Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Basra

For one person, living is cheaper in Basra: $652 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Basra
Learn more

Basra Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$652

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $652 in Basra.

Mexico City $1,567
Basra $652

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $1,179 in Basra.

Mexico City $2,450
Basra $1,179

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $1,706 in Basra.

Mexico City $3,333
Basra $1,706

Living in Mexico City is roughly 140% more expensive than in Basra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 16% above, Basra is 52% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$4.06 IQD 6,134

164.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$26.00 IQD 39.3K

93.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$6.42 IQD 9,706

72.90%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.21 IQD 3,342

66.52%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$0.36 IQD 551

358.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$0.30 IQD 455

333.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$3.21 IQD 4,849

3.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$3.57 IQD 5,394

55.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$0.97 IQD 1,460

82.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$0.56 IQD 841

444.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$1.25 IQD 1,895

60.80%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$1.62 IQD 2,442

70.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$6.28 IQD 9,486

89.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$5.33 IQD 8,061

75.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$12.12 IQD 18.3K

23.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$0.90 IQD 1,356

242.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$1.18 IQD 1,787

65.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$0.84 IQD 1,266

141.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$0.60 IQD 904

268.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$0.69 IQD 1,044

192.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$0.53 IQD 802

243.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$0.77 IQD 1,160

97.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$0.36 IQD 546

255.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$1.79 IQD 2,705

194.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$10.93 IQD 16.5K

47.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$1.46 IQD 2,204

33.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$1.73 IQD 2,617

145.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$0.50 IQD 756

-38.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$16.76 IQD 25.3K

18.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$1.95 IQD 2,946

2.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$1.94 IQD 2,930

-72.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$6.35 IQD 9,594

-11.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$0.56 IQD 849

171.43%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$11.7K IQD 17.7M

79.23%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$19.5K IQD 29.5M

29.03%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$44.55 IQD 67.3K

40.27%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$22.24 IQD 33.6K

29.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$33.88 IQD 51.2K

1.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$30.91 IQD 46.7K

84.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

$11.94 IQD 18.0K

107.79%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$6.55 IQD 9,898

1.83%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$109 IQD 164.7K

295.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$3,250 IQD 4.9M

261.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$43.34 IQD 65.5K

63.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$17.27 IQD 26.1K

200.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$67.0 IQD 101.2K

62.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$35.95 IQD 54.3K

212.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$409 IQD 617.4K

157.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$129 IQD 195.6K

413.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$748 IQD 1.1M

213.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$539 IQD 814.7K

127.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$1,363 IQD 2.1M

160.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$688 IQD 1.0M

187.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$648 IQD 979.0K

50.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

3.33

239.34%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Basra: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Basra

$129 19.9% 80.5% $536

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Basra

$170 26% 47.4% $153

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Basra

$104 16% 48.7% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Basra

$74 11.3% 52.4% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Basra

$101 15.4% 19.9% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Basra

$44 6.8% 37.5% $26

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Basra

$30 4.7% 18% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,051 in Mexico City and $409 in Basra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 50% 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 $26.00 in Basra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $170 per month, with Basra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇶 Basra

🕒 Local time

16:50 4:50 PM

01:50 1:50 AM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

2,150,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, 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).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Basra 13,430 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
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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 Basra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Basra differ by about 140% in total monthly costs ($1,567 vs $652 including rent). Basra is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 50% higher in Mexico City, 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: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $409 in Basra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 90% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Basra – a meal for two runs $26.00 versus $50.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $652 in Basra versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Basra but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Basra 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 Basra gentler on the wallet – expenses run 140% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.