Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Laghouat

For one person, living is cheaper in Laghouat: $497 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Laghouat
Learn more

Laghouat Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Laghouat

🇩🇿 Algeria

$497

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $497 in Laghouat.

Mexico City $1,674
Laghouat $497

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $814 in Laghouat.

Mexico City $2,606
Laghouat $814

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $1,130 in Laghouat.

Mexico City $3,537
Laghouat $1,130

Living in Mexico City is roughly 237% more expensive than in Laghouat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Laghouat is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$3.56 DZD 482

197.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$976

$20.47 DZD 2,772

153.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$201

$4.51 DZD 611

137.92%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.3

$0.99 DZD 134

283.84%

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

$1.61 MX$30.28

$0.66 DZD 89.1

143.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.76

$0.15 DZD 20.41

706.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.7

$1.50 DZD 203

112.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$2.14 DZD 289

154.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.26

$1.01 DZD 137

70.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.7

$0.15 DZD 19.69

1880.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.17

$2.50 DZD 339

-22.80%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.1

$1.85 DZD 251

49.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$219

$4.17 DZD 565

179.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$5.68 DZD 769

66.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$14.68 DZD 1,988

4.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.3

$3.80 DZD 515

-18.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.82

$3.53 DZD 477

-44.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.22

$2.05 DZD 277

-3.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.86

$1.04 DZD 141

125.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.00

$0.57 DZD 76.6

254.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.26

$0.55 DZD 74.7

230.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.00

$0.53 DZD 71.3

190.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.64

$0.29 DZD 39.03

351.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$100

$2.24 DZD 303

138.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$304

$6.79 DZD 920

138.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.79

$1.23 DZD 166

59.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.7

$1.78 DZD 241

144.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.72

$0.10 DZD 14.18

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$366

$6.46 DZD 875

201.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.01

$0.76 DZD 103

152.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.88

$0.34 DZD 45.47

38.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$5.96 DZD 807

-9.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.86

$0.34 DZD 45.62

335.29%

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

$21.4K MX$401.4K

$29.6K DZD 4.0M

-27.85%

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

$23.8K MX$446.1K

$44.4K DZD 6.0M

-46.47%

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

$62.0 MX$1,164

$36.22 DZD 4,906

71.15%

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

$28.47 MX$535

$6.47 DZD 876

340.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$641

$15.97 DZD 2,163

113.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,097

$13.67 DZD 1,852

327.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$4.39 DZD 594

50.11%

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

$434 MX$8,155

$59.2 DZD 8,018

633.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$263.6K

$10.6K DZD 1.4M

32.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,284

$27.67 DZD 3,748

147.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,029

$33.39 DZD 4,522

64.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,082

$55.9 DZD 7,572

98.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,178

$68.2 DZD 9,242

69.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.1K

$96.2 DZD 13.0K

1125.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$54.9 DZD 7,437

1303.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.3K

$160 DZD 21.7K

1506.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

$104 DZD 14.0K

1270.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.3K

$437 DZD 59.2K

719.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

$292 DZD 39.5K

607.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.8K

$353 DZD 47.8K

184.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

5.3

114.15%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Laghouat: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Laghouat

$55 11.1% 92.9% $716

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Laghouat

$199 40.1% 38.4% $124

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Laghouat

$69 13.9% 65.7% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Laghouat

$83 16.8% 47.1% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Laghouat

$59 11.8% 52.9% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Laghouat

$22 4.5% 68.6% $49

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Laghouat

$9.3 1.9% 62.7% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $96 in Laghouat. 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: $52 in Mexico City vs $20 in Laghouat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $199 per month, with Laghouat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇩🇿 Laghouat

🕒 Local time

03:49 3:49 AM

10:49 10:49 AM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

144,747

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.38 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.57 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.38 USD). 1 EUR = 152 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.57 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Laghouat 9,870 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Laghouat

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 Laghouat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Laghouat is about 70% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

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: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $96 in Laghouat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,674 per month in Mexico City versus $497 in Laghouat – Laghouat is about 70% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Laghouat runs roughly 67% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $497 in Laghouat versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Laghouat but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Laghouat 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 Laghouat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.