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: $1,480 in Ilion versus $1,447 in Mexico City.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,238 in Ilion versus $2,310 in Mexico City.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,997 in Ilion versus $3,174 in Mexico City.

Living in Ilion is roughly 2% more expensive than Mexico City, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ilion 10% above, Mexico City 8% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 €11.82

$12.98 MX$227

5.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.3 €48.77

$52.6 MX$918

6.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.77 €7.60

$9.43 MX$165

-7.00%

Cappuccino

$3.95 €3.42

$3.57 MX$62.3

10.64%

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

$1.66 €1.44

$1.61 MX$28.02

3.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.60 €0.52

$1.15 MX$20.14

-47.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.93 €5.14

$3.15 MX$55.0

88.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.83 €5.05

$4.86 MX$84.8

19.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 €1.65

$1.70 MX$29.66

12.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 €1.14

$2.64 MX$45.99

-50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.78 €2.41

$1.90 MX$33.22

46.32%

Eggs

$4.96 €4.30

$2.54 MX$44.35

95.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.63 €11.81

$10.08 MX$176

35.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.88 €9.43

$8.29 MX$145

31.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.27 €13.24

$11.57 MX$202

31.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 €1.95

$3.03 MX$52.8

-25.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.86

$1.71 MX$29.85

25.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 €1.37

$2.05 MX$35.76

-22.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 €2.25

$2.06 MX$35.95

26.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 €1.23

$2.06 MX$36.03

-31.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 €1.04

$2.17 MX$37.87

-44.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 €0.78

$1.40 MX$24.49

-35.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €0.99

$1.12 MX$19.58

1.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.72 €4.96

$4.29 MX$74.9

33.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.31 €7.20

$15.41 MX$269

-46.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.76

$1.67 MX$29.23

22.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 €2.51

$3.69 MX$64.3

-21.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 €1.37

$0.38 MX$6.66

315.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.27 €40.11

$19.06 MX$333

142.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 €3.44

$1.38 MX$24.10

186.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.28 MX$4.82

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.46 €9.93

$5.42 MX$94.5

111.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.84

$1.28 MX$22.35

65.63%

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

$29.1K €25.3K

$19.0K MX$331.3K

53.49%

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

$25.6K €22.2K

$23.5K MX$409.5K

9.10%

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

$218 €189

$41.02 MX$716

431.96%

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

$26.89 €23.31

$26.92 MX$470

-0.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €28.37

$29.69 MX$518

10.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.66 €41.31

$52.3 MX$913

-8.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.66 €23.11

$26.23 MX$458

1.64%

Cinema Ticket

$9.48 €8.22

$6.18 MX$108

53.40%

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

$511 €443

$427 MX$7,454

19.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,404 €5,550

$10.7K MX$186.7K

-40.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.7 €79.5

$56.8 MX$992

61.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.55 €28.21

$44.83 MX$782

-27.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €88.1

$105 MX$1,824

-2.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 €99.8

$106 MX$1,849

8.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$490 €425

$995 MX$17.4K

-50.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 €339

$621 MX$10.8K

-36.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$789 €684

$2,126 MX$37.1K

-62.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$613 €531

$1,254 MX$21.9K

-51.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,798 €3,292

$3,903 MX$68.1K

-2.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,059 €2,651

$2,096 MX$36.6K

45.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,305 €1,131

$1,107 MX$19.3K

17.85%

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: June 8, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: June 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $490 in Ilion and $995 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ilion pays 18% 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: $56.0 in Ilion vs $53.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $304 vs $288 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 ($1,480 vs $1,447 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Ilion pays 18% 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: $490 in Ilion versus $995 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $511 in Ilion versus $427 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 $1,447 in Mexico City versus $1,480 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 2% less than in Ilion. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.