Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Al Hillah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Hillah: $693 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Al Hillah
Learn more

Al Hillah Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Al Hillah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$693

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Al Hillah

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 Hillah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $693 in Al Hillah, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Al Hillah $693

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,067 in Al Hillah, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Al Hillah $1,067

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $1,442 in Al Hillah, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Al Hillah $1,442

Mexico City costs about 132% more than Al Hillah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Al Hillah is 49% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$4.69 IQD 7,083

126.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$906

$26.52 IQD 40.1K

82.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$5.51 IQD 8,326

87.84%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.2

$2.69 IQD 4,068

37.17%

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

$1.67 MX$31.23

$0.34 IQD 519

391.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.71

$0.20 IQD 309

535.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.8

$2.73 IQD 4,121

16.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.5

$3.35 IQD 5,063

58.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$0.97 IQD 1,463

77.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.0

$0.64 IQD 963

375.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$1.38 IQD 2,080

40.58%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.1

$1.54 IQD 2,330

87.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$3.36 IQD 5,083

226.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$4.01 IQD 6,065

130.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$12.29 IQD 18.6K

23.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.1

$0.96 IQD 1,450

217.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$0.95 IQD 1,443

104.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.95

$0.90 IQD 1,367

125.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.38

$0.68 IQD 1,032

239.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.14

$0.58 IQD 883

251.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.73

$0.60 IQD 912

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.72

$0.52 IQD 786

184.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.75

$0.52 IQD 780

144.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$1.66 IQD 2,515

219.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$11.71 IQD 17.7K

37.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.16

$1.90 IQD 2,876

4.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.7

$1.96 IQD 2,966

116.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.72

$0.34 IQD 518

-8.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$370

$55.0 IQD 83.1K

-64.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.44

$1.96 IQD 2,968

-6.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.00

$1.28 IQD 1,939

-58.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.2

$2.98 IQD 4,506

77.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.31

$0.50 IQD 757

202.00%

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

$21.8K MX$407.7K

$14.8K IQD 22.4M

46.61%

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

$24.0K MX$449.5K

$16.6K IQD 25.1M

44.49%

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

$63.0 MX$1,180

$65.1 IQD 98.3K

-3.21%

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

$27.39 MX$513

$13.34 IQD 20.2K

105.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$668

$33.35 IQD 50.4K

6.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,105

$19.62 IQD 29.7K

200.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

$16.36 IQD 24.7K

44.50%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$6.44 IQD 9,724

-0.62%

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

$432 MX$8,088

$81.2 IQD 122.6K

431.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.1K

$664 IQD 1.0M

1620.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,278

$18.98 IQD 28.7K

259.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$996

$21.34 IQD 32.2K

148.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,020

$57.8 IQD 87.4K

86.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,198

$42.36 IQD 64.0K

176.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$245 IQD 369.5K

355.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$151 IQD 228.6K

369.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.5K

$436 IQD 659.1K

493.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

$258 IQD 389.8K

444.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.0K

$1,477 IQD 2.2M

145.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.0K

$483 IQD 729.4K

342.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

$436 IQD 659.3K

116.86%

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 Hillah: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Al Hillah

$151 21.8% 78.7% $559

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Al Hillah

$160 23.2% 49.8% $159

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Al Hillah

$109 15.7% 45.2% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Al Hillah

$63 9.1% 59.4% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Al Hillah

$112 16.1% 11.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Al Hillah

$32 4.7% 54.7% $39

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Al Hillah

$65 9.4% 154% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $245 in Al Hillah. 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 $27 in Al Hillah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $160 – making Al Hillah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇶 Al Hillah

🕒 Local time

07:54 7:54 AM

16:54 4:54 PM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,729,666

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,686 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Al Hillah 13,060 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Al Hillah

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 Hillah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 132%, 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 $1,039 in Al Hillah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al Hillah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $245 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Public transport costs about 64% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $432 per month in Mexico City and $81 in Al Hillah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Al Hillah, where all-in costs run around $693, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Al Hillah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Al Hillah – 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 Hillah. 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.