Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Arlington, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $2,803 in Arlington, WA, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 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
136

Cost of Living Index in Arlington, WA
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Arlington, WA Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Arlington, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,803

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Arlington, WA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $2,803 in Arlington, WA.

Mexico City $1,567
Arlington, WA $2,803

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $4,283 in Arlington, WA.

Mexico City $2,450
Arlington, WA $4,283

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $5,763 in Arlington, WA.

Mexico City $3,333
Arlington, WA $5,763

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 44% less than in Arlington, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 16% above, Arlington, WA 108% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$24.98 $24.98

-56.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$101 $101

-50.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$14.24 $14.24

-22.05%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$5.88 $5.88

-37.41%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$3.04 $3.04

-45.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$3.03 $3.03

-57.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$7.16 $7.16

-53.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$6.81 $6.81

-18.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.03 $1.03

71.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$3.66 $3.66

-16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$4.19 $4.19

-52.03%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$3.94 $3.94

-29.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$13.98 $13.98

-14.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$13.33 $13.33

-30.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$23.00 $23.00

-34.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$5.30 $5.30

-41.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$1.90 $1.90

2.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$4.21 $4.21

-51.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$4.92 $4.92

-55.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$2.02 $2.02

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$2.40 $2.40

-24.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$2.77 $2.77

-45.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$2.50 $2.50

-48.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$12.72 $12.72

-58.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$14.77 $14.77

9.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$1.98 $1.98

-1.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$4.39 $4.39

-3.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$2.62 $2.62

-23.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$1.71 $1.71

-69.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$29.78 $29.78

-81.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.36 $1.36

11.76%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$36.1K $36.1K

-41.71%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$25.2K $25.2K

-0.03%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$293 $293

-78.65%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$69.9 $69.9

-58.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$89.2 $89.2

-61.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$33.54 $33.54

70.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$16.84 $16.84

-60.39%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$2,983 $2,983

-85.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$30.9K $30.9K

-62.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$50.9 $50.9

38.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$54.5 $54.5

-4.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$100 $100

8.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$135 $135

-16.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$1,522 $1,522

-30.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$1,297 $1,297

-48.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$2,826 $2,826

-17.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$2,454 $2,454

-50.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$5,858 $5,858

-83.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.81

65.93%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Arlington, WA: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Arlington, WA

$1.3K 46.3% 95% $632

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Arlington, WA

$436 15.6% 35.3% $114

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Arlington, WA

$387 13.8% 90.6% $184

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Arlington, WA

$153 5.5% 1% $1.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Arlington, WA

$452 16.1% 259% $326

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Arlington, WA

$67 2.4% 4.6% $3.2

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Arlington, WA

$11 * 0.4% 56.7% $15

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 $1,051 in Mexico City and $1,522 in Arlington, WA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arlington, WA pays 501% 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: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $101 in Arlington, WA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $436 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇸 Arlington, WA

🕒 Local time

00:02 12:02 AM

23:02 11:02 PM

1 h behind Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

365,438

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Arlington, WA 3,810 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Arlington, WA

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 Arlington, WA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Arlington, WA differ by about 79% in total monthly costs ($1,567 vs $2,803 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 501% lower in Arlington, WA. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $1,522 in Arlington, WA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Arlington, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,567 per month in Mexico City versus $2,803 in Arlington, WA – a 79% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $2,803 in Arlington, WA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Arlington, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City 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 Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Arlington, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.