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: $1,504 in Ilion versus $1,466 in Mexico City.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,273 in Ilion versus $2,325 in Mexico City.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,041 in Ilion versus $3,184 in Mexico City.

Living in Ilion is roughly 3% more expensive than Mexico City, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ilion 12% above, Mexico City 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 €11.97

$13.30 MX$231

5.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.6 €47.43

$53.8 MX$932

3.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.51 €7.26

$9.42 MX$163

-9.66%

Cappuccino

$4.16 €3.55

$3.59 MX$62.3

15.88%

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

$1.61 €1.37

$1.62 MX$28.13

-0.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 €0.50

$1.12 MX$19.49

-47.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.77 €4.92

$3.25 MX$56.3

77.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.83 €4.97

$4.65 MX$80.6

25.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.57

$1.64 MX$28.37

12.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 €1.14

$2.65 MX$46.00

-49.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.79 €2.38

$1.96 MX$33.99

42.35%

Eggs

$4.91 €4.18

$2.54 MX$44.08

93.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.84 €11.80

$9.97 MX$173

38.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.95 €9.34

$8.39 MX$145

30.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.12 €12.90

$11.83 MX$205

27.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 €1.90

$2.86 MX$49.62

-22.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 €1.84

$1.73 MX$30.05

24.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 €1.29

$1.99 MX$34.50

-24.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 €2.12

$2.05 MX$35.51

20.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 €1.16

$2.06 MX$35.64

-33.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 €1.03

$2.28 MX$39.54

-46.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 €0.77

$1.45 MX$25.05

-37.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 €0.97

$1.09 MX$18.83

3.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.69 €4.85

$4.27 MX$73.9

33.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.46 €7.22

$14.67 MX$254

-42.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 €1.72

$1.76 MX$30.58

14.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 €2.51

$3.57 MX$61.8

-17.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 €1.36

$0.38 MX$6.67

318.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 €39.86

$18.73 MX$325

149.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.14 €3.53

$1.39 MX$24.09

197.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 MX$5.26

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.79 €10.06

$5.41 MX$93.8

117.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.83

$1.34 MX$23.22

59.70%

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

$28.6K €24.4K

$18.9K MX$326.7K

51.70%

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

$25.1K €21.4K

$23.2K MX$402.0K

8.27%

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

$213 €181

$40.30 MX$698

427.89%

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

$26.90 €22.94

$27.15 MX$471

-0.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.33 €27.57

$29.46 MX$510

9.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.30 €41.20

$52.7 MX$914

-8.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.92 €22.11

$26.17 MX$454

-0.96%

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 €8.22

$6.18 MX$107

55.83%

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

$510 €435

$441 MX$7,637

15.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,424 €5,479

$10.7K MX$185.4K

-39.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.0 €77.7

$57.2 MX$992

59.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.60 €27.81

$45.04 MX$781

-27.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 €85.7

$103 MX$1,793

-2.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €97.3

$109 MX$1,884

4.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$496 €423

$1,000 MX$17.3K

-50.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$386 €329

$632 MX$11.0K

-38.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$774 €660

$2,141 MX$37.1K

-63.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$610 €520

$1,253 MX$21.7K

-51.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,800 €3,241

$3,745 MX$64.9K

1.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,102 €2,646

$2,381 MX$41.3K

30.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,346 €1,148

$1,079 MX$18.7K

24.67%

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: April 22, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: April 20, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $496 in Ilion and $1,000 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ilion pays 25% 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: $56 in Ilion vs $54 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $303 vs $286 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 3% in total monthly costs ($1,504 vs $1,466 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Ilion pays 25% more on average, 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: $496 in Ilion versus $1,000 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $510 in Ilion versus $441 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Ilion. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,466 in Mexico City versus $1,504 in Ilion, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Ilion. 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.

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 Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Ilion. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.