Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Al-'amarah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-’amarah: $672 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Al-'amarah
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Al-'amarah Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Al-'amarah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$672

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Al-'amarah

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 Al-'amarah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $672 in Al-’amarah, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Al-'amarah $672

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,023 in Al-’amarah, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Al-'amarah $1,023

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $1,373 in Al-’amarah, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Al-'amarah $1,373

Mexico City costs about 139% more than Al-’amarah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Al-’amarah is 51% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$4.08 IQD 6,163

160.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$19.39 IQD 29.3K

149.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$6.29 IQD 9,501

64.55%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$2.23 IQD 3,364

65.47%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$0.38 IQD 575

339.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$0.21 IQD 311

504.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$3.01 IQD 4,555

5.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$2.45 IQD 3,705

116.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$0.99 IQD 1,494

73.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$0.67 IQD 1,014

353.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$1.38 IQD 2,090

40.58%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$1.59 IQD 2,409

81.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$3.88 IQD 5,856

182.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$3.44 IQD 5,192

168.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$13.32 IQD 20.1K

13.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$0.95 IQD 1,440

221.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$0.98 IQD 1,474

97.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$0.91 IQD 1,368

123.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$0.63 IQD 951

266.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$0.55 IQD 836

270.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$0.63 IQD 950

185.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$0.56 IQD 848

164.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$0.47 IQD 715

170.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$1.48 IQD 2,231

258.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$12.09 IQD 18.3K

33.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$1.68 IQD 2,545

17.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$1.85 IQD 2,798

129.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.29 IQD 438

6.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$1.79 IQD 2,712

2.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$1.17 IQD 1,766

-54.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$5.46 IQD 8,252

-2.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$0.58 IQD 878

160.34%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$17.6K IQD 26.6M

23.54%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$14.7K IQD 22.2M

63.54%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$97.8 IQD 147.8K

-35.61%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$14.57 IQD 22.0K

87.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$28.47 IQD 43.0K

25.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$36.45 IQD 55.1K

61.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$9.04 IQD 13.7K

-29.20%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$143 IQD 216.2K

201.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$2,964 IQD 4.5M

285.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$23.18 IQD 35.0K

194.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$22.01 IQD 33.3K

141.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$68.2 IQD 103.0K

58.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$32.78 IQD 49.5K

257.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$204 IQD 308.8K

444.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$140 IQD 211.8K

406.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$368 IQD 555.9K

603.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$287 IQD 433.4K

390.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$863 IQD 1.3M

320.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$486 IQD 733.7K

339.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$434 IQD 655.1K

118.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

4.12

175.49%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Al-'amarah: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Al-'amarah

$140 20.9% 80.3% $570

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Al-'amarah

$162 24.1% 49.4% $158

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Al-'amarah

$101 15% 49.4% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Al-'amarah

$66 9.8% 57.8% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Al-'amarah

$141 21% 11.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Al-'amarah

$55 8.1% 24% $17

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Al-'amarah

$8.8 * 1.3% 65.4% $17

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $204 in Al-’amarah. 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 2.2 times higher, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $19 in Al-’amarah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $162 – making Al-’amarah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇶 Al-'amarah

🕒 Local time

16:30 4:30 PM

01:30 1:30 AM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

511,542

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,687 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Al-'amarah 13,280 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Al-'amarah

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 Al-'amarah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 139%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $1,009 in Al-’amarah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al-’amarah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $204 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City and $19 in Al-’amarah. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 97% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Al-’amarah, where all-in costs run around $672, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Al-’amarah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Al-’amarah – 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 Al-’amarah. 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.