Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Arad

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $2,976 in Arad, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
144

Cost of Living Index in Arad
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Arad Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Arad

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,976

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,567 per month in Mexico City vs $2,976 in Arad, rent included.

Mexico City $1,567
Arad $2,976

A couple spends around $2,450 per month in Mexico City vs $4,235 in Arad, rent included.

Mexico City $2,450
Arad $4,235

A family of three spends $3,333 per month in Mexico City vs $5,493 in Arad, rent included.

Mexico City $3,333
Arad $5,493

Mexico City is about 47% cheaper than Arad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mexico City and Arad sit above the global median – Mexico City by 16%, Arad by 120%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$25.95 ₪80.7

-58.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$92.1 ₪286

-45.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$20.04 ₪62.4

-44.61%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$4.81 ₪14.97

-23.49%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$3.98 ₪12.40

-58.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$2.67 ₪8.31

-51.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$9.92 ₪30.86

-66.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$10.27 ₪31.97

-46.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$2.57 ₪7.99

-31.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$5.61 ₪17.46

-45.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$3.38 ₪10.51

-40.53%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$4.48 ₪13.95

-38.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$13.12 ₪40.82

-9.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$19.23 ₪59.8

-51.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$26.55 ₪82.6

-43.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$6.38 ₪19.84

-51.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$3.20 ₪9.95

-39.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$3.05 ₪9.50

-33.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$3.17 ₪9.87

-30.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$2.10 ₪6.54

-3.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$1.70 ₪5.28

7.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$2.42 ₪7.51

-37.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$2.56 ₪7.95

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$9.96 ₪31.00

-47.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$13.22 ₪41.12

21.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$4.69 ₪14.58

-58.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$4.22 ₪13.14

0.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$2.99 ₪9.29

-89.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$87.4 ₪272

-77.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$8.24 ₪25.65

-75.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$1.15 ₪3.59

-53.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$28.86 ₪89.8

-80.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$2.63 ₪8.17

-42.21%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$58.2K ₪181.2K

-63.88%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$58.7K ₪182.8K

-57.13%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$336 ₪1,046

-81.42%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$12.37 ₪38.47

132.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$49.51 ₪154

-30.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$84.7 ₪264

-32.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$16.53 ₪51.4

-59.65%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$1,643 ₪5,112

-73.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$30.1K ₪93.5K

-60.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$103 ₪319

-30.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$64.3 ₪200

-19.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$176 ₪548

-38.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$157 ₪487

-28.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$1,678 ₪5,222

-37.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$1,184 ₪3,683

-43.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$2,522 ₪7,846

-6.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$1,624 ₪5,053

-24.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$10.8K ₪33.6K

-67.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$8,515 ₪26.5K

-76.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$2,569 ₪7,992

-62.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

5.2

117.31%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Arad: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Arad

$1.2K 39.8% 78% $519

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Arad

$516 17.3% 59.9% $193

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Arad

$422 14.2% 108% $219

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Arad

$225 7.6% 45.3% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Arad

$398 13.4% 217% $272

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Arad

$118 4% 67.2% $47

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Arad

$113 3.8% 340% $88

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,051 in Mexico City versus $1,678 in Arad. 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 164% higher in Arad, 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 $50.0 in Mexico City versus $92.0 in Arad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $323 vs $516 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇱 Arad

🕒 Local time

22:22 10:22 PM

07:22 7:22 AM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

25,530

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 ILS = 0.321 USD

1 ILS = 0.286 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ILS, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.11 ILS (1 ILS = 0.321 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.286 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Arad 12,570 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Arad

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 Arad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arad costs about 90% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,351 per month in Mexico City and $4,464 in Arad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mexico City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,567 in Mexico City and $2,976 in Arad. That's a gap of about 90%.

Public transport costs about 340% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,567, than in Arad at $2,976. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arad it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mexico City costs $1,567 versus $2,976 in Arad. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.