Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Islip, NY and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Islip, NY: $1,259 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mexico City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

61

Cost of Living Index in Islip, NY
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Islip, NY Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Islip, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$1,259

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,259 in Islip, NY versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Islip, NY $1,259
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,207 in Islip, NY versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Islip, NY $2,207
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Islip, NY versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Islip, NY $3,154
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Islip, NY costs roughly 22% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Islip, NY is 7% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.10 $26.10

$10.62 MX$198

145.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 $122

$48.35 MX$901

152.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.05 $14.05

$10.35 MX$193

35.75%

Cappuccino

$5.14 $5.14

$3.69 MX$68.8

39.30%

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

$2.85 $2.85

$1.67 MX$31.07

70.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.27 MX$23.59

79.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 $7.77

$3.19 MX$59.5

143.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.17 $10.17

$5.31 MX$98.9

91.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.72 MX$32.15

-19.19%

White Bread (500g)

$4.54 $4.54

$3.04 MX$56.7

49.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$1.94 MX$36.19

108.76%

Eggs

$5.02 $5.02

$2.89 MX$53.8

73.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.69 $18.69

$10.97 MX$205

70.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.41 $17.41

$9.25 MX$172

88.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.45 $16.45

$15.13 MX$282

8.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$3.05 MX$56.8

46.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.94 MX$36.19

-33.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.03 MX$37.75

6.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.31 MX$43.15

25.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.04 MX$37.94

-12.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.80 MX$33.55

20.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.48 MX$27.58

3.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.27 MX$23.63

-13.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.94 $14.94

$5.30 MX$98.9

181.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.96 $12.96

$16.10 MX$300

-19.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.98 MX$36.97

18.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 $3.76

$4.25 MX$79.3

-11.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.37 $4.37

$0.31 MX$5.69

1309.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.84 MX$34.25

61.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$0.53 MX$9.94

315.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.26 $41.26

$5.30 MX$98.7

678.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.51 MX$28.16

-22.52%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

28.46%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$24.0K MX$447.1K

11.17%

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

$80.2 $80.2

$63.0 MX$1,174

27.28%

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

$71.2 $71.2

$27.39 MX$511

159.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.8 $69.8

$35.67 MX$665

95.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.6 $59.6

$58.9 MX$1,099

1.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$15.83 $15.83

$6.40 MX$119

147.34%

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

$3,537 $3,537

$432 MX$8,045

719.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.6K $61.6K

$11.4K MX$212.9K

439.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 $44.55

$68.2 MX$1,272

-34.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.92 $27.92

$53.1 MX$990

-47.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 $75.0

$108 MX$2,009

-30.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 $91.4

$117 MX$2,186

-22.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,989 $1,989

$1,113 MX$20.8K

78.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,382 $3,382

$2,588 MX$48.2K

30.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,975 $3,975

$946 MX$17.6K

320.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

11.35

-41.59%

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

Last update for Islip, NY: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Islip, NY

$416 33%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 23.1% $96

Eating Out

Islip, NY

$392 31.2%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 49.4% $194

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Islip, NY

$221 17.6%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 43% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Islip, NY

$107 8.5%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 45% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Islip, NY

$91 7.3%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 21.4% $20

Getting Around

Islip, NY

$31 * 2.5%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 19.1% $6

Accommodation & Living

Islip, NY

- * 0%

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,989 in Islip, NY and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Islip, NY pays about 4.2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $122 in Islip, NY vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $416 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Islip, NY

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

09:20 9:20 AM

07:20 7:20 AM

2 h behind Islip, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

339,938

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

Islip, NY Mexico City 3,410 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Islip, NY
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

Islip, NY vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Islip, NY is cheaper overall, especially in clothing. The 28% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Islip, NY is about 4.2 times higher, 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: $1,989 in Islip, NY versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,537 in Islip, NY versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $48 versus $122 in Islip, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,259 in Islip, NY versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Islip, NY but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Islip, NY 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.