Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Des Plaines, IL and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $3,023 in Des Plaines, IL, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Des Plaines, IL
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Des Plaines, IL Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Des Plaines, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,023

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,023 in Des Plaines, IL versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Des Plaines, IL $3,023
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,419 in Des Plaines, IL versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Des Plaines, IL $4,419
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,815 in Des Plaines, IL versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Des Plaines, IL $5,815
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Des Plaines, IL is roughly 93% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Des Plaines, IL 124% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.29 $21.29

$10.75 MX$199

98.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.1 $89.1

$50.3 MX$929

77.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.10 $13.10

$11.10 MX$205

18.02%

Cappuccino

$5.68 $5.68

$3.68 MX$68.1

54.35%

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

$2.61 $2.61

$1.65 MX$30.42

58.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.30 MX$24.08

72.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.05 $7.05

$3.32 MX$61.3

112.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.22 $8.22

$5.54 MX$102

48.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.77 MX$32.68

-48.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 $3.40

$3.05 MX$56.4

11.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$2.01 MX$37.20

108.96%

Eggs

$4.23 $4.23

$2.77 MX$51.1

52.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.74 $14.74

$11.91 MX$220

23.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.04 $13.04

$9.33 MX$172

39.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.82 $18.82

$15.02 MX$278

25.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$3.08 MX$56.8

49.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.95 MX$35.97

-14.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$2.03 MX$37.54

104.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.21 MX$40.92

122.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.71 $2.71

$2.02 MX$37.41

34.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.82 MX$33.67

49.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.52 MX$28.07

37.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.28 MX$23.65

91.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.90 $10.90

$5.27 MX$97.4

106.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.97 $14.97

$16.12 MX$298

-7.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.95 MX$36.05

31.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 $3.35

$4.25 MX$78.6

-21.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.31 MX$5.82

532.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.0 $60.0

$19.85 MX$367

202.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.00 MX$36.93

64.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 $1.36

$0.53 MX$9.86

156.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.88 $24.88

$5.62 MX$104

342.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.52 MX$28.07

-34.87%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

71.84%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

2.24%

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

$192 $192

$62.5 MX$1,155

207.22%

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

$59.2 $59.2

$28.77 MX$532

105.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.0 $76.0

$34.45 MX$637

120.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$123 $123

$57.1 MX$1,055

115.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.32 $39.32

$24.81 MX$458

58.48%

Cinema Ticket

$14.72 $14.72

$6.67 MX$123

120.69%

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

$1,563 $1,563

$431 MX$7,964

262.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

101.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.9 $64.9

$70.8 MX$1,308

-8.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 $50.8

$51.8 MX$958

-2.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$109 MX$2,011

-7.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$112 MX$2,076

6.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,084 $2,084

$1,051 MX$19.4K

98.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,548 $1,548

$665 MX$12.3K

132.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,937 $3,937

$2,346 MX$43.3K

67.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 $2,485

$1,227 MX$22.7K

102.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,279 $3,279

$3,554 MX$65.7K

-7.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,480 $2,480

$1,977 MX$36.5K

25.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,121 $6,121

$975 MX$18.0K

527.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.77

11.3

-40.09%

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

Last update for Des Plaines, IL: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Des Plaines, IL

$1.5K 51.2%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 57% $883

Groceries & Markets

Des Plaines, IL

$418 13.8%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 22.8% $95

Eating Out

Des Plaines, IL

$349 11.5%

Mexico City

$203 13% 41.8% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Des Plaines, IL

$327 10.8%

Mexico City

$126 8% 61.6% $201

Sport & Entertainment

Des Plaines, IL

$152 5%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 53.7% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Des Plaines, IL

$151 5%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 2.2% $3.4

Getting Around

Des Plaines, IL

$78 2.6%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 66.9% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,084 in Des Plaines, IL and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Des Plaines, IL pays 528% 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: $89.0 in Des Plaines, IL vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $418 vs $323 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Des Plaines, IL

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

16:26 4:26 PM

15:26 3:26 PM

1 h behind Des Plaines, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,675

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

Des Plaines, IL Mexico City 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Des Plaines, 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

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

Des Plaines, IL and Mexico City differ by about 93% in total monthly costs ($3,023 vs $1,567 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 528% higher in Des Plaines, IL, 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: $2,084 in Des Plaines, IL versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Des Plaines, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $89.0 in Des Plaines, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $3,023 in Des Plaines, IL, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Des Plaines, IL. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City 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 Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in Des Plaines, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.