Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Champaign, IL and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $2,161 in Champaign, IL, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Champaign, IL
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Champaign, IL Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Champaign, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,161

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Champaign, 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 Champaign, IL and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,161 per month in Champaign, IL vs $1,567 in Mexico City, rent included.

Champaign, IL $2,161
Mexico City $1,567

A couple spends around $3,133 per month in Champaign, IL vs $2,450 in Mexico City, rent included.

Champaign, IL $3,133
Mexico City $2,450

A family of three spends $4,106 per month in Champaign, IL vs $3,333 in Mexico City, rent included.

Champaign, IL $4,106
Mexico City $3,333

Champaign, IL costs about 38% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Champaign, IL and Mexico City sit above the global median – Champaign, IL by 60%, Mexico City by 16%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.25 $15.25

$10.75 MX$199

41.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 $60.8

$50.3 MX$929

20.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.11 $10.11

$11.10 MX$205

-8.92%

Cappuccino

$4.83 $4.83

$3.68 MX$68.1

31.25%

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

$2.15 $2.15

$1.65 MX$30.42

30.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.30 MX$24.08

33.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 $5.57

$3.32 MX$61.3

67.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.35 $5.35

$5.54 MX$102

-3.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.77 MX$32.68

-51.98%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 $3.14

$3.05 MX$56.4

2.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.13 $3.13

$2.01 MX$37.20

55.72%

Eggs

$3.88 $3.88

$2.77 MX$51.1

40.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.19 $12.19

$11.91 MX$220

2.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.96 $5.96

$9.33 MX$172

-36.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 $12.81

$15.02 MX$278

-14.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.45 $3.45

$3.08 MX$56.8

12.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.95 MX$35.97

-29.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$2.03 MX$37.54

52.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$2.21 MX$40.92

106.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.02 MX$37.41

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.82 MX$33.67

22.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.52 MX$28.07

45.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.28 MX$23.65

-2.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.25 $10.25

$5.27 MX$97.4

94.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.71 $14.71

$16.12 MX$298

-8.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.95 MX$36.05

10.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 $4.08

$4.25 MX$78.6

-4.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 $0.97

$0.31 MX$5.82

212.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.38 $20.38

$19.85 MX$367

2.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.00 MX$36.93

26.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$0.53 MX$9.86

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.52 MX$28.07

-23.68%

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

$35.1K $35.1K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

66.99%

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

$32.3K $32.3K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

28.09%

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

$240 $240

$62.5 MX$1,155

283.93%

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

$45.66 $45.66

$28.77 MX$532

58.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.6 $67.6

$34.45 MX$637

96.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.34 $25.34

$57.1 MX$1,055

-55.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.85 $11.85

$24.81 MX$458

-52.24%

Cinema Ticket

$11.09 $11.09

$6.67 MX$123

66.27%

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

$993 $993

$431 MX$7,964

130.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K $19.9K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

69.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.98 $48.98

$70.8 MX$1,308

-30.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$109 MX$2,011

6.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$112 MX$2,076

8.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,453 $1,453

$1,051 MX$19.4K

38.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 $1,016

$665 MX$12.3K

52.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 $1,941

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-17.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 $1,691

$1,227 MX$22.7K

37.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,688 $1,688

$3,554 MX$65.7K

-52.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,709 $1,709

$1,977 MX$36.5K

-13.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,674 $3,674

$975 MX$18.0K

276.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

11.3

-39.65%

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

Last update for Champaign, IL: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Champaign, IL

$1K 47%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 34.5% $351

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Champaign, IL

$353 16.3%

Mexico City

$126 8% 64.4% $227

Groceries & Markets

Champaign, IL

$316 14.6%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 2.1% $6.5

Eating Out

Champaign, IL

$264 12.2%

Mexico City

$203 13% 23.2% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Champaign, IL

$129 * 6%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 19.8% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Champaign, IL

$48 2.2%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 48.3% $23

Getting Around

Champaign, IL

$35 1.6%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 25.8% $9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,453 in Champaign, IL versus $1,051 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 277% higher in Champaign, 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 $61.0 in Champaign, IL versus $50.0 in Mexico City. Groceries tell a different story – $316 in Champaign, IL vs $323 in Mexico City – so Champaign, IL wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Champaign, IL

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

18:46 6:46 PM

17:46 5:46 PM

1 h behind Champaign, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

88,302

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Champaign, IL Mexico City 2,520 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Champaign, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,161 in Champaign, IL, $1,567 in Mexico City – roughly 38% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,241 per month in Champaign, IL and $2,351 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.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Champaign, IL – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Champaign, IL and $50.0 in Mexico City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,567, than in Champaign, IL at $2,161. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Champaign, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,567 in Mexico City to $2,161 in Champaign, IL. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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