Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Evanston, IL and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,572 in Evanston, IL, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Evanston, IL
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Evanston, IL Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Evanston, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,572

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,572 per month in Evanston, IL vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

Evanston, IL $2,572
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $4,469 per month in Evanston, IL vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

Evanston, IL $4,469
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $6,366 per month in Evanston, IL vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

Evanston, IL $6,366
Mexico City $3,490

Evanston, IL costs about 60% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Evanston, IL and Mexico City sit above the global median – Evanston, IL by 89%, Mexico City by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.30 $20.30

$10.62 MX$198

91.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 $85.2

$48.35 MX$901

76.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.82 $12.82

$10.35 MX$193

23.86%

Cappuccino

$5.83 $5.83

$3.69 MX$68.8

57.99%

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

$2.71 $2.71

$1.67 MX$31.07

62.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.27 MX$23.59

76.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.98 $6.98

$3.19 MX$59.5

118.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.88 $7.88

$5.31 MX$98.9

48.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.72 MX$32.15

-39.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.73 $3.73

$3.04 MX$56.7

22.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$1.94 MX$36.19

120.10%

Eggs

$4.58 $4.58

$2.89 MX$53.8

58.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.66 $13.66

$10.97 MX$205

24.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.34 $14.34

$9.25 MX$172

55.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.96 $19.96

$15.13 MX$282

31.92%

Apples (1kg)

$5.23 $5.23

$3.05 MX$56.8

71.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.94 MX$36.19

-16.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$2.03 MX$37.75

90.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.00 $5.00

$2.31 MX$43.15

116.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$2.04 MX$37.94

35.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.80 MX$33.55

63.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.48 MX$27.58

40.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.27 MX$23.63

86.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.83 $10.83

$5.30 MX$98.9

104.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.24 $15.24

$16.10 MX$300

-5.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.98 MX$36.97

34.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 $3.34

$4.25 MX$79.3

-21.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 $2.46

$0.31 MX$5.69

693.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.2 $75.2

$19.73 MX$368

281.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.02 $4.02

$1.84 MX$34.25

118.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$0.53 MX$9.94

167.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.50 $44.50

$5.30 MX$98.7

739.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.51 MX$28.16

-31.13%

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

$30.0K $30.0K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

37.95%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$24.0K MX$447.1K

5.63%

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

$194 $194

$63.0 MX$1,174

208.61%

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

$60.4 $60.4

$27.39 MX$511

120.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.0 $74.0

$35.67 MX$665

107.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.0 $75.0

$58.9 MX$1,099

27.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$59.6 $59.6

$23.64 MX$441

152.07%

Cinema Ticket

$14.74 $14.74

$6.40 MX$119

130.31%

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

$1,646 $1,646

$432 MX$8,045

281.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.6K $31.6K

$11.4K MX$212.9K

176.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 $63.6

$68.2 MX$1,272

-6.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 $50.1

$53.1 MX$990

-5.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$108 MX$2,009

0.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 $127

$117 MX$2,186

7.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,688 $1,688

$1,113 MX$20.8K

51.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,111 $1,111

$710 MX$13.2K

56.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,000 $4,000

$2,588 MX$48.2K

54.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,055 $3,055

$1,406 MX$26.2K

117.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.4K $14.4K

$3,631 MX$67.7K

296.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.7K $12.7K

$2,135 MX$39.8K

494.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,558 $5,558

$946 MX$17.6K

487.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

11.35

-40.00%

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

Last update for Evanston, IL: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Evanston, IL

$1.1K 43.2%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 36.1% $401

Groceries & Markets

Evanston, IL

$433 16.9%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 26.3% $114

Eating Out

Evanston, IL

$341 13.3%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 41.8% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Evanston, IL

$329 12.8%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 61.7% $203

Clothing & Footwear

Evanston, IL

$157 6.1%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 0.6% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Evanston, IL

$105 4.1%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 31.4% $33

Getting Around

Evanston, IL

$96 3.7%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 73.5% $71

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,688 in Evanston, IL 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 Evanston, IL are about 5.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Evanston, IL versus $48 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $433 vs $320 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Evanston, IL

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

15:49 3:49 PM

14:49 2:49 PM

1 h behind Evanston, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,486

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 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 = 0.898 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 →

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Evanston, IL Mexico City 2,740 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Evanston, IL
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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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,572 in Evanston, IL, $1,608 in Mexico City – Mexico City comes out roughly 37% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,858 per month in Evanston, IL 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 $1,688 in Evanston, IL.

Groceries cost about 36% more in Evanston, IL, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Evanston, IL and $48 in Mexico City. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,572 in Evanston, IL 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, Evanston, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.