Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Athlone

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,674 a month against $2,688 in Athlone, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Athlone
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Athlone Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Athlone

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $2,688 in Athlone.

Mexico City $1,674
Athlone $2,688

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $3,966 in Athlone.

Mexico City $2,606
Athlone $3,966

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $5,244 in Athlone.

Mexico City $3,537
Athlone $5,244

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 38% less than in Athlone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 24% above, Athlone 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$22.04 €19.66

-51.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$978

$101 €89.8

-48.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$202

$13.06 €11.65

-17.84%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.4

$3.84 €3.43

-1.04%

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

$1.61 MX$30.35

$2.13 €1.90

-24.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.81

$1.91 €1.71

-36.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.8

$6.79 €6.05

-53.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$5.64 €5.03

-3.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.41 €1.26

21.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.8

$1.32 €1.17

125.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.24

$1.75 €1.56

10.29%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.2

$3.87 €3.46

-28.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$220

$11.04 €9.85

5.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$11.36 €10.13

-16.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$11.82 €10.54

30.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.4

$2.60 €2.32

19.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.90

$1.64 €1.46

19.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.30

$2.41 €2.15

-17.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.95

$2.77 €2.47

-15.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.08

$2.51 €2.24

-19.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.34

$2.29 €2.05

-20.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.06

$2.13 €1.90

-27.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.70

$1.89 €1.69

-30.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$101

$17.94 €16.00

-70.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$305

$11.10 €9.90

45.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.87

$3.27 €2.92

-40.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.9

$4.41 €3.94

-1.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.74

$1.82 €1.63

-83.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$367

$102 €91.4

-80.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.08

$5.06 €4.51

-62.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.90

$1.46 €1.30

-67.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$31.05 €27.69

-82.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.92

$1.98 €1.77

-25.25%

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

$21.4K MX$402.2K

$39.7K €35.4K

-46.11%

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

$23.8K MX$447.1K

$37.5K €33.5K

-36.71%

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

$62.0 MX$1,167

$254 €227

-75.62%

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

$28.47 MX$536

$30.71 €27.40

-7.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$642

$47.71 €42.56

-28.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,099

$48.70 €43.44

19.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$461

$34.91 €31.14

-29.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$11.12 €9.92

-40.74%

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

$434 MX$8,172

$990 €883

-56.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$264.1K

$5,200 €4,638

169.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,286

$114 €102

-39.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,031

$41.19 €36.74

33.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,086

$86.8 €77.4

27.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,183

$76.6 €68.4

51.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.2K

$1,510 €1,347

-21.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$1,384 €1,235

-44.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.4K

$2,620 €2,337

-1.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

$2,270 €2,025

-37.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.5K

$3,301 €2,945

8.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

$3,384 €3,018

-39.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.9K

$3,150 €2,810

-68.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

3.73

204.29%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Athlone: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Athlone

$1.4K 51.5% 79.6% $613

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Athlone

$312 11.6% 3.5% $11

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Athlone

$323 12% 61% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Athlone

$143 5.3% 9% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Athlone

$333 12.4% 167% $208

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Athlone

$71 2.6% 0.9% $0.6

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Athlone

$122 4.5% 388% $97

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $1,510 in Athlone. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athlone pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $101 in Athlone. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $312, with Athlone cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇪 Athlone

🕒 Local time

02:43 2:43 AM

08:43 8:43 AM

6 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

21,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Mexico City Athlone 8,360 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Athlone

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 Athlone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Athlone. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mexico City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 68% lower in Mexico City. 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: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $1,510 in Athlone. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $990 in Athlone. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Athlone pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Mexico City wins on affordability, Athlone on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.