Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Elgin, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Elgin, IL: $1,057 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mexico City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Elgin, IL
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Elgin, IL Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Elgin, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,057

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,057 in Elgin, IL.

Mexico City $1,608
Elgin, IL $1,057

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,633 in Elgin, IL.

Mexico City $2,549
Elgin, IL $2,633

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $4,209 in Elgin, IL.

Mexico City $3,490
Elgin, IL $4,209

Living in Mexico City is roughly 52% more expensive than in Elgin, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Elgin, IL is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$20.39 $20.39

-47.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$59.1 $59.1

-18.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$9.94 $9.94

4.12%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$4.08 $4.08

-9.56%

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

$1.67 MX$31.05

$3.06 $3.06

-45.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.58

$2.04 $2.04

-37.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$5.98 $5.98

-46.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$4.88 $4.88

8.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$0.87 $0.87

97.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$3.52 $3.52

-13.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$4.15 $4.15

-53.25%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$3.64 $3.64

-20.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$11.13 $11.13

-1.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$13.06 $13.06

-29.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$11.98 $11.98

26.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$4.47 $4.47

-31.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.33 $1.33

45.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.73

$2.53 $2.53

-19.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.12

$4.04 $4.04

-42.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.91

$2.00 $2.00

2.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.53

$2.01 $2.01

-10.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.56

$1.78 $1.78

-16.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.62

$2.40 $2.40

-47.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.8

$10.58 $10.58

-49.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$15.75 $15.75

2.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.95

$2.71 $2.71

-26.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$3.54 $3.54

20.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$4.05 $4.05

-54.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$2.04 $2.04

-74.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$27.57 $27.57

-80.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.14

$1.04 $1.04

45.19%

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

$21.8K MX$405.3K

$31.2K $31.2K

-30.22%

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

$24.0K MX$446.9K

$25.8K $25.8K

-6.99%

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

$63.0 MX$1,173

$98.8 $98.8

-36.25%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$53.3 $53.3

-48.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$49.92 $49.92

-28.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$15.10 $15.10

-57.62%

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

$432 MX$8,041

$1,656 $1,656

-73.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.8K

$23.4K $23.4K

-51.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,271

$40.64 $40.64

67.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$50.3 $50.3

5.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,008

$99.6 $99.6

8.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,185

$120 $120

-2.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$2,162 $2,162

19.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$1,820 $1,820

-22.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

$2,201 $2,201

64.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$2,268 $2,268

-5.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$3,966 $3,966

-76.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

6.69

69.66%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Elgin, IL: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Elgin, IL

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Elgin, IL

$368 34.9% 15.3% $49

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Elgin, IL

$302 28.6% 52% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Elgin, IL

$140 13.2% 10.3% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Elgin, IL

$202 19.1% 60.2% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Elgin, IL

$30 * 2.9% 57.9% $42

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Elgin, IL

$14 * 1.4% 44% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

Elgin, IL pays about 4.2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $59 in Elgin, IL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $368 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇸 Elgin, IL

🕒 Local time

09:42 9:42 AM

10:42 10:42 AM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

112,603

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Elgin, IL 2,710 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Elgin, IL is about 34% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, clothing, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 76% lower in Mexico City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $1,656 in Elgin, IL. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $48 versus $59 in Elgin, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,057 in Elgin, IL versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Elgin, IL but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Elgin, IL the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.