Cost of living comparison
Mexico is 40.7% cheaper than Iowa.
- Restaurants
-
pay 42.0% less in Mexico
- Groceries
-
pay 31.0% less in Mexico
- Transportation
-
pay 7.0% less in Mexico
- Housing
-
pay 60.6% less in Mexico
- Childcare
-
pay 79.2% less in Mexico
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 53.7% less in Mexico
- Clothing
-
pay 11.4% less in Mexico
Expenses including childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, groceries, and clothing are lower in Mexico.
If you lived in Mexico instead of Iowa, you would:
pay 42.0% less for restaurants
|
Iowa
|
Mexico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.50
|
$8.83
MX$171.68
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.86
|
$7.25
MX$141.01
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.25
|
$1.11
MX$21.55
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.61
|
$0.84
MX$16.25
|
|
pay 31.0% less for groceries
|
Iowa
|
Mexico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.75
|
$2.35
MX$45.76
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.26
|
$3.62
MX$70.41
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.55
|
$5.17
MX$100.61
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.97
|
$2.18
MX$42.39
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.90
|
$3.12
MX$60.75
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.27
|
$1.08
MX$21.06
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.66
|
$0.57
MX$11.03
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.31
|
$0.71
MX$13.74
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.19
|
$0.70
MX$13.58
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.17
|
$0.81
MX$15.68
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.32
|
$0.73
MX$14.28
|
|
pay 7.0% less for transportation
|
Iowa
|
Mexico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.26
|
$4.48
MX$87.11
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$41.60
|
$26.30
MX$511.40
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,209.92
|
$19,957.31
MX$388,039.08
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.53
|
$15.63
MX$303.84
|
|
pay 60.6% less for housing
|
Iowa
|
Mexico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.83
|
$26.71
MX$519.38
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,149.79
|
$486.26
MX$9,454.63
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$848.38
|
$362.30
MX$7,044.32
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$132.52
|
$44.69
MX$868.89
|
|
pay 79.2% less for childcare
|
Iowa
|
Mexico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,043.98
|
$205.12
MX$3,988.18
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,039.50
|
$4,165.20
MX$80,985.89
|
|
pay 53.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
Iowa
|
Mexico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.95
|
$2.16
MX$41.93
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.14
|
$2.84
MX$55.21
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.68
|
$3.78
MX$73.57
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$61.12
|
$33.67
MX$654.60
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.83
|
$4.39
MX$85.36
|
|
pay 11.4% less for clothing
|
Iowa
|
Mexico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.44
|
$45.84
MX$891.31
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$39.50
|
$36.33
MX$706.36
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$83.35
|
$82.04
MX$1,595.14
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$105.02
|
$76.65
MX$1,490.28
|
|
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
Help us improve these prices
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Mexico or Iowa. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.