Cost of Living Comparison Between Ilion and Mexico City Cost of Living Comparison Between Ilion and Mexico City

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,458 in Ilion versus $1,481 in Mexico City.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,206 in Ilion versus $2,352 in Mexico City.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,953 in Ilion versus $3,222 in Mexico City.

Living in Ilion costs roughly 2% less than in Mexico City, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ilion 9% above, Mexico City 11% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.01 €12.32

$13.16 MX$230

6.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.3 €49.49

$53.6 MX$937

5.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 €7.70

$9.55 MX$167

-8.27%

Cappuccino

$4.10 €3.61

$3.72 MX$65.1

10.22%

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

$1.65 €1.45

$1.57 MX$27.42

5.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.60 €0.53

$1.16 MX$20.22

-48.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.66 €4.98

$3.18 MX$55.7

77.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.77 €5.07

$4.63 MX$81.1

24.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 €1.69

$1.71 MX$29.83

12.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 €1.16

$2.62 MX$45.77

-49.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.81 €2.47

$1.89 MX$33.04

48.68%

Eggs

$5.14 €4.52

$2.60 MX$45.40

97.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.10 €12.40

$9.91 MX$173

42.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.91 €9.59

$8.22 MX$144

32.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.86 €13.06

$11.78 MX$206

26.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 €1.97

$3.00 MX$52.4

-25.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 €1.83

$1.80 MX$31.48

15.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 €1.32

$2.07 MX$36.27

-27.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.27

$1.97 MX$34.41

30.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 €1.25

$2.07 MX$36.24

-31.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.01

$2.17 MX$38.04

-47.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 €0.78

$1.40 MX$24.54

-36.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.00

$1.07 MX$18.80

6.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.75 €5.06

$4.12 MX$72.0

39.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.17 €7.18

$17.42 MX$305

-53.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.84

$1.68 MX$29.31

24.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 €2.49

$3.65 MX$63.8

-22.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 €1.39

$0.38 MX$6.65

315.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.58 €40.07

$18.71 MX$327

143.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.51

$1.33 MX$23.25

200.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 MX$5.30

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.34 €9.97

$5.51 MX$96.4

105.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.89

$1.31 MX$22.84

64.12%

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

$28.7K €25.2K

$19.2K MX$335.3K

49.83%

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

$25.7K €22.6K

$23.7K MX$415.4K

8.32%

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

$212 €187

$41.14 MX$720

415.97%

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

$27.34 €24.03

$27.74 MX$485

-1.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.19 €29.18

$30.13 MX$527

10.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.44 €41.70

$53.7 MX$940

-11.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.33 €23.15

$25.98 MX$454

1.35%

Cinema Ticket

$9.78 €8.60

$6.49 MX$114

50.69%

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

$510 €448

$437 MX$7,638

16.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,439 €5,660

$10.5K MX$182.9K

-38.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.8 €82.5

$58.3 MX$1,020

60.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.25 €28.35

$45.86 MX$802

-29.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 €88.3

$101 MX$1,775

-1.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €103

$107 MX$1,863

10.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 €432

$1,005 MX$17.6K

-51.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 €342

$634 MX$11.1K

-38.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$765 €672

$2,148 MX$37.6K

-64.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$614 €540

$1,247 MX$21.8K

-50.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,678 €3,233

$3,859 MX$67.5K

-4.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,039 €2,672

$2,085 MX$36.5K

45.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,261 €1,108

$1,072 MX$18.8K

17.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.8

11.34

-57.67%

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

Last update for Ilion: July 21, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: July 22, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $492 in Ilion and $1,005 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ilion pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $56.0 in Ilion vs $54.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $305 vs $291 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

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

Ilion vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ilion and Mexico City differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($1,458 vs $1,481 including rent). Ilion is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 18% higher in Ilion, 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: $492 in Ilion versus $1,005 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $510 in Ilion versus $437 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Mexico City pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,458 in Ilion versus $1,481 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ilion but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Ilion 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.

Safety-wise, Ilion and Mexico City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ilion gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.