Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lansing, IL and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,424 in Lansing, IL, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Lansing, IL
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Lansing, IL Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Lansing, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,424

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,424 per month in Lansing, IL vs $1,548 in Mexico City, rent included.

Lansing, IL $2,424
Mexico City $1,548

A couple spends around $3,690 per month in Lansing, IL vs $2,436 in Mexico City, rent included.

Lansing, IL $3,690
Mexico City $2,436

A family of three spends $4,956 per month in Lansing, IL vs $3,323 in Mexico City, rent included.

Lansing, IL $4,956
Mexico City $3,323

Lansing, IL costs about 57% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lansing, IL and Mexico City sit above the global median – Lansing, IL by 79%, Mexico City by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.66 $19.66

$11.02 MX$204

78.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.6 $74.6

$48.68 MX$900

53.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.59 $11.59

$10.90 MX$201

6.33%

Cappuccino

$5.19 $5.19

$3.68 MX$68.1

41.03%

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

$2.72 $2.72

$1.63 MX$30.18

66.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.25 MX$23.07

56.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.90 $5.90

$3.25 MX$60.1

81.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.22 $7.22

$5.53 MX$102

30.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.70 MX$31.50

-41.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.57 $3.57

$3.02 MX$55.8

18.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$1.92 MX$35.53

131.77%

Eggs

$4.11 $4.11

$2.73 MX$50.5

50.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 $12.76

$11.77 MX$218

8.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.39 $11.39

$9.53 MX$176

19.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.88 $16.88

$14.41 MX$266

17.14%

Apples (1kg)

$5.10 $5.10

$3.02 MX$55.8

68.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.89 MX$35.01

-13.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$1.99 MX$36.70

120.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.79 $4.79

$2.19 MX$40.38

118.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.92 MX$35.43

46.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.87 MX$34.49

55.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.44 MX$26.62

52.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.27 MX$23.39

74.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.96 $9.96

$5.22 MX$96.4

90.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.07 $15.07

$16.17 MX$299

-6.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.90 MX$35.03

1.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 $3.27

$4.22 MX$78.0

-22.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.34 MX$6.30

502.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 $2.69

$2.00 MX$36.90

34.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 $1.56

$0.52 MX$9.67

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.26 $33.26

$5.34 MX$98.7

522.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.52 MX$28.13

-25.66%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

26.24%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

7.46%

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

$196 $196

$61.1 MX$1,129

220.39%

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

$66.0 $66.0

$28.58 MX$528

130.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.0 $71.0

$34.47 MX$637

105.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.95 $40.95

$56.4 MX$1,042

-27.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$14.18 $14.18

$6.66 MX$123

112.91%

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

$1,377 $1,377

$427 MX$7,891

222.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.8K $26.8K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

130.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.9 $55.9

$67.8 MX$1,253

-17.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.58 $43.58

$52.0 MX$960

-16.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$106 MX$1,959

-4.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$113 MX$2,080

6.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,607 $1,607

$1,025 MX$18.9K

56.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 $1,143

$654 MX$12.1K

74.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,651 $2,651

$2,308 MX$42.7K

14.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,131 $2,131

$1,242 MX$22.9K

71.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,439 $2,439

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-32.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,500 $2,500

$1,936 MX$35.8K

29.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,105 $3,105

$964 MX$17.8K

222.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

11.3

-41.86%

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

Last update for Lansing, IL: October 18, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lansing, IL

$1.1K 47.2%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 42.8% $489

Groceries & Markets

Lansing, IL

$398 16.4%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 20.2% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lansing, IL

$333 13.7%

Mexico City

$124 8% 62.7% $209

Eating Out

Lansing, IL

$317 13.1%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 35.7% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Lansing, IL

$144 6%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 5.5% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Lansing, IL

$69 2.9%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 0.6% $0.4

Getting Around

Lansing, IL

$19 * 0.8%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 37.3% $7

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,607 in Lansing, IL versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 222% higher in Lansing, IL, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Lansing, IL versus $49.00 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $398 vs $318 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lansing, IL

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

08:24 8:24 AM

07:24 7:24 AM

1 h behind Lansing, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

112,644

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lansing, IL Mexico City 2,690 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lansing, IL
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

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

Yes – Lansing, IL is pricier by about 57%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,636 per month in Lansing, IL and $2,322 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mexico City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,424 in Lansing, IL and $1,548 in Mexico City. That's a gap of about 57%.

Kindergarten costs $1,377 per month in Lansing, IL and $427 in Mexico City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,548, than in Lansing, IL at $2,424. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lansing, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mexico City – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lansing, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.