend $1,674 per month in Mexico City versus $534 in Abadan – Abadan is about 68% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Mexico City or in Abadan?
At $534 in Abadan versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Abadan but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Abadan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Mexico City or in Abadan?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Abadan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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