Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Barlad

For one person, living is cheaper in Barlad: $975 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Barlad
Learn more

Barlad Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Barlad

🇷🇴 Romania

$975

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,548 per month in Mexico City vs $975 in Barlad, rent included.

Mexico City $1,548
Barlad $975

A couple spends around $2,436 per month in Mexico City vs $1,521 in Barlad, rent included.

Mexico City $2,436
Barlad $1,521

A family of three spends $3,323 per month in Mexico City vs $2,066 in Barlad, rent included.

Mexico City $3,323
Barlad $2,066

Mexico City costs about 59% more than Barlad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 14% above the global median, while Barlad is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$8.96 RON 42.41

22.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$41.38 RON 196

17.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$7.20 RON 34.06

51.39%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.41 RON 11.40

52.70%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.85 RON 8.75

-11.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$1.54 RON 7.27

-18.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$2.17 RON 10.25

49.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$2.69 RON 12.72

105.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.34 RON 6.34

26.87%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.12 RON 5.31

169.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.40 RON 6.63

37.14%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$3.39 RON 16.02

-19.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$7.51 RON 35.53

56.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$5.22 RON 24.69

82.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$10.04 RON 47.49

43.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.04 RON 4.92

190.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.63 RON 7.73

15.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$1.38 RON 6.54

44.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.76 RON 8.31

24.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$0.79 RON 3.75

143.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$0.77 RON 3.65

142.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.84 RON 3.99

71.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.89 RON 4.20

42.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$6.64 RON 31.41

-21.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$5.58 RON 26.38

189.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.20 RON 5.68

58.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$1.62 RON 7.67

160.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$0.51 RON 2.40

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$19.88 RON 94.0

-1.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$0.72 RON 3.42

177.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$0.73 RON 3.46

-28.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$6.99 RON 33.08

-23.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.75 RON 8.30

-13.14%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$26.5K RON 125.3K

-16.67%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$25.1K RON 118.7K

-2.28%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$158 RON 748

-61.37%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$8.87 RON 41.95

222.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$8.36 RON 39.58

312.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$34.02 RON 161

65.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$18.05 RON 85.4

37.84%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$6.61 RON 31.28

0.76%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$465 RON 2,202

-8.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$7,715 RON 36.5K

50.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$62.0 RON 293

9.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$34.81 RON 165

49.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$72.7 RON 344

45.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$86.2 RON 408

30.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$407 RON 1,927

151.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$269 RON 1,271

143.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$651 RON 3,081

254.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$505 RON 2,387

146.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$1,755 RON 8,305

105.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$1,263 RON 5,976

53.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.97

62.12%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Barlad: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Barlad

$269 27.6% 58.9% $386

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Barlad

$190 19.5% 40.2% $128

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Barlad

$152 15.6% 25.4% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Barlad

$115 11.8% 24.4% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Barlad

$175 18% 41.2% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Barlad

$47 4.9% 32.2% $22

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Barlad

$26 2.7% 2.5% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,025 in Mexico City versus $407 in Barlad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Mexico City versus $41.00 in Barlad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $318 vs $190 – making Barlad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇷🇴 Barlad

🕒 Local time

02:10 2:10 AM

11:10 11:10 AM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

77,518

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Barlad 10,970 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Barlad

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 Barlad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City, $975 in Barlad – roughly 59% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,322 per month in Mexico City and $1,462 in Barlad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 1% less in Barlad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $427 per month in Mexico City and $465 in Barlad. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Barlad, where all-in costs run around $975, than in Mexico City at $1,548. In Barlad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $975 in Barlad to $1,548 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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