Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Elgin

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $1,803 in Elgin, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Elgin
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Elgin Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Elgin

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,803

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Elgin

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 actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,803 in Elgin.

Mexico City $1,548
Elgin $1,803

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $2,850 in Elgin.

Mexico City $2,436
Elgin $2,850

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $3,896 in Elgin.

Mexico City $3,323
Elgin $3,896

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 14% less than in Elgin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 14% above, Elgin 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$21.57 £16.19

-48.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$71.8 £53.9

-32.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$10.25 £7.69

6.34%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$4.55 £3.41

-19.12%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.97 £1.48

-17.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$1.29 £0.97

-3.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$4.42 £3.32

-26.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$6.01 £4.51

-7.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.67 £1.25

1.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.64 £1.23

84.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$2.07 £1.55

-7.25%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$3.84 £2.88

-28.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$9.22 £6.91

27.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$9.29 £6.97

2.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$17.24 £12.94

-16.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$3.27 £2.45

-7.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.57 £1.18

20.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$2.99 £2.25

-33.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$3.31 £2.48

-33.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.91 £1.43

0.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.60 £1.20

16.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.20 £0.90

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$1.63 £1.22

-22.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$23.90 £17.93

-78.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$11.15 £8.37

45.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$3.35 £2.51

-43.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$3.34 £2.51

26.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$3.56 £2.67

-90.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$122 £91.3

-83.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$5.69 £4.27

-64.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.18 £0.89

-55.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$26.07 £19.56

-79.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$2.18 £1.63

-30.28%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$38.1K £28.6K

-42.02%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$40.8K £30.6K

-39.86%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$200 £150

-69.46%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$20.02 £15.02

42.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$40.17 £30.14

-14.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$37.00 £27.76

52.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$5.47 £4.10

354.84%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$11.09 £8.32

-39.95%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$937 £703

-54.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$22.0K £16.5K

-47.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$36.15 £27.12

87.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$45.40 £34.06

14.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$106 £79.8

-0.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$91.0 £68.3

23.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$908 £681

12.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$590 £443

10.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$1,784 £1,339

29.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$1,199 £900

3.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$5,068 £3,802

-28.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$3,862 £2,897

-49.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$2,018 £1,514

-52.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

4.79

135.91%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Elgin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Elgin

$590 32.7% 9.8% $64

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Elgin

$316 17.5% 0.7% $2.3

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Elgin

$305 16.9% 49.7% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Elgin

$126 7% 17.6% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Elgin

$260 14.4% 110% $136

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Elgin

$59 3.3% 15.1% $11

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Elgin

$148 8.2% 476% $122

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $908 in Elgin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Elgin pays 109% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $72.0 in Elgin. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $316, with Elgin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇬🇧 Elgin

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

18:49 6:49 PM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

25,040

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, 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).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Elgin 8,530 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Elgin

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: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Elgin differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $1,803 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 109% lower in Elgin. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $908 in Elgin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 519% less than in Elgin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $937 in Elgin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,803 in Elgin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Elgin. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City 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.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Elgin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Elgin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.