Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Jalalabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Jalalabad: $498 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Jalalabad
Learn more

Jalalabad Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Jalalabad

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$498

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $498 in Jalalabad, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Jalalabad $498

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $682 in Jalalabad, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Jalalabad $682

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $866 in Jalalabad, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Jalalabad $866

Mexico City costs about 223% more than Jalalabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Jalalabad is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$2.28 ؋148

365.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$7.83 ؋508

517.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$3.88 ؋252

166.75%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$0.76 ؋49.16

385.53%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$0.89 ؋57.6

93.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$0.40 ؋25.78

660.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.88 ؋122

3.19%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$1.69 ؋110

71.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$5.49 ؋356

99.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$2.73 ؋177

238.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$6.03 ؋392

150.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$0.65 ؋42.24

369.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$0.60 ؋39.06

223.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$0.74 ؋48.14

174.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$0.47 ؋30.53

391.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$0.36 ؋23.57

466.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$0.29 ؋19.13

520.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$0.33 ؋21.12

348.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.30 ؋19.45

323.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.92 ؋255

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ؋51.3

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 ؋68.1

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$2.29 ؋149

131.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.15 ؋9.65

106.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$10.80 ؋701

82.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$0.74 ؋48.18

148.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$0.48 ؋30.87

10.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$1.51 ؋97.8

250.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$1.05 ؋68.3

43.81%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$8,330 ؋540.6K

161.16%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$22.69 ؋1,472

177.57%

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

$27.39 MX$515

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$231 ؋15.0K

-84.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$7.84 ؋509

651.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$4.57 ؋296

417.29%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$1.55 ؋101

312.90%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$15.18 ؋985

2743.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$1,212 ؋78.7K

842.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$18.45 ؋1,197

269.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$15.17 ؋985

250.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$23.51 ؋1,526

358.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$30.62 ؋1,987

282.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$114 ؋7,424

873.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$45.97 ؋2,984

1445.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$232 ؋15.0K

1017.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$122 ؋7,933

1050.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$466 ؋30.3K

678.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$232 ؋15.1K

819.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$185 ؋12.0K

410.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

13.88

-18.23%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Jalalabad: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Jalalabad

$46 9.2% 93.5% $665

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Jalalabad

$94 18.9% 70.6% $225

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Jalalabad

$39 * 7.8% 80.4% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Jalalabad

$39 7.9% 74.7% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Jalalabad

$254 * 51% 101% $127

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Jalalabad

$11 2.2% 84.7% $61

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Jalalabad

$15 2.9% 43% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $114 in Jalalabad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Mexico City are about 5.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $8 in Jalalabad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $94 – making Jalalabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇦🇫 Jalalabad

🕒 Local time

21:05 9:05 PM

07:35 7:35 AM

10 h 30 min ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

168,600

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AFN, 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).

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 64.9 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.47 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Jalalabad 13,930 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Jalalabad

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 Jalalabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City, $498 in Jalalabad – Jalalabad comes out roughly 69% 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 $746 in Jalalabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jalalabad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $114 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Groceries cost about 240% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City and $8 in Jalalabad. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Jalalabad, where all-in costs run around $498, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Jalalabad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jalalabad – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Jalalabad. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mexico City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.