Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Joliet, IL and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,674 a month against $2,650 in Joliet, IL, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Joliet, IL
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Joliet, IL Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Joliet, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,650

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,650 in Joliet, IL versus $1,674 in Mexico City.

Joliet, IL $2,650
Mexico City $1,674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,870 in Joliet, IL versus $2,606 in Mexico City.

Joliet, IL $3,870
Mexico City $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,090 in Joliet, IL versus $3,537 in Mexico City.

Joliet, IL $5,090
Mexico City $3,537

Living in Joliet, IL is roughly 58% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Joliet, IL 96% above, Mexico City 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.17 $19.17

$10.59 MX$198

81.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.1 $75.1

$52.0 MX$972

44.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 $10.78

$10.73 MX$201

0.47%

Cappuccino

$5.16 $5.16

$3.80 MX$71.0

35.79%

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

$2.61 $2.61

$1.61 MX$30.16

62.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.21 MX$22.67

67.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.05 $6.05

$3.18 MX$59.4

90.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$5.44 MX$102

25.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.72 MX$32.13

-38.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.97 MX$55.5

15.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$1.93 MX$36.02

123.83%

Eggs

$4.06 $4.06

$2.77 MX$51.9

46.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 $12.49

$11.67 MX$218

7.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.63 $11.63

$9.48 MX$177

22.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.68 $15.68

$15.37 MX$288

2.02%

Apples (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$3.10 MX$58.1

56.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.96 MX$36.67

-20.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$1.98 MX$37.07

119.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$2.34 MX$43.68

95.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$2.02 MX$37.85

40.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.82 MX$34.13

58.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.54 MX$28.89

30.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.31 MX$24.54

61.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.40 $9.40

$5.35 MX$100

75.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.28 $14.28

$16.19 MX$303

-11.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.96 MX$36.64

-5.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$4.35 MX$81.4

-23.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.30 MX$5.70

553.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.7 $60.7

$19.49 MX$365

211.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 $3.59

$1.92 MX$35.86

86.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$0.47 MX$8.84

251.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.67 $28.67

$5.41 MX$101

429.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.48 MX$27.75

-40.54%

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

$29.2K $29.2K

$21.4K MX$399.7K

36.83%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$23.8K MX$444.3K

7.55%

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

$185 $185

$62.0 MX$1,160

199.11%

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

$52.6 $52.6

$28.47 MX$533

84.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.4 $66.4

$34.11 MX$638

94.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.26 $43.26

$58.4 MX$1,092

-25.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$13.74 $13.74

$6.59 MX$123

108.50%

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

$1,298 $1,298

$434 MX$8,122

198.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.4K $23.4K

$14.0K MX$262.5K

66.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 $51.0

$68.4 MX$1,278

-25.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.24 $39.24

$54.8 MX$1,025

-28.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.6 $87.6

$111 MX$2,073

-20.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$116 MX$2,169

-3.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,573 $1,573

$1,179 MX$22.1K

33.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,366 $1,366

$771 MX$14.4K

77.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,618 $2,618

$2,570 MX$48.1K

1.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,247 $2,247

$1,420 MX$26.6K

58.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,809 $2,809

$3,586 MX$67.1K

-21.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,462 $2,462

$2,064 MX$38.6K

19.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

11.35

-42.64%

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

Last update for Joliet, IL: November 1, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Joliet, IL

$1.4K 51.6%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 43.6% $595

Groceries & Markets

Joliet, IL

$387 14.6%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 16.4% $64

Eating Out

Joliet, IL

$310 11.7%

Mexico City

$201 12% 35.3% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Joliet, IL

$304 11.5%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 59.1% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Joliet, IL

$131 4.9%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 20.5% $27

Getting Around

Joliet, IL

$80 3%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 68.9% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Joliet, IL

$71 2.7%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 1.1% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,573 in Joliet, IL and $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $75 in Joliet, IL vs $52 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $387 vs $324 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Joliet, IL

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

08:28 8:28 AM

Same time as Joliet, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

150,362

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Joliet, IL Mexico City 2,670 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Joliet, 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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,650 in Joliet, IL and $1,674 in Mexico City, so Mexico City is about 37% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,974 in Joliet, IL and $2,510 in Mexico City to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,573 in Joliet, IL versus $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 68% less than in Joliet, IL. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,298 in Joliet, IL versus $434 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Joliet, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.