Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Irkutsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Irkutsk: $1,168 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Irkutsk
Learn more

Irkutsk Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Irkutsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,168

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,168 in Irkutsk.

Mexico City $1,608
Irkutsk $1,168

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,712 in Irkutsk.

Mexico City $2,549
Irkutsk $1,712

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,256 in Irkutsk.

Mexico City $3,490
Irkutsk $2,256

Living in Mexico City is roughly 38% more expensive than in Irkutsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Irkutsk is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$9.23 ₽744

15.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$36.50 ₽2,940

32.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$6.13 ₽494

68.84%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$3.09 ₽249

19.42%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$1.62 ₽130

3.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$0.65 ₽52.5

95.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$2.41 ₽194

32.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$3.73 ₽300

42.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.25 ₽100

37.60%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$0.64 ₽51.2

375.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.54 ₽124

25.97%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$1.67 ₽134

73.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$11.87 ₽956

-7.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$7.44 ₽599

24.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$12.70 ₽1,023

19.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$2.20 ₽177

38.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.98 ₽159

-2.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$1.69 ₽136

20.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$3.51 ₽282

-34.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$0.71 ₽56.9

187.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$0.72 ₽58.0

150.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$1.52 ₽122

-2.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.67 ₽54.1

89.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$3.31 ₽266

60.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$7.89 ₽636

104.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$1.03 ₽83.3

92.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$2.03 ₽163

109.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.53 ₽43.06

-41.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$19.42 ₽1,564

1.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$1.26 ₽102

46.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$0.18 ₽14.45

194.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$9.22 ₽742

-42.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$0.84 ₽67.6

79.76%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$54.6K ₽4.4M

-60.18%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$41.8K ₽3.4M

-42.68%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$124 ₽9,963

-49.09%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$6.10 ₽491

349.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$11.77 ₽948

203.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$71.9 ₽5,790

-18.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$21.96 ₽1,768

7.65%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$6.82 ₽549

-6.16%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$403 ₽32.5K

7.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$3,288 ₽264.8K

247.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$78.5 ₽6,324

-13.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$25.13 ₽2,024

111.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$105 ₽8,420

3.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$118 ₽9,531

-0.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$535 ₽43.1K

108.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$380 ₽30.6K

86.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$791 ₽63.7K

227.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$497 ₽40.0K

183.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$2,799 ₽225.4K

29.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$1,886 ₽151.9K

13.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$683 ₽55.0K

38.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

24.57

-53.81%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Irkutsk: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Irkutsk

$380 32.5% 46.5% $331

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Irkutsk

$232 19.9% 27.3% $87

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Irkutsk

$158 13.5% 20.5% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Irkutsk

$147 12.6% 5.7% $8.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Irkutsk

$142 12.1% 12.3% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Irkutsk

$86 7.3% 19.2% $14

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Irkutsk

$24 2% 6.8% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $535 in Irkutsk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 38% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $37 in Irkutsk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $232 per month, with Irkutsk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇷🇺 Irkutsk

🕒 Local time

02:10 2:10 AM

16:10 4:10 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

617,515

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, 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 = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.87 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Irkutsk 11,720 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Irkutsk

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 Irkutsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Irkutsk wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Irkutsk the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 38% 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $535 in Irkutsk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $1,168 in Irkutsk – Irkutsk is about 27% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Irkutsk is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Irkutsk wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.