Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Iquique

For one person, living is cheaper in Iquique: $1,009 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Iquique
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Iquique Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Iquique

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,009 in Iquique.

Mexico City $1,548
Iquique $1,009

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $1,595 in Iquique.

Mexico City $2,436
Iquique $1,595

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $2,181 in Iquique.

Mexico City $3,323
Iquique $2,181

Living in Mexico City is roughly 53% more expensive than in Iquique, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Iquique is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$7.52 CLP 7,405

46.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$40.89 CLP 40.3K

19.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$7.09 CLP 6,979

53.74%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.45 CLP 3,400

6.67%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.24 CLP 1,219

31.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$1.02 CLP 1,002

22.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$3.19 CLP 3,141

1.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$3.62 CLP 3,562

52.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.12 CLP 1,102

51.79%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.17 CLP 1,148

158.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.30 CLP 1,275

47.69%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.97 CLP 2,928

-8.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$10.38 CLP 10.2K

13.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$10.13 CLP 9,973

-5.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.30 CLP 2,263

31.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$2.24 CLP 2,205

-15.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$1.49 CLP 1,466

33.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.09 CLP 1,071

100.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$0.73 CLP 722

163.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$0.58 CLP 574

222.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.05 CLP 1,030

37.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$1.35 CLP 1,328

-5.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$7.01 CLP 6,904

-25.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$7.60 CLP 7,477

112.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$0.81 CLP 793

420.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$0.68 CLP 666

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.44 CLP 1,419

5.56%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$85.7 CLP 84.4K

-28.73%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$15.04 CLP 14.8K

90.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$23.18 CLP 22.8K

48.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$50.1 CLP 49.3K

12.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$6.87 CLP 6,764

-3.06%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$251 CLP 247.1K

70.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$30.07 CLP 29.6K

125.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$22.86 CLP 22.5K

127.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$45.02 CLP 44.3K

135.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$57.8 CLP 56.9K

94.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$413 CLP 406.6K

148.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$394 CLP 388.3K

65.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$690 CLP 679.5K

234.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$781 CLP 769.1K

58.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$1,709 CLP 1.7M

111.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$1,902 CLP 1.9M

1.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$934 CLP 919.7K

3.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

7.5

50.67%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Iquique: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Iquique

$394 39.1% 39.7% $260

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Iquique

$199 * 19.7% 37.6% $119

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Iquique

$155 15.4% 23.9% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Iquique

$70 7% 54% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Iquique

$124 12.3% 0.2% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Iquique

$64 6.3% 8.4% $5.9

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Iquique

$2.7 * 0.3% 89.4% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $413 in Iquique. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 3% 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 $41.00 in Iquique for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $199 per month, with Iquique cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇱 Iquique

🕒 Local time

07:23 7:23 AM

10:23 10:23 AM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

188,003

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Iquique 5,420 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Iquique

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 Iquique: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Iquique differ by about 53% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $1,009 including rent). Iquique is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 3% 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 $413 in Iquique. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 60% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,548 per month in Mexico City versus $1,009 in Iquique – a 53% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,009 in Iquique versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Iquique but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Iquique 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 Iquique gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.