Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between East Chicago, IN and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,605 in East Chicago, IN, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in East Chicago, IN
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East Chicago, IN Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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East Chicago, IN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,605

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,605 per month in East Chicago, IN vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

East Chicago, IN $2,605
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $3,819 per month in East Chicago, IN vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

East Chicago, IN $3,819
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $5,034 per month in East Chicago, IN vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

East Chicago, IN $5,034
Mexico City $3,490

East Chicago, IN costs about 62% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both East Chicago, IN and Mexico City sit above the global median – East Chicago, IN by 91%, Mexico City by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.32 $22.32

$10.62 MX$198

110.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.1 $65.1

$48.35 MX$901

34.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.87 $11.87

$10.35 MX$193

14.69%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.69 MX$68.8

52.57%

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

$2.28 $2.28

$1.67 MX$31.07

36.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.27 MX$23.59

61.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.81 $6.81

$3.19 MX$59.5

113.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.27 $6.27

$5.31 MX$98.9

18.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.72 MX$32.15

-38.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 $3.05

$3.04 MX$56.7

0.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$1.94 MX$36.19

144.85%

Eggs

$3.58 $3.58

$2.89 MX$53.8

23.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.42 $13.42

$10.97 MX$205

22.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.42 $12.42

$9.25 MX$172

34.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.70 $18.70

$15.13 MX$282

23.60%

Apples (1kg)

$5.08 $5.08

$3.05 MX$56.8

66.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.94 MX$36.19

-20.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$2.03 MX$37.75

110.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.31 MX$43.15

78.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.04 MX$37.94

36.76%

Onion (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.80 MX$33.55

70.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.48 MX$27.58

50.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.27 MX$23.63

75.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.24 $10.24

$5.30 MX$98.9

93.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.19 $17.19

$16.10 MX$300

6.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.98 MX$36.97

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$4.25 MX$79.3

-27.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.86 $1.86

$0.31 MX$5.69

500.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.2 $51.2

$19.73 MX$368

159.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 $3.41

$1.84 MX$34.25

85.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 $1.56

$0.53 MX$9.94

194.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.94 $28.94

$5.30 MX$98.7

446.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.51 MX$28.16

-37.75%

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

$28.8K $28.8K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

32.48%

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

$24.9K $24.9K

$24.0K MX$447.1K

3.90%

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

$199 $199

$63.0 MX$1,174

216.24%

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

$57.1 $57.1

$27.39 MX$511

108.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.7 $69.7

$35.67 MX$665

95.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.38 $34.38

$58.9 MX$1,099

-41.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$12.97 $12.97

$6.40 MX$119

102.66%

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

$1,336 $1,336

$432 MX$8,045

209.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K $21.6K

$11.4K MX$212.9K

89.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 $55.8

$68.2 MX$1,272

-18.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.96 $37.96

$53.1 MX$990

-28.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 $91.3

$108 MX$2,009

-15.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 $108

$117 MX$2,186

-7.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 $1,578

$1,113 MX$20.8K

41.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,265 $1,265

$710 MX$13.2K

78.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,539 $2,539

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-1.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,140 $2,140

$1,406 MX$26.2K

52.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,920 $2,920

$3,631 MX$67.7K

-19.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,165 $2,165

$2,135 MX$39.8K

1.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,091 $4,091

$946 MX$17.6K

332.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

11.35

-42.11%

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

Last update for East Chicago, IN: October 24, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

East Chicago, IN

$1.3K 48.6%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 43.8% $555

Groceries & Markets

East Chicago, IN

$406 15.6%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 21.3% $86

Eating Out

East Chicago, IN

$346 13.3%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 42.5% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

East Chicago, IN

$326 12.5%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 61.3% $200

Clothing & Footwear

East Chicago, IN

$132 5.1%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 18.2% $24

Getting Around

East Chicago, IN

$70 2.7%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 63.5% $44

Sport & Entertainment

East Chicago, IN

$60 2.3%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 19% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,578 in East Chicago, IN versus $1,113 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 in East Chicago, IN are about 4.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65 in East Chicago, IN versus $48 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $406 vs $320 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 East Chicago, IN

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

09:26 9:26 AM

08:26 8:26 AM

1 h behind East Chicago, IN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,370

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

East Chicago, IN Mexico City 2,700 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

East Chicago, IN
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

East Chicago, IN vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – East Chicago, IN is pricier by about 62%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,907 per month in East Chicago, IN and $2,412 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,113 there versus $1,578 in East Chicago, IN.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,605 in East Chicago, IN and $1,608 in Mexico City. That’s a gap of about 62%.

Public transport costs about 61% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,605 in East Chicago, IN and $1,608 in Mexico City, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Mexico City – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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