Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Crystal Lake, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,999 in Crystal Lake, IL, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
146

Cost of Living Index in Crystal Lake, IL
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Crystal Lake, IL Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Crystal Lake, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,999

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,548 per month in Mexico City vs $2,999 in Crystal Lake, IL, rent included.

Mexico City $1,548
Crystal Lake, IL $2,999

A couple spends around $2,436 per month in Mexico City vs $4,051 in Crystal Lake, IL, rent included.

Mexico City $2,436
Crystal Lake, IL $4,051

A family of three spends $3,323 per month in Mexico City vs $5,103 in Crystal Lake, IL, rent included.

Mexico City $3,323
Crystal Lake, IL $5,103

Mexico City is about 48% cheaper than Crystal Lake, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mexico City and Crystal Lake, IL sit above the global median – Mexico City by 14%, Crystal Lake, IL by 121%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$19.75 $19.75

-44.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$66.9 $66.9

-27.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$12.93 $12.93

-15.70%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$5.67 $5.67

-35.10%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$3.07 $3.07

-46.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$2.44 $2.44

-48.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$7.10 $7.10

-54.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$8.04 $8.04

-31.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$0.93 $0.93

82.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$3.43 $3.43

-11.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$4.34 $4.34

-55.76%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$3.72 $3.72

-26.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$14.83 $14.83

-20.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$13.00 $13.00

-26.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$19.90 $19.90

-27.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$4.64 $4.64

-34.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.65 $1.65

14.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$5.38 $5.38

-63.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$4.83 $4.83

-54.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$2.86 $2.86

-32.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$2.97 $2.97

-37.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$2.15 $2.15

-33.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$2.41 $2.41

-47.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$10.81 $10.81

-51.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$15.49 $15.49

4.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$2.67 $2.67

-28.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$4.55 $4.55

-7.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$2.23 $2.23

-84.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$3.91 $3.91

-48.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.95 $1.95

-73.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$44.13 $44.13

-87.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$0.99 $0.99

53.54%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$30.7K $30.7K

-28.07%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$26.3K $26.3K

-6.77%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$273 $273

-77.63%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$52.1 $52.1

-45.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$81.5 $81.5

-57.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$36.73 $36.73

53.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$14.86 $14.86

-55.18%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$1,706 $1,706

-74.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$23.2K $23.2K

-49.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$65.1 $65.1

4.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$51.2 $51.2

1.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$106 $106

0.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$120 $120

-5.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$1,622 $1,622

-36.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$1,582 $1,582

-58.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$2,470 $2,470

-6.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$2,127 $2,127

-41.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$2,626 $2,626

37.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$2,034 $2,034

-4.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.69

68.91%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Crystal Lake, IL: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Crystal Lake, IL

$1.6K 52.7% 142% $927

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Crystal Lake, IL

$429 14.3% 34.9% $111

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Crystal Lake, IL

$338 11.3% 66% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Crystal Lake, IL

$154 5.1% 1% $1.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Crystal Lake, IL

$406 13.6% 228% $282

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Crystal Lake, IL

$66 2.2% 4.6% $3.2

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Crystal Lake, IL

$23 * 0.8% 11.9% $3.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,025 in Mexico City versus $1,622 in Crystal Lake, IL. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Mexico City versus $67.0 in Crystal Lake, IL. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $318 vs $429 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇸 Crystal Lake, IL

🕒 Local time

21:57 9:57 PM

22:57 10:57 PM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

40,269

💱 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 22, 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Mexico City Crystal Lake, IL 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Crystal Lake, 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 Crystal Lake, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City, $2,999 in Crystal Lake, IL – roughly 94% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,322 per month in Mexico City and $4,498 in Crystal Lake, 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Mexico City and $67.0 in Crystal Lake, IL. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Crystal Lake, IL, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,548, than in Crystal Lake, IL at $2,999. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Crystal Lake, 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 $1,548 in Mexico City to $2,999 in Crystal Lake, IL. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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