Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Zakho

For one person, living is cheaper in Zakho: $725 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Zakho
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Zakho Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Zakho

🇮🇶 Iraq

$725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $725 in Zakho.

Mexico City $1,608
Zakho $725

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,158 in Zakho.

Mexico City $2,549
Zakho $1,158

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,591 in Zakho.

Mexico City $3,490
Zakho $1,591

Living in Mexico City is roughly 122% more expensive than in Zakho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Zakho is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$4.18 IQD 6,310

154.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$36.97 IQD 55.9K

30.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$7.14 IQD 10.8K

44.96%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$3.21 IQD 4,856

14.95%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$0.83 IQD 1,256

101.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$0.33 IQD 506

284.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$5.65 IQD 8,535

-43.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$3.94 IQD 5,960

34.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$1.10 IQD 1,669

56.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$0.68 IQD 1,023

347.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$1.50 IQD 2,271

29.33%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$1.58 IQD 2,382

82.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$6.88 IQD 10.4K

59.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$4.26 IQD 6,440

117.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$12.69 IQD 19.2K

19.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$0.98 IQD 1,484

211.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$0.94 IQD 1,414

106.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$1.02 IQD 1,536

99.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$0.65 IQD 986

255.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$0.61 IQD 920

234.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$0.59 IQD 895

205.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$0.61 IQD 926

142.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$0.51 IQD 775

149.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$2.18 IQD 3,300

143.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$10.80 IQD 16.3K

49.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$1.46 IQD 2,213

35.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$1.81 IQD 2,737

134.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.29 IQD 439

6.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$1.68 IQD 2,546

9.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$1.61 IQD 2,440

-67.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$5.65 IQD 8,531

-6.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$0.59 IQD 886

155.93%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$16.5K IQD 24.9M

32.12%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$17.1K IQD 25.8M

40.41%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$115 IQD 173.5K

-45.15%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$12.27 IQD 18.5K

123.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$24.28 IQD 36.7K

46.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$39.56 IQD 59.8K

48.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$9.75 IQD 14.7K

-34.36%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$298 IQD 450.7K

44.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$2,742 IQD 4.1M

316.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$26.56 IQD 40.1K

156.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$19.78 IQD 29.9K

168.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$49.59 IQD 74.9K

117.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$39.81 IQD 60.1K

194.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$207 IQD 313.3K

437.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$136 IQD 205.0K

423.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$370 IQD 558.5K

600.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$319 IQD 482.7K

340.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$888 IQD 1.3M

308.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$551 IQD 833.0K

287.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$660 IQD 997.8K

43.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

2.53

348.62%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Zakho: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Zakho

$136 18.7% 80.9% $575

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Zakho

$172 23.8% 46.1% $147

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Zakho

$134 18.5% 32.4% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Zakho

$61 8.4% 60.8% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Zakho

$151 20.9% 20.1% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Zakho

$59 8.2% 17.7% $13

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Zakho

$11 * 1.5% 57.1% $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 $1,113 in Mexico City and $207 in Zakho. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 43% 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 $37 in Zakho for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $172 per month, with Zakho cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇶 Zakho

🕒 Local time

08:19 8:19 AM

17:19 5:19 PM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

197,163

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,687 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Zakho 12,560 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Zakho

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 Zakho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $725 in Zakho, so Zakho is about 55% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 43% higher in Mexico City, 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 $207 in Zakho. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $298 in Zakho. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Zakho – a meal for two runs $37 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $725 in Zakho versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zakho but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Zakho 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 – Zakho wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.