Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Mashhad, Iraq

For one person, living is cheaper in Mashhad: $756 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Mashhad
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Mashhad Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Mashhad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$756

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $756 in Mashhad.

Mexico City $1,674
Mashhad $756

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,119 in Mashhad.

Mexico City $2,606
Mashhad $1,119

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $1,481 in Mashhad.

Mexico City $3,537
Mashhad $1,481

Living in Mexico City is roughly 121% more expensive than in Mashhad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Mashhad is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$4.49 IQD 6,781

135.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$978

$26.73 IQD 40.4K

94.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$202

$6.73 IQD 10.2K

59.44%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.4

$2.71 IQD 4,100

40.22%

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

$1.61 MX$30.35

$0.36 IQD 542

347.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.81

$0.20 IQD 302

505.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.8

$3.37 IQD 5,090

-5.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$3.39 IQD 5,126

60.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$0.91 IQD 1,368

89.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.8

$0.73 IQD 1,106

306.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.24

$1.32 IQD 1,997

46.21%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.2

$0.82 IQD 1,242

237.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$220

$3.41 IQD 5,157

242.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$1.98 IQD 2,985

378.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$2.95 IQD 4,463

421.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.4

$1.03 IQD 1,556

200.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.90

$0.91 IQD 1,377

115.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.30

$0.87 IQD 1,321

127.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.95

$0.64 IQD 971

265.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.08

$0.59 IQD 898

242.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.34

$0.56 IQD 840

225.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.06

$0.31 IQD 474

396.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.70

$0.21 IQD 321

523.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$101

$0.77 IQD 1,168

594.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$305

$11.82 IQD 17.9K

36.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.87

$1.92 IQD 2,898

2.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.9

$1.87 IQD 2,832

132.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.74

$0.34 IQD 520

-11.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.08

$1.96 IQD 2,965

-2.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.90

$1.31 IQD 1,972

-64.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$6.42 IQD 9,699

-15.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.92

$0.54 IQD 810

174.07%

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

$21.4K MX$402.2K

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

27.27%

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

$23.8K MX$447.1K

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

43.76%

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

$62.0 MX$1,167

$191 IQD 288.5K

-67.54%

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

$28.47 MX$536

$19.44 IQD 29.4K

46.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$642

$38.59 IQD 58.3K

-11.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,099

$36.79 IQD 55.6K

58.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$461

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$9.69 IQD 14.6K

-31.99%

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

$434 MX$8,172

$143 IQD 215.6K

204.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$264.1K

$3,191 IQD 4.8M

339.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,286

$25.57 IQD 38.6K

167.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,031

$34.03 IQD 51.4K

61.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,086

$58.7 IQD 88.8K

88.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,183

$42.44 IQD 64.1K

173.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.2K

$212 IQD 319.9K

457.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$139 IQD 210.6K

453.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.4K

$378 IQD 571.7K

579.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

$319 IQD 482.6K

344.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.5K

$862 IQD 1.3M

315.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

$491 IQD 742.5K

320.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

4.12

175.49%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Mashhad: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Mashhad

$139 18.4% 81.9% $631

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Mashhad

$115 15.2% 64.5% $209

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Mashhad

$115 15.1% 42.9% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Mashhad

$72 9.6% 54.1% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Mashhad

$249 32.9% 99.9% $124

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Mashhad

$56 7.4% 21.5% $15

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Mashhad

$9.9 * 1.3% 60.5% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $212 in Mashhad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $27 in Mashhad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $115 per month, with Mashhad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇶 Mashhad

🕒 Local time

02:29 2:29 AM

11:29 11:29 AM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

13,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,694 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Mashhad 12,740 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Mashhad

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 Mashhad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $756 in Mashhad, so Mashhad is about 55% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,510 in Mexico City and $1,134 in Mashhad to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $212 in Mashhad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $143 in Mashhad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mashhad – a meal for two runs $27 versus $52 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $756 in Mashhad versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Mashhad but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Mashhad 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.