Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Kabul

For one person, living is cheaper in Kabul: $504 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Kabul
Learn more

Kabul Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $504 in Kabul.

Mexico City $1,608
Kabul $504

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $683 in Kabul.

Mexico City $2,549
Kabul $683

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $862 in Kabul.

Mexico City $3,490
Kabul $862

Living in Mexico City is roughly 219% more expensive than in Kabul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Kabul is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$2.70 ؋175

293.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$7.75 ؋503

523.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$4.68 ؋304

121.15%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 ؋151

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ؋123

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$1.12 ؋72.4

229.46%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$0.48 ؋31.20

247.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$0.13 ؋8.66

876.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$0.82 ؋53.3

109.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$0.25 ؋16.30

1116.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.79 ؋116

8.38%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.57 ؋102

84.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$4.39 ؋285

149.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$3.89 ؋252

137.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$6.68 ؋434

126.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$0.68 ؋44.41

348.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$0.84 ؋54.7

130.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$0.94 ؋61.3

115.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$0.55 ؋35.88

320.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$0.61 ؋39.33

234.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$0.48 ؋30.95

275.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$0.30 ؋19.61

393.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.39 ؋25.52

225.64%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.81 ؋117

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ؋48.44

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 ؋68.7

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$2.43 ؋158

118.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$0.16 ؋10.14

93.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$20.62 ؋1,339

-4.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$2.04 ؋132

-9.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.48 ؋31.24

10.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$2.75 ؋178

92.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.08 ؋70.1

39.81%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$8,581 ؋557.2K

153.51%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$33.9K ؋2.2M

-29.31%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$42.52 ؋2,761

48.12%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$13.17 ؋855

107.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$95.5 ؋6,201

-62.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$11.01 ؋715

435.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$4.01 ؋260

489.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$2.29 ؋149

179.48%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$19.86 ؋1,290

2073.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$1,052 ؋68.3K

986.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$10.53 ؋684

547.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$16.26 ؋1,056

226.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$58.5 ؋3,798

84.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$24.87 ؋1,615

371.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$122 ؋7,935

811.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$110 ؋7,173

543.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$220 ؋14.3K

1074.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$114 ؋7,434

1128.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$669 ؋43.5K

442.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$355 ؋23.0K

502.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$339 ؋22.0K

179.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kabul: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Kabul

$110 21.9% 84.5% $600

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Kabul

$101 19.9% 68.5% $219

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Kabul

$51 10.2% 74.1% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Kabul

$50 9.8% 68.2% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Kabul

$151 30% 20% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Kabul

$16 3.1% 78.3% $56

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Kabul

$26 5.1% 0.9% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $122 in Kabul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 2.8 times 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: $48 in Mexico City vs $8 in Kabul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $101 per month, with Kabul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇦🇫 Kabul

🕒 Local time

17:04 5:04 PM

03:34 3:34 AM

10 h 30 min ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

3,289,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 64.94 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.29 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Kabul 13,890 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
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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 Kabul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $504 in Kabul, so Kabul is about 69% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 2.8 times higher, 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 $122 in Kabul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 4% less than in Kabul. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $19.86 in Kabul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $504 in Kabul versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kabul but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Kabul 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.

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