Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Arlon

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,033 in Arlon, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mexico City, Mexico
Arlon, Belgium
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
Arlon
🇧🇪 Belgium
$2,033
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $2,033 in Arlon, rent included.

  • Mexico City $1,608
  • Arlon $2,033

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $3,132 in Arlon, rent included.

  • Mexico City $2,549
  • Arlon $3,132

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $4,232 in Arlon, rent included.

  • Mexico City $3,490
  • Arlon $4,232

Mexico City is about 21% cheaper than Arlon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mexico City and Arlon sit above the global median – Mexico City by 18%, Arlon by 49%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Arlon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.62 MX$198
$17.02 €15.29
-37.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.35 MX$901
$91.1 €81.8
-46.91%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.35 MX$193
$11.21 €10.07
-7.67%
Cappuccino
$3.69 MX$68.8
$2.86 €2.57
29.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 MX$31.07
$2.68 €2.41
-37.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.59
$2.58 €2.32
-50.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.19 MX$59.5
$3.41 €3.06
-6.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.31 MX$98.9
$4.39 €3.94
20.96%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Arlon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 MX$32.15
$1.19 €1.07
44.54%
White Bread (500g)
$3.04 MX$56.7
$1.54 €1.39
97.40%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.19
$2.36 €2.12
-17.80%
Eggs
$2.89 MX$53.8
$3.77 €3.39
-23.34%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.97 MX$205
$14.58 €13.09
-24.76%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.25 MX$172
$11.54 €10.36
-19.84%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.13 MX$282
$15.33 €13.77
-1.30%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 MX$56.8
$3.05 €2.74
-
Banana (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.19
$1.09 €0.98
77.98%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.75
$2.18 €1.96
-6.88%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 MX$43.15
$3.05 €2.74
-24.26%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 MX$37.94
$1.67 €1.50
22.16%
Onion (1kg)
$1.80 MX$33.55
$2.08 €1.87
-13.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 MX$27.58
$1.71 €1.54
-13.45%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.63
$1.11 €1.00
14.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.30 MX$98.9
$8.99 €8.08
-41.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.10 MX$300
$7.92 €7.11
103.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 MX$36.97
$2.01 €1.81
-1.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 MX$79.3
$1.10 €0.99
286.36%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Arlon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 MX$5.69
$2.24 €2.01
-86.16%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.73 MX$368
$41.07 €36.89
-51.96%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.84 MX$34.25
$3.95 €3.55
-53.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 MX$9.94
$2.61 €2.35
-79.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.30 MX$98.7
$16.95 €15.23
-68.73%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.51 MX$28.16
$1.99 €1.78
-24.12%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K MX$405.5K
$35.5K €31.9K
-38.76%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$447.1K
$36.6K €32.9K
-34.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Arlon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$63.0 MX$1,174
$263 €236
-76.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.39 MX$511
$24.91 €22.37
9.96%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.67 MX$665
$52.8 €47.43
-32.44%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Arlon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.9 MX$1,099
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.64 MX$441
$24.29 €21.82
-2.68%
Cinema Ticket
$6.40 MX$119
$9.08 €8.15
-29.52%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Arlon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$432 MX$8,045
$851 €765
-49.31%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.4K MX$212.9K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Arlon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.2 MX$1,272
$85.4 €76.7
-20.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.1 MX$990
$50.5 €45.38
5.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 MX$2,009
$49.54 €44.50
117.56%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 MX$2,186
$111 €99.4
6.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Arlon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,113 MX$20.8K
$897 €806
24.16%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$710 MX$13.2K
$921 €827
-22.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,588 MX$48.2K
$1,681 €1,510
53.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,406 MX$26.2K
$1,701 €1,528
-17.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,631 MX$67.7K
$4,215 €3,786
-13.85%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,135 MX$39.8K
$3,897 €3,501
-45.22%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Arlon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$946 MX$17.6K
$2,868 €2,576
-67.01%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.35
3.65
210.96%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Arlon: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$710
Arlon
$921 29.6% $210
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$320
Arlon
$302 5.3% $17
Eating Out
Mexico City
$199
Arlon
$251 26.4% $52
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$156
Arlon
$133 14.5% $23
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$126
Arlon
$341 170% $215
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$72
Arlon
$18 * 74.7% $54
Getting Around
Mexico City
$25
Arlon
$67 163% $42

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 $897 in Arlon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Arlon are about 3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $91 in Arlon. Groceries tell a different story – $320 in Mexico City vs $302 in Arlon – so Arlon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇧🇪 Arlon
🕒 Local time
15:35 3:35 PM
22:35 10:35 PM
7 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
28,759
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

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

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Arlon 9,390 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Arlon

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 Arlon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Mexico City or Arlon?
Arlon costs about 26% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Mexico City and in Arlon?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $3,050 in Arlon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Mexico City or Arlon?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Arlon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $897 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.
How much does it cost to live in Mexico City compared to Arlon?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $2,033 in Arlon. That makes Mexico City about 21% cheaper.
How expensive is transport in Mexico City compared to Arlon?
Public transport costs about 52% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $3,000/month in Mexico City or in Arlon?
$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,608 in Mexico City and $2,033 in Arlon, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Mexico City or Arlon?
It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,608 in Mexico City to $2,033 in Arlon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Should I move to Mexico City or to Arlon?
If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arlon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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