Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Urbandale, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,310 in Urbandale, IA, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Urbandale, IA
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Urbandale, IA Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Urbandale, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,310

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Urbandale, IA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,310 in Urbandale, IA.

Mexico City $1,548
Urbandale, IA $2,310

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $3,374 in Urbandale, IA.

Mexico City $2,436
Urbandale, IA $3,374

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $4,437 in Urbandale, IA.

Mexico City $3,323
Urbandale, IA $4,437

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 33% less than in Urbandale, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 14% above, Urbandale, IA 70% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$14.86 $14.86

-25.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$50.9 $50.9

-4.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$9.96 $9.96

9.44%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$4.97 $4.97

-25.96%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.21 $1.21

34.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.99 $0.99

26.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$5.15 $5.15

-36.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$7.58 $7.58

-27.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.01 $1.01

68.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$3.25 $3.25

-7.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$3.84 $3.84

-50.00%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.05 $2.05

33.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$14.07 $14.07

-16.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$9.88 $9.88

-3.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$13.88 $13.88

3.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$3.21 $3.21

-5.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.61 $1.61

17.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$3.47 $3.47

-42.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$3.29 $3.29

-33.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$3.09 $3.09

-37.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$3.37 $3.37

-44.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$2.14 $2.14

-32.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$2.10 $2.10

-39.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$8.16 $8.16

-36.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$12.04 $12.04

34.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.82 $1.82

4.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$1.87 $1.87

125.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$2.05 $2.05

-83.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$66.0 $66.0

-70.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$2.46 $2.46

-18.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.20 $1.20

-56.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$60.2 $60.2

-91.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$0.98 $0.98

55.10%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$34.6K $34.6K

-36.12%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$25.6K $25.6K

-4.34%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$140 $140

-56.28%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$14.79 $14.79

93.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$25.01 $25.01

37.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$35.57 $35.57

58.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$20.34 $20.34

22.32%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$14.81 $14.81

-55.03%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$1,164 $1,164

-63.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$20.7K $20.7K

-43.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$61.3 $61.3

10.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$21.96 $21.96

136.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$45.54 $45.54

132.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$75.1 $75.1

49.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$933 $933

9.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$1,290 $1,290

-49.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$1,237 $1,237

86.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$2,164 $2,164

-42.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$2,777 $2,777

30.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$2,710 $2,710

-28.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$3,637 $3,637

-73.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.56

72.26%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Urbandale, IA: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Urbandale, IA

$1.3K 55.9% 97.2% $636

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Urbandale, IA

$342 14.8% 7.6% $24

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Urbandale, IA

$258 11.2% 26.6% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Urbandale, IA

$92 4% 39.7% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Urbandale, IA

$179 7.8% 44.6% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Urbandale, IA

$65 2.8% 6.4% $4.5

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Urbandale, IA

$83 3.6% 223% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $933 in Urbandale, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Urbandale, IA pays 277% 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: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $51.0 in Urbandale, IA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $342 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇸 Urbandale, IA

🕒 Local time

07:17 7:17 AM

08:17 8:17 AM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

45,580

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Urbandale, IA 2,520 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Mexico City
Urbandale, IA

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 Urbandale, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Urbandale, IA differ by about 49% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $2,310 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 277% lower in Urbandale, IA. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $933 in Urbandale, IA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 236% less than in Urbandale, IA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $1,164 in Urbandale, IA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,310 in Urbandale, IA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Urbandale, IA. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City 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.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Urbandale, IA are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Urbandale, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.