Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Fort Madison, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Fort Madison, IA
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Fort Madison, IA Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Fort Madison, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,559

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Fort Madison, IA

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 Fort Madison, IA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,548 per month in Mexico City vs $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA, rent included.

Mexico City $1,548
Fort Madison, IA $2,559

A couple spends around $2,436 per month in Mexico City vs $3,754 in Fort Madison, IA, rent included.

Mexico City $2,436
Fort Madison, IA $3,754

A family of three spends $3,323 per month in Mexico City vs $4,950 in Fort Madison, IA, rent included.

Mexico City $3,323
Fort Madison, IA $4,950

Mexico City is about 40% cheaper than Fort Madison, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mexico City and Fort Madison, IA sit above the global median – Mexico City by 14%, Fort Madison, IA by 89%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$19.82 $19.82

-44.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$76.2 $76.2

-36.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$11.40 $11.40

-4.39%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$5.49 $5.49

-32.97%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$2.63 $2.63

-38.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$1.98 $1.98

-36.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$6.13 $6.13

-46.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$7.37 $7.37

-24.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.05 $1.05

61.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$3.45 $3.45

-12.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$4.30 $4.30

-55.35%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$4.15 $4.15

-34.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$12.60 $12.60

-6.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$11.33 $11.33

-15.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$17.07 $17.07

-15.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$4.89 $4.89

-38.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.58 $1.58

19.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$4.23 $4.23

-52.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$4.82 $4.82

-54.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$2.84 $2.84

-32.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$2.94 $2.94

-36.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$2.14 $2.14

-32.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$2.21 $2.21

-42.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$10.10 $10.10

-48.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$15.04 $15.04

7.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.68 $1.68

13.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$3.00 $3.00

40.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$2.27 $2.27

-85.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$3.33 $3.33

-39.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.76 $1.76

-70.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$31.70 $31.70

-83.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$0.92 $0.92

65.22%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$26.6K $26.6K

-16.86%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$23.8K $23.8K

2.92%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$201 $201

-69.68%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$59.0 $59.0

-51.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$71.0 $71.0

-51.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$41.05 $41.05

37.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$14.14 $14.14

-52.90%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$1,439 $1,439

-70.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$23.7K $23.7K

-50.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$53.8 $53.8

26.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$40.89 $40.89

27.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$88.0 $88.0

20.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$115 $115

-1.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$1,582 $1,582

-35.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$1,287 $1,287

-49.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$2,533 $2,533

-8.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$2,141 $2,141

-42.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$2,414 $2,414

49.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$2,589 $2,589

-25.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.57

71.99%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Fort Madison, IA: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Fort Madison, IA

$1.3K 50.3% 96.7% $633

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Fort Madison, IA

$393 15.4% 23.6% $75

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Fort Madison, IA

$322 12.6% 58.2% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Fort Madison, IA

$134 5.2% 12.1% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Fort Madison, IA

$331 13% 167% $207

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Fort Madison, IA

$69 2.7% 0.5% $0.4

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Fort Madison, IA

$21 * 0.8% 17.2% $4.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,025 in Mexico City versus $1,582 in Fort Madison, IA. 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 $76.0 in Fort Madison, IA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $318 vs $393 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇸 Fort Madison, IA

🕒 Local time

19:51 7:51 PM

20:51 8:51 PM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

10,270

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Fort Madison, IA 2,470 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Fort Madison, IA

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 Fort Madison, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City, $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA – roughly 65% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,322 per month in Mexico City and $3,838 in Fort Madison, IA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Mexico City and $76.0 in Fort Madison, IA. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Fort Madison, IA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,548, than in Fort Madison, IA at $2,559. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fort Madison, IA 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 $1,548 in Mexico City to $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA. 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 Mexico City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Fort Madison, IA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.