Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Champaign, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $2,161 in Champaign, IL, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Champaign, IL
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Champaign, IL Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Champaign, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,161

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Champaign, IL

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mexico City and in Champaign, IL actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,567 per month in Mexico City vs $2,161 in Champaign, IL, rent included.

Mexico City $1,567
Champaign, IL $2,161

A couple spends around $2,450 per month in Mexico City vs $3,133 in Champaign, IL, rent included.

Mexico City $2,450
Champaign, IL $3,133

A family of three spends $3,333 per month in Mexico City vs $4,106 in Champaign, IL, rent included.

Mexico City $3,333
Champaign, IL $4,106

Mexico City is about 27% cheaper than Champaign, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mexico City and Champaign, IL sit above the global median – Mexico City by 16%, Champaign, IL by 60%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$15.25 $15.25

-29.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$60.8 $60.8

-17.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$10.11 $10.11

9.79%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$4.83 $4.83

-23.81%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$2.15 $2.15

-23.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$1.73 $1.73

-24.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$5.57 $5.57

-40.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$5.35 $5.35

3.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$0.85 $0.85

108.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$3.14 $3.14

-2.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$3.13 $3.13

-35.78%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$3.88 $3.88

-28.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$12.19 $12.19

-2.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$5.96 $5.96

56.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$12.81 $12.81

17.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$3.45 $3.45

-10.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$1.38 $1.38

41.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$3.10 $3.10

-34.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$4.56 $4.56

-51.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$2.02 $2.02

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$2.23 $2.23

-18.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$2.21 $2.21

-31.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$1.25 $1.25

2.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$10.25 $10.25

-48.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$14.71 $14.71

9.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$2.15 $2.15

-9.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$4.08 $4.08

4.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$0.97 $0.97

-68.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$20.38 $20.38

-2.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$2.52 $2.52

-20.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$1.59 $1.59

-66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.16 $1.16

31.03%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$35.1K $35.1K

-40.12%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$32.3K $32.3K

-21.93%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$240 $240

-73.95%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$45.66 $45.66

-36.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$67.6 $67.6

-49.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$25.34 $25.34

125.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

$11.85 $11.85

109.37%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$11.09 $11.09

-39.86%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$993 $993

-56.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$19.9K $19.9K

-41.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$48.98 $48.98

44.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$116 $116

-6.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$122 $122

-7.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$1,453 $1,453

-27.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$1,016 $1,016

-34.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$1,941 $1,941

20.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$1,691 $1,691

-27.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$1,688 $1,688

110.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$1,709 $1,709

15.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$3,674 $3,674

-73.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.82

65.69%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Champaign, IL: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Champaign, IL

$1K 47% 52.8% $351

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Champaign, IL

$316 14.6% 2% $6.5

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Champaign, IL

$264 12.2% 30.2% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Champaign, IL

$129 * 6% 16.5% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Champaign, IL

$353 16.3% 181% $227

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Champaign, IL

$48 2.2% 32.6% $23

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Champaign, IL

$35 1.6% 34.8% $9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,051 in Mexico City versus $1,453 in Champaign, IL. 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 277% higher in Champaign, 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 $50.0 in Mexico City versus $61.0 in Champaign, IL. Groceries tell a different story – $323 in Mexico City vs $316 in Champaign, IL – so Champaign, IL wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇸 Champaign, IL

🕒 Local time

18:32 6:32 PM

19:32 7:32 PM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

88,302

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Mexico City Champaign, IL 2,520 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Champaign, IL

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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City, $2,161 in Champaign, IL – roughly 38% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,351 per month in Mexico City and $3,241 in Champaign, IL. 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.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Champaign, IL – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Mexico City and $61.0 in Champaign, IL. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,567, than in Champaign, IL at $2,161. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Champaign, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,567 in Mexico City to $2,161 in Champaign, IL. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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