Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Duhok

For one person, living is cheaper in Duhok: $608 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Duhok
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Duhok Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Duhok

🇮🇶 Iraq

$608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $608 in Duhok.

Mexico City $1,548
Duhok $608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $978 in Duhok.

Mexico City $2,436
Duhok $978

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $1,349 in Duhok.

Mexico City $3,323
Duhok $1,349

Living in Mexico City is roughly 155% more expensive than in Duhok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Duhok is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$3.38 IQD 5,111

226.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$16.59 IQD 25.1K

193.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$7.40 IQD 11.2K

47.30%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.43 IQD 3,665

51.44%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$0.32 IQD 481

409.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.19 IQD 294

557.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$1.69 IQD 2,550

92.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$1.94 IQD 2,932

185.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.11 IQD 1,680

53.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$0.67 IQD 1,016

350.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.48 IQD 2,232

29.73%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$1.58 IQD 2,391

72.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$4.87 IQD 7,359

141.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$2.96 IQD 4,478

221.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$10.95 IQD 16.6K

31.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$0.99 IQD 1,489

205.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$0.97 IQD 1,461

94.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$0.75 IQD 1,136

165.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$0.63 IQD 959

247.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$0.61 IQD 919

214.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$0.62 IQD 940

201.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.61 IQD 926

136.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.52 IQD 787

144.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$1.73 IQD 2,609

201.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$10.97 IQD 16.6K

47.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.40 IQD 2,121

35.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$1.79 IQD 2,700

135.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$0.30 IQD 459

13.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$15.64 IQD 23.6K

25.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$1.60 IQD 2,420

25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.29 IQD 1,945

-59.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$5.52 IQD 8,343

-3.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$0.54 IQD 819

181.48%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$16.6K IQD 25.1M

32.86%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

43.25%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$87.3 IQD 131.8K

-30.01%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$8.86 IQD 13.4K

222.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$23.83 IQD 36.0K

44.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$50.1 IQD 75.7K

12.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$26.55 IQD 40.1K

-6.29%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$7.52 IQD 11.4K

-11.44%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$106 IQD 160.6K

301.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$2,727 IQD 4.1M

326.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$10.02 IQD 15.1K

576.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$20.32 IQD 30.7K

155.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$30.27 IQD 45.7K

250.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$19.60 IQD 29.6K

474.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$157 IQD 237.0K

553.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$116 IQD 174.7K

465.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$329 IQD 496.7K

602.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$324 IQD 489.1K

283.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$445 IQD 671.8K

712.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$362 IQD 547.1K

434.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$415 IQD 627.4K

132.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

2.53

346.64%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Duhok: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Duhok

$116 19% 82.3% $539

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Duhok

$154 25.3% 51.7% $165

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Duhok

$93 15.3% 54.5% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Duhok

$36 5.9% 76.3% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Duhok

$120 19.7% 3.4% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Duhok

$65 10.7% 6.5% $4.5

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Duhok

$25 4.1% 2.9% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $157 in Duhok. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 132% 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: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $17.00 in Duhok for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $154 per month, with Duhok cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇶 Duhok

🕒 Local time

16:14 4:14 PM

01:14 1:14 AM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

340,900

💱 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 23, 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 23, 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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Mexico City Duhok 12,600 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Duhok

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 Duhok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Duhok differ by about 155% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $608 including rent). Duhok is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 132% 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: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $157 in Duhok. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $106 in Duhok. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 107% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $608 in Duhok versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Duhok but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Duhok 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.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Duhok are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Duhok gentler on the wallet – expenses run 155% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.