Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Zanjan

For one person, living is cheaper in Zanjan: $428 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 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
21

Cost of Living Index in Zanjan
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Zanjan Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Zanjan

🇮🇷 Iran

$428

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $428 in Zanjan.

Mexico City $1,608
Zanjan $428

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $768 in Zanjan.

Mexico City $2,549
Zanjan $768

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,108 in Zanjan.

Mexico City $3,490
Zanjan $1,108

Living in Mexico City is roughly 276% more expensive than in Zanjan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Zanjan is 69% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$3.07 $3.07

245.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$13.14 $13.14

267.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$3.03 $3.03

241.58%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.67 $0.67

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 $1.01

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$0.92 $0.92

301.09%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$0.49 $0.49

240.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$1.18 $1.18

7.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$0.70 $0.70

145.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$0.57 $0.57

433.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$3.20 $3.20

-39.38%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$1.23 $1.23

134.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$4.54 $4.54

141.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$3.27 $3.27

182.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$9.09 $9.09

66.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$1.06 $1.06

187.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.52 $1.52

27.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$0.82 $0.82

147.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$0.45 $0.45

413.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$0.53 $0.53

284.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$0.47 $0.47

282.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$0.40 $0.40

270.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.24 $0.24

429.17%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.73 $0.73

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 $0.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$1.73 $1.73

206.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.19 $0.19

63.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$9.85 $9.85

100.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$0.31 $0.31

493.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$0.31 $0.31

70.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$1.02 $1.02

419.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$0.03 $0.03

4933.33%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$49.9K $49.9K

-56.38%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$46.7K $46.7K

-48.59%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$13.19 $13.19

377.48%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$1.57 $1.57

1644.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$4.00 $4.00

791.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$12.35 $12.35

377.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$12.66 $12.66

86.73%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$2.04 $2.04

213.73%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$106 $106

306.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$2,544 $2,544

348.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$26.95 $26.95

153.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$37.23 $37.23

42.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$118 $118

-8.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$74.3 $74.3

57.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$136 $136

720.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$99.0 $99.0

617.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$384 $384

573.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$314 $314

347.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$809 $809

348.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$473 $473

351.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$285 $285

231.76%

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 Zanjan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Zanjan

$99 23.1% 86.1% $612

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Zanjan

$115 26.8% 64.1% $205

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Zanjan

$51 12% 74.1% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Zanjan

$115 26.9% 26.1% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Zanjan

$19 4.4% 85.1% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Zanjan

$16 3.8% 77.1% $55

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Zanjan

$13 2.9% 50.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $136 in Zanjan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 3.3 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: $48 in Mexico City vs $13 in Zanjan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $115 per month, with Zanjan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇷 Zanjan

🕒 Local time

02:54 2:54 AM

12:24 12:24 PM

9 h 30 min ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

386,851

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Zanjan 12,910 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Zanjan

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 Zanjan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $428 in Zanjan, so Zanjan is about 73% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 3.3 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 $136 in Zanjan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Zanjan runs roughly 50% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $106 in Zanjan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $428 in Zanjan versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zanjan but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Zanjan 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 Zanjan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.