Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alton, IL and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $1,895 in Alton, IL, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Alton, IL
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Alton, IL Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Alton, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,895

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alton, IL and in Mexico City

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Alton, IL and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,895 per month in Alton, IL vs $1,548 in Mexico City, rent included.

Alton, IL $1,895
Mexico City $1,548

A couple spends around $2,862 per month in Alton, IL vs $2,436 in Mexico City, rent included.

Alton, IL $2,862
Mexico City $2,436

A family of three spends $3,829 per month in Alton, IL vs $3,323 in Mexico City, rent included.

Alton, IL $3,829
Mexico City $3,323

Alton, IL costs about 22% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Alton, IL and Mexico City sit above the global median – Alton, IL by 40%, Mexico City by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$11.02 MX$204

88.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.6 $55.6

$48.68 MX$900

14.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.17 $11.17

$10.90 MX$201

2.48%

Cappuccino

$4.95 $4.95

$3.68 MX$68.1

34.51%

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

$1.46 $1.46

$1.63 MX$30.18

-10.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.25 MX$23.07

39.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 $3.89

$3.25 MX$60.1

19.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 $5.88

$5.53 MX$102

6.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.70 MX$31.50

-52.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.59 $2.59

$3.02 MX$55.8

-14.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.13 $3.13

$1.92 MX$35.53

63.02%

Eggs

$3.16 $3.16

$2.73 MX$50.5

15.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.32 $9.32

$11.77 MX$218

-20.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$9.53 MX$176

-29.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.42 $23.42

$14.41 MX$266

62.53%

Apples (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$3.02 MX$55.8

41.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.89 MX$35.01

-37.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.18 $5.18

$1.99 MX$36.70

160.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$2.19 MX$40.38

123.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.92 MX$35.43

15.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.87 MX$34.49

46.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.44 MX$26.62

45.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.27 MX$23.39

65.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.08 $11.08

$5.22 MX$96.4

112.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.05 $12.05

$16.17 MX$299

-25.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.90 MX$35.03

-3.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$4.22 MX$78.0

-36.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.00 MX$36.90

48.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 $1.69

$0.52 MX$9.67

225.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.52 MX$28.13

-35.53%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

26.20%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

6.05%

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

$331 $331

$61.1 MX$1,129

442.23%

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

$43.44 $43.44

$28.58 MX$528

51.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.7 $77.7

$34.47 MX$637

125.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.07 $27.07

$56.4 MX$1,042

-51.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 $11.95

$6.66 MX$123

79.43%

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

$279 $279

$427 MX$7,891

-34.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.36 $40.36

$67.8 MX$1,253

-40.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.75 $42.75

$52.0 MX$960

-17.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.4 $65.4

$106 MX$1,959

-38.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.1 $76.1

$113 MX$2,080

-32.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 $763

$1,025 MX$18.9K

-25.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 $627

$654 MX$12.1K

-4.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,099 $1,099

$2,308 MX$42.7K

-52.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 $1,275

$1,242 MX$22.9K

2.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,513 $1,513

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-58.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,455 $1,455

$1,936 MX$35.8K

-24.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,813 $3,813

$964 MX$17.8K

295.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

-46.90%

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

Last update for Alton, IL: October 18, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alton, IL

$627 33.1%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 4.4% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alton, IL

$452 23.9%

Mexico City

$124 8% 72.6% $328

Groceries & Markets

Alton, IL

$349 18.4%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 8.9% $31

Eating Out

Alton, IL

$303 16%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 32.7% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Alton, IL

$101 5.3%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 50.7% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Alton, IL

$51 2.7%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 36.7% $19

Getting Around

Alton, IL

$11 * 0.6%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 124% $14

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $763 in Alton, IL versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 295% higher in Alton, IL, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Alton, IL versus $49.00 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $318 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Alton, IL

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

17:50 5:50 PM

16:50 4:50 PM

1 h behind Alton, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,676

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Alton, IL Mexico City 2,330 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Alton, IL
Mexico City

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

Alton, IL vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alton, IL costs about 22% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,842 per month in Alton, IL and $2,322 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mexico City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,895 in Alton, IL and $1,548 in Mexico City. That's a gap of about 22%.

Kindergarten costs $279 per month in Alton, IL and $427 in Mexico City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,548, than in Alton, IL at $1,895. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alton, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mexico City costs $1,548 versus $1,895 in Alton, IL. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Alton, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.