Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Karaj

For one person, living is cheaper in Karaj: $823 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Karaj
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Karaj Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Karaj

🇮🇷 Iran

$823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $823 in Karaj.

Mexico City $1,608
Karaj $823

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,058 in Karaj.

Mexico City $2,549
Karaj $1,058

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,293 in Karaj.

Mexico City $3,490
Karaj $1,293

Living in Mexico City is roughly 95% more expensive than in Karaj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Karaj is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$3.54 $3.54

200.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$16.19 $16.19

198.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$3.97 $3.97

160.71%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.48 $0.48

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 $1.06

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$1.06 $1.06

248.11%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$0.43 $0.43

288.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$1.65 $1.65

-23.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$0.70 $0.70

145.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$0.52 $0.52

484.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$2.07 $2.07

-6.28%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$1.03 $1.03

180.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$4.48 $4.48

144.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$3.33 $3.33

177.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$10.43 $10.43

45.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$0.89 $0.89

242.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$1.70 $1.70

14.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$0.80 $0.80

153.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$0.49 $0.49

371.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$0.46 $0.46

343.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$0.47 $0.47

282.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$0.54 $0.54

174.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$0.21 $0.21

504.76%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.83 $0.83

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 $1.34

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$2.48 $2.48

113.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.20 $0.20

55.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$13.11 $13.11

50.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$0.29 $0.29

534.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$0.31 $0.31

70.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$2.64 $2.64

100.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$0.08 $0.08

1787.50%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$49.5K $49.5K

-56.01%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$45.6K $45.6K

-47.42%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$13.24 $13.24

375.68%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$1.54 $1.54

1678.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$3.81 $3.81

836.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$23.04 $23.04

155.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$10.08 $10.08

134.52%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$1.06 $1.06

503.77%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$108 $108

300.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$839 $839

1262.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$25.32 $25.32

169.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$27.83 $27.83

90.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$97.8 $97.8

10.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$73.3 $73.3

59.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$298 $298

273.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$488 $488

45.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$798 $798

224.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$476 $476

195.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$1,274 $1,274

184.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$527 $527

305.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$239 $239

295.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

-50.65%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Karaj: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Karaj

$488 59.3% 31.3% $223

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Karaj

$113 13.8% 64.6% $206

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Karaj

$61 7.5% 69.1% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Karaj

$101 12.3% 35.3% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Karaj

$19 2.3% 85.3% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Karaj

$25 3.1% 64.9% $47

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Karaj

$16 1.9% 38% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $298 in Karaj. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $16 in Karaj for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $113 per month, with Karaj cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇷 Karaj

🕒 Local time

01:43 1:43 AM

11:13 11:13 AM

9 h 30 min ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,712,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Mexico City Karaj 13,110 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Karaj

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 Karaj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $823 in Karaj, so Karaj is about 49% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 4 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 $298 in Karaj. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 182% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Karaj – a meal for two runs $16 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $823 in Karaj versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Karaj but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Karaj 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 Karaj gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.