Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Al Kufah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Kufah: $703 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Al Kufah
Learn more

Al Kufah Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Al Kufah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$703

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $703 in Al Kufah.

Mexico City $1,608
Al Kufah $703

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,050 in Al Kufah.

Mexico City $2,549
Al Kufah $1,050

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,397 in Al Kufah.

Mexico City $3,490
Al Kufah $1,397

Living in Mexico City is roughly 129% more expensive than in Al Kufah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Al Kufah is 48% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$4.74 IQD 7,162

124.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$25.90 IQD 39.1K

86.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$6.63 IQD 10.0K

56.11%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$2.82 IQD 4,258

30.85%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$0.38 IQD 579

339.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$0.20 IQD 302

535.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$3.21 IQD 4,844

-0.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$3.24 IQD 4,897

63.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$0.96 IQD 1,451

79.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$0.69 IQD 1,041

340.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.32 IQD 1,989

46.97%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$1.70 IQD 2,574

70.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$2.02 IQD 3,046

443.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$3.99 IQD 6,032

131.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$7.85 IQD 11.9K

92.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$0.63 IQD 954

384.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$0.96 IQD 1,449

102.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$0.56 IQD 848

262.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$0.49 IQD 736

371.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$0.43 IQD 650

374.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$0.33 IQD 499

445.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$0.19 IQD 284

678.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.51 IQD 776

149.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$1.53 IQD 2,319

246.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$11.59 IQD 17.5K

38.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$2.00 IQD 3,017

-1.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$1.97 IQD 2,972

115.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.32 IQD 480

-3.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$1.95 IQD 2,954

-5.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$1.34 IQD 2,031

-60.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$6.52 IQD 9,849

-18.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$0.49 IQD 733

208.16%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$16.6K IQD 25.0M

31.40%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

42.80%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$188 IQD 283.3K

-66.41%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$19.15 IQD 28.9K

43.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$19.76 IQD 29.9K

80.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$15.05 IQD 22.7K

291.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$9.64 IQD 14.6K

-33.61%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$69.3 IQD 104.8K

522.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$2,161 IQD 3.3M

428.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$10.13 IQD 15.3K

573.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$29.46 IQD 44.5K

80.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$20.07 IQD 30.3K

437.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$34.57 IQD 52.2K

239.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$208 IQD 313.5K

436.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$135 IQD 204.6K

424.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$371 IQD 561.3K

596.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$309 IQD 466.6K

355.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$1,244 IQD 1.9M

191.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$495 IQD 748.2K

331.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$902 IQD 1.4M

4.84%

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 Kufah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Al Kufah

$135 19.3% 80.9% $575

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Al Kufah

$138 19.6% 56.9% $182

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Al Kufah

$116 16.6% 41.4% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Al Kufah

$42 6% 72.8% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Al Kufah

$226 32.2% 79.7% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Al Kufah

$34 4.9% 52.2% $37

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Al Kufah

$10 * 1.4% 60.9% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $208 in Al Kufah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 5% 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: $48 in Mexico City vs $26 in Al Kufah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $138 per month, with Al Kufah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇶 Al Kufah

🕒 Local time

19:08 7:08 PM

04:08 4:08 AM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

230,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 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 Kufah 13,100 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Al Kufah

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 Kufah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al Kufah is about 56% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 5% higher in Mexico City, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $208 in Al Kufah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 132% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $703 in Al Kufah – Al Kufah is about 56% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $703 in Al Kufah versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Al Kufah but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Al Kufah 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 – Al Kufah wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.