Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Arak

For one person, living is cheaper in Arak: $480 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Arak
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Arak Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Arak

🇮🇷 Iran

$480

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $480 in Arak.

Mexico City $1,608
Arak $480

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $755 in Arak.

Mexico City $2,549
Arak $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,030 in Arak.

Mexico City $3,490
Arak $1,030

Living in Mexico City is roughly 235% more expensive than in Arak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Arak is 65% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$3.55 $3.55

199.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$12.88 $12.88

275.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$4.09 $4.09

153.06%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.73 $0.73

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 $0.57

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$1.33 $1.33

177.44%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$0.51 $0.51

227.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$1.66 $1.66

-23.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$0.54 $0.54

218.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$0.58 $0.58

424.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.96 $1.96

-1.02%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.28 $1.28

125.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$2.14 $2.14

412.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$2.53 $2.53

265.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$10.31 $10.31

46.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$0.77 $0.77

296.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$0.94 $0.94

106.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$0.63 $0.63

222.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$0.48 $0.48

381.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$0.42 $0.42

385.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$0.44 $0.44

309.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$0.48 $0.48

208.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.28 $0.28

353.57%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.76 $0.76

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 $0.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$2.52 $2.52

110.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$0.10 $0.10

210.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$9.70 $9.70

103.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$0.25 $0.25

636.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.12 $0.12

341.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$1.02 $1.02

419.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$0.10 $0.10

1410.00%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$50.3K $50.3K

-56.79%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$35.0K $35.0K

-31.37%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$10.03 $10.03

527.92%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$1.43 $1.43

1815.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$4.01 $4.01

789.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$9.93 $9.93

493.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$24.64 $24.64

-4.06%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$1.11 $1.11

476.58%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$83.3 $83.3

418.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$2,372 $2,372

381.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$13.59 $13.59

401.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$8.51 $8.51

524.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$81.9 $81.9

31.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$52.1 $52.1

125.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$294 $294

278.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$210 $210

238.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$781 $781

231.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$357 $357

293.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$1,369 $1,369

165.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$647 $647

230.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$375 $375

151.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

18.5

-38.65%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Arak: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Arak

$210 43.7% 70.5% $501

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Arak

$96 20% 69.9% $223

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Arak

$65 13.6% 67.1% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Arak

$70 14.6% 55% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Arak

$15 3.2% 87.7% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Arak

$12 2.5% 83.1% $60

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Arak

$11 2.3% 57% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $294 in Arak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 2.5 times 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 $13 in Arak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $96 per month, with Arak cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇷 Arak

🕒 Local time

17:12 5:12 PM

02:42 2:42 AM

9 h 30 min ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

526,200

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Mexico City Arak 13,210 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Arak

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 Arak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arak is about 70% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 2.5 times higher, 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 $294 in Arak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $480 in Arak – Arak is about 70% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Arak runs roughly 51% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $480 in Arak versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Arak but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Arak 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.

Expats usually find Arak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.