Cost of living comparison

compared to

Iowa vs. Mexico Cost of Living Summary

Iowa is 55.8% more expensive than Mexico overall.

Restaurants
pay 51.2% more in Iowa
Groceries
pay 27.7% more in Iowa
Transportation
pay 3.0% less in Iowa
Housing
pay 99.5% more in Iowa
Childcare
pay 3.9 times more in Iowa
Entertainment and Sports
pay 85.8% more in Iowa
Clothing
pay 2.3% less in Iowa

The cost of childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and groceries in Iowa are more expensive than in Mexico. Expenses including transportation and clothing are lower in Iowa. Notably, childcare, housing, and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in Iowa.

Share
Planning a move to Iowa? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes →

Iowa vs. Mexico Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Iowa instead of Mexico, you would:

pay 51.2% more for restaurants

 
Mexico
Iowa
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $10.46
MX$193.35
$17.44
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
 $9.03
MX$166.91
$10.71
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.43
MX$26.47
$2.66
 
Improve prices ·

pay 27.7% more for groceries

 
Mexico
Iowa
Bread
1 loaf
 $2.72
MX$50.21
$2.86
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.30
MX$79.55
$5.29
 
Milk (1 gallon) $6.19
MX$114.55
$3.19
 
Improve prices ·

pay 3.0% less for transportation

 
Mexico
Iowa
Gasoline (1 gallon) $5.55
MX$102.60
$3.52
 
Monthly public transit pass $30.03
MX$555.39
$34.83
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $21,794.64
MX$403K
$32,592.26
 
Improve prices ·

pay 99.5% more for housing

 
Mexico
Iowa
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
 $30.02
MX$555.11
$67.97
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $634.01
MX$11,724.61
$1,095.70
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $441.86
MX$8,171.36
$867.32
 
Improve prices ·

pay 3.9 times more for childcare

 
Mexico
Iowa
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $244.36
MX$4,518.93
$1,080.37
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $5,712.49
MX$106K
$19,409.87
 
Improve prices ·

pay 85.8% more for entertainment and sports

 
Mexico
Iowa
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $2.63
MX$48.58
$4.61
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.45
MX$63.89
$5.52
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
 $4.64
MX$85.88
$9.16
 
Improve prices ·

pay 2.3% less for clothing

 
Mexico
Iowa
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
 $55.30
MX$1,022.71
$51.95
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
 $42.67
MX$789.09
$38.14
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
 $96.26
MX$1,780.17
$88.30
 
Improve prices ·

We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

Change currency:

Compare further: Mexico vs. Iowa

Salary Calculator · Free tool
What salary would you need in Iowa?
→
Quality of Life Comparison · 3 statistics
Make 4.6 times more money in Iowa
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Mexico is about 14 times bigger than Iowa.
→
Moving from Mexico to Iowa · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→
City Size Comparison · See true size
Compare the size of Mexico City vs Des Moines
→
Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

See the cost of living in Mexico vs. United States. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Mexico and United States.

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more
Add prices for Iowa

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Iowa or Mexico. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.