Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Iasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Iasi: $1,256 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
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Iasi Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $1,256 in Iasi, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Iasi $1,256

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,841 in Iasi, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Iasi $1,841

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $2,425 in Iasi, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Iasi $2,425

Mexico City costs about 28% more than Iasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Iasi is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$10.50 RON 50.3

1.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$42.22 RON 202

14.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$7.18 RON 34.33

44.15%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$2.95 RON 14.12

25.08%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$2.28 RON 10.90

-26.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$1.78 RON 8.50

-28.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$3.20 RON 15.30

-0.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$3.84 RON 18.36

38.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.55 RON 7.41

10.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.31 RON 6.28

132.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.97 RON 9.45

-1.52%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$3.25 RON 15.57

-11.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$8.23 RON 39.40

33.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$6.59 RON 31.51

40.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$10.07 RON 48.16

50.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$1.31 RON 6.26

132.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.62 RON 7.74

19.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$1.68 RON 8.02

20.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$2.12 RON 10.16

8.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$0.86 RON 4.10

137.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$0.82 RON 3.94

119.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$1.10 RON 5.27

34.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.94 RON 4.49

35.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$6.11 RON 29.25

-13.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$6.64 RON 31.78

142.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$1.34 RON 6.40

47.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$2.12 RON 10.12

100.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.85 RON 4.08

-63.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$27.49 RON 132

-28.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$0.80 RON 3.84

130.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$0.87 RON 4.16

-39.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$8.14 RON 38.92

-34.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$1.92 RON 9.20

-21.35%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$28.6K RON 136.8K

-23.91%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$25.8K RON 123.6K

-7.19%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$181 RON 867

-65.23%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$7.28 RON 34.85

276.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$8.20 RON 39.23

335.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$43.94 RON 210

34.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$15.95 RON 76.3

48.21%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$8.58 RON 41.06

-25.41%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$385 RON 1,844

11.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$6,965 RON 33.3K

64.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$73.6 RON 352

-7.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$38.25 RON 183

38.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$92.0 RON 440

17.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$89.0 RON 426

31.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$542 RON 2,595

105.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$435 RON 2,080

63.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$836 RON 4,002

209.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$645 RON 3,086

117.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$2,797 RON 13.4K

29.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$1,907 RON 9,125

11.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$1,130 RON 5,405

-16.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

7.18

58.08%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Iasi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Iasi

$435 34.6% 38.8% $276

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Iasi

$215 17.1% 32.7% $105

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Iasi

$181 14.4% 8.9% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Iasi

$132 10.5% 15.4% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Iasi

$197 15.7% 56% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Iasi

$61 4.9% 14.8% $11

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Iasi

$36 2.9% 41.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $542 in Iasi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 19% higher in Iasi, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $42 in Iasi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $215 – making Iasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇷🇴 Iasi

🕒 Local time

21:24 9:24 PM

05:24 5:24 AM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

290,422

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Iasi 10,900 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Iasi

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 Iasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City, $1,256 in Iasi – Iasi comes out roughly 22% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $1,884 in Iasi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Iasi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $542 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Public transport costs about 28% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $432 per month in Mexico City and $385 in Iasi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,256 in Iasi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,256 in Iasi to $1,608 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.