Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and An Najaf

For one person, living is cheaper in An Najaf: $565 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mexico City, Mexico
An Najaf, Iraq
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
An Najaf
🇮🇶 Iraq
$565
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in An Najaf

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $565 in An Najaf, rent included.

  • Mexico City $1,608
  • An Najaf $565

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $854 in An Najaf, rent included.

  • Mexico City $2,549
  • An Najaf $854

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $1,143 in An Najaf, rent included.

  • Mexico City $3,490
  • An Najaf $1,143

Mexico City costs about 184% more than An Najaf, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while An Najaf is 58% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
An Najaf
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.62 MX$198
$3.88 IQD 5,852
173.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.35 MX$901
$19.70 IQD 29.7K
145.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.35 MX$193
$4.32 IQD 6,524
139.58%
Cappuccino
$3.69 MX$68.7
$2.26 IQD 3,413
63.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 MX$31.05
$0.39 IQD 582
328.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.58
$0.22 IQD 333
477.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.19 MX$59.5
$3.26 IQD 4,920
-2.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.31 MX$98.9
$2.02 IQD 3,053
162.87%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
An Najaf
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 MX$32.13
$0.90 IQD 1,366
91.11%
White Bread (500g)
$3.04 MX$56.6
$0.68 IQD 1,022
347.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.17
$1.31 IQD 1,971
48.09%
Eggs
$2.89 MX$53.8
$1.68 IQD 2,541
72.02%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.97 MX$204
$3.28 IQD 4,948
234.45%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.25 MX$172
$3.43 IQD 5,184
169.68%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.13 MX$282
$9.56 IQD 14.4K
58.26%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 MX$56.8
$0.97 IQD 1,457
214.43%
Banana (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.17
$0.91 IQD 1,374
113.19%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.73
$0.94 IQD 1,424
115.96%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 MX$43.12
$0.68 IQD 1,029
239.71%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 MX$37.91
$0.56 IQD 841
264.29%
Onion (1kg)
$1.80 MX$33.53
$0.61 IQD 918
195.08%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 MX$27.56
$0.58 IQD 876
155.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.62
$0.49 IQD 743
159.18%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.30 MX$98.8
$1.63 IQD 2,461
225.15%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.10 MX$300
$11.93 IQD 18.0K
34.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 MX$36.95
$1.93 IQD 2,917
2.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 MX$79.2
$1.91 IQD 2,890
122.51%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
An Najaf
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 MX$5.68
$0.31 IQD 461
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.73 MX$368
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.84 MX$34.23
$1.31 IQD 1,972
40.46%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 MX$9.94
$1.31 IQD 1,974
-59.54%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.30 MX$98.7
$5.38 IQD 8,127
-1.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.51 MX$28.14
$0.41 IQD 625
268.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K MX$405.3K
$12.1K IQD 18.3M
79.09%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$446.9K
$16.9K IQD 25.5M
42.21%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
An Najaf
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$63.0 MX$1,173
$34.87 IQD 52.7K
80.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.39 MX$510
$14.80 IQD 22.3K
85.07%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.67 MX$664
$33.39 IQD 50.4K
6.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
An Najaf
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.9 MX$1,098
$25.35 IQD 38.3K
132.50%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.64 MX$441
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.40 MX$119
$8.44 IQD 12.7K
-24.17%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
An Najaf
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$432 MX$8,041
$147 IQD 221.9K
193.74%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.4K MX$212.8K
$797 IQD 1.2M
1334.18%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
An Najaf
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.2 MX$1,271
$15.04 IQD 22.7K
353.59%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.1 MX$990
$23.28 IQD 35.2K
128.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 MX$2,008
$60.3 IQD 91.1K
78.62%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 MX$2,185
$41.51 IQD 62.7K
182.51%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
An Najaf
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,113 MX$20.7K
$234 IQD 353.1K
376.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$710 MX$13.2K
$125 IQD 188.3K
469.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,588 MX$48.2K
$311 IQD 469.3K
732.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,406 MX$26.2K
$189 IQD 285.9K
642.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,631 MX$67.6K
$1,097 IQD 1.7M
231.10%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,135 MX$39.8K
$445 IQD 672.1K
379.65%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
An Najaf
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$946 MX$17.6K
$670 IQD 1.0M
41.15%
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 An Najaf: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$710
An Najaf
$125 82.4% $586
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$320
An Najaf
$149 53.3% $170
Eating Out
Mexico City
$199
An Najaf
$94 52.7% $105
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$156
An Najaf
$63 59.5% $93
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$126
An Najaf
$83 34.1% $43
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$72
An Najaf
$42 41.1% $30
Getting Around
Mexico City
$25
An Najaf
$9.1 * 64.4% $16

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 $234 in An Najaf. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 41% higher in Mexico City, 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 $20 in An Najaf. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $149 – making An Najaf the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇮🇶 An Najaf
🕒 Local time
18:14 6:14 PM
03:14 3:14 AM
9 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
1,221,248
💱 Currency
Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د
Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,510 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,681 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City An Najaf 13,100 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • An Najaf

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 An Najaf: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Mexico City or An Najaf?
Mexico City costs about 184% more than An Najaf, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Mexico City and in An Najaf?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $848 in An Najaf. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Mexico City or An Najaf?
Rent is clearly cheaper in An Najaf, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $234 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.
How much does it cost to live in Mexico City compared to An Najaf?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $565 in An Najaf. That makes An Najaf about 65% cheaper.
How do childcare costs compare in Mexico City and in An Najaf?
Kindergarten costs $432 per month in Mexico City and $147 in An Najaf. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $800/month in Mexico City or in An Najaf?
A $800 monthly budget goes further in An Najaf, where all-in costs run around $565, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In An Najaf it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward An Najaf – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Should I move to Mexico City or to An Najaf?
If budget matters most, go with An Najaf. 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.

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