Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between McHenry, IL and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,886 in McHenry, IL, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

McHenry, IL
🇺🇸 United States
$2,886
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,548
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,886 per month in McHenry, IL vs $1,548 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • McHenry, IL $2,886
  • Mexico City $1,548

A couple spends around $4,170 per month in McHenry, IL vs $2,436 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • McHenry, IL $4,170
  • Mexico City $2,436

A family of three spends $5,455 per month in McHenry, IL vs $3,323 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • McHenry, IL $5,455
  • Mexico City $3,323

McHenry, IL costs about 86% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both McHenry, IL and Mexico City sit above the global median – McHenry, IL by 113%, Mexico City by 14%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
McHenry, IL
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.39 $20.39
$11.02 MX$204
85.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$65.8 $65.8
$48.68 MX$900
35.09%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.12 $13.12
$10.90 MX$201
20.37%
Cappuccino
$5.66 $5.66
$3.68 MX$68.1
53.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.10 $3.10
$1.63 MX$30.18
90.18%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.53 $2.53
$1.25 MX$23.07
102.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.13 $7.13
$3.25 MX$60.1
119.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.02 $8.02
$5.53 MX$102
45.03%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
McHenry, IL
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.93 $0.93
$1.70 MX$31.50
-45.29%
White Bread (500g)
$3.42 $3.42
$3.02 MX$55.8
13.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.16 $4.16
$1.92 MX$35.53
116.67%
Eggs
$3.79 $3.79
$2.73 MX$50.5
38.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.74 $14.74
$11.77 MX$218
25.23%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.08 $13.08
$9.53 MX$176
37.25%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.85 $19.85
$14.41 MX$266
37.75%
Apples (1kg)
$4.64 $4.64
$3.02 MX$55.8
53.64%
Banana (1kg)
$1.62 $1.62
$1.89 MX$35.01
-14.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.30 $5.30
$1.99 MX$36.70
166.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.87 $4.87
$2.19 MX$40.38
122.37%
Potato (1kg)
$2.85 $2.85
$1.92 MX$35.43
48.44%
Onion (1kg)
$3.03 $3.03
$1.87 MX$34.49
62.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.16 $2.16
$1.44 MX$26.62
50.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.38 $2.38
$1.27 MX$23.39
87.40%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.80 $10.80
$5.22 MX$96.4
106.90%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.46 $15.46
$16.17 MX$299
-4.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.67 $2.67
$1.90 MX$35.03
40.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 $4.56
$4.22 MX$78.0
8.06%
🚌 Getting Around
McHenry, IL
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.29 $2.29
$0.34 MX$6.30
573.53%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$19.65 MX$363
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.98 $3.98
$2.00 MX$36.90
99.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.97 $1.97
$0.52 MX$9.67
278.85%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$43.97 $43.97
$5.34 MX$98.7
723.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.05 $1.05
$1.52 MX$28.13
-30.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K $30.3K
$22.1K MX$408.0K
37.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.8K $25.8K
$24.5K MX$452.9K
5.30%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
McHenry, IL
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$273 $273
$61.1 MX$1,129
347.45%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$51.8 $51.8
$28.58 MX$528
81.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$82.6 $82.6
$34.47 MX$637
139.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
McHenry, IL
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.87 $44.87
$56.4 MX$1,042
-20.39%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$24.88 MX$460
-
Cinema Ticket
$14.87 $14.87
$6.66 MX$123
123.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
McHenry, IL
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,749 $1,749
$427 MX$7,891
309.58%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.8K $23.8K
$11.6K MX$215.0K
104.91%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
McHenry, IL
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$64.8 $64.8
$67.8 MX$1,253
-4.41%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.4 $51.4
$52.0 MX$960
-1.02%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 $107
$106 MX$1,959
1.11%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 $122
$113 MX$2,080
8.14%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
McHenry, IL
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,620 $1,620
$1,025 MX$18.9K
58.05%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,452 $1,452
$654 MX$12.1K
121.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,885 $2,885
$2,308 MX$42.7K
24.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,451 $2,451
$1,242 MX$22.9K
97.37%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,120 $3,120
$3,613 MX$66.8K
-13.64%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,499 $2,499
$1,936 MX$35.8K
29.07%
💵 Salaries & Financials
McHenry, IL
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$7,382 $7,382
$964 MX$17.8K
665.70%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.69
11.3
-40.80%

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

Last update for McHenry, IL: October 19, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
McHenry, IL
$1.5K
Mexico City
$654 54.9% $798
Groceries & Markets
McHenry, IL
$428
Mexico City
$318 25.7% $110
Monthly Utilities & Internet
McHenry, IL
$408
Mexico City
$124 69.6% $284
Eating Out
McHenry, IL
$345
Mexico City
$204 40.8% $141
Clothing & Footwear
McHenry, IL
$155
Mexico City
$152 2% $3.1
Sport & Entertainment
McHenry, IL
$75
Mexico City
$70 6.6% $4.9
Getting Around
McHenry, IL
$23 *
Mexico City
$26 11.3% $2.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,620 in McHenry, 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 666% higher in McHenry, 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 $66.0 in McHenry, IL versus $49.00 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $428 vs $318 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 McHenry, IL
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🕒 Local time
22:16 10:16 PM
21:16 9:16 PM
1 h behind McHenry, IL
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
27,135
9,209,944 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • McHenry, IL Mexico City 2,740 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • McHenry, 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
McHenry, IL vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, McHenry, IL or Mexico City?
McHenry, IL costs about 86% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in McHenry, IL and in Mexico City?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,328 per month in McHenry, IL and $2,322 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, McHenry, IL or Mexico City?
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.
How do dining costs compare in McHenry, IL and in Mexico City?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in McHenry, IL and $49.00 in Mexico City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in McHenry, IL or in Mexico City?
Groceries cost about 35% more in McHenry, IL, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $2,000/month in McHenry, IL or in Mexico City?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,548, than in McHenry, IL at $2,886. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in McHenry, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, McHenry, IL or Mexico City?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mexico City costs $1,548 versus $2,886 in McHenry, IL. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Should I move to McHenry, IL or to Mexico City?
If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, McHenry, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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