Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Islip, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Islip, NY: $1,259 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Islip, NY
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Islip, NY Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Islip, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$1,259

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Islip, NY

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,259 in Islip, NY.

Mexico City $1,608
Islip, NY $1,259

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,207 in Islip, NY.

Mexico City $2,549
Islip, NY $2,207

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $3,154 in Islip, NY.

Mexico City $3,490
Islip, NY $3,154

Living in Mexico City is roughly 28% more expensive than in Islip, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Islip, NY is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$26.10 $26.10

-59.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$904

$122 $122

-60.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$14.05 $14.05

-26.33%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.0

$5.14 $5.14

-28.21%

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

$1.67 MX$31.14

$2.85 $2.85

-41.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.65

$2.28 $2.28

-44.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.7

$7.77 $7.77

-58.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.2

$10.17 $10.17

-47.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.23

$1.39 $1.39

23.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.8

$4.54 $4.54

-33.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.27

$4.05 $4.05

-52.10%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.0

$5.02 $5.02

-42.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$18.69 $18.69

-41.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$17.41 $17.41

-46.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$16.45 $16.45

-8.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.0

$4.47 $4.47

-31.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.27

$1.29 $1.29

50.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.85

$2.17 $2.17

-6.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.25

$2.91 $2.91

-20.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.03

$1.78 $1.78

14.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.63

$2.17 $2.17

-17.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.64

$1.53 $1.53

-3.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.69

$1.10 $1.10

15.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.1

$14.94 $14.94

-64.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$301

$12.96 $12.96

24.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.06

$2.35 $2.35

-15.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.5

$3.76 $3.76

13.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.70

$4.37 $4.37

-92.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$369

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.34

$2.98 $2.98

-38.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.97

$2.20 $2.20

-75.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.0

$41.26 $41.26

-87.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.23

$1.17 $1.17

29.06%

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

$21.8K MX$406.5K

$27.9K $27.9K

-22.15%

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

$24.0K MX$448.2K

$26.7K $26.7K

-10.05%

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

$63.0 MX$1,177

$80.2 $80.2

-21.43%

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

$27.39 MX$512

$71.2 $71.2

-61.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$666

$69.8 $69.8

-48.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,101

$59.6 $59.6

-1.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$442

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$15.83 $15.83

-59.57%

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

$432 MX$8,065

$3,537 $3,537

-87.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$213.5K

$61.6K $61.6K

-81.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,275

$44.55 $44.55

53.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$993

$27.92 $27.92

90.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,014

$75.0 $75.0

43.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,191

$91.4 $91.4

28.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$1,989 $1,989

-44.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.4K

$3,382 $3,382

-23.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

$3,975 $3,975

-76.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

6.63

71.19%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Islip, NY: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Islip, NY

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Islip, NY

$416 33% 30% $96

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Islip, NY

$392 31.2% 97.5% $194

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Islip, NY

$107 8.5% 31% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Islip, NY

$221 17.6% 75.4% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Islip, NY

$91 7.3% 27.2% $20

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Islip, NY

$31 * 2.5% 23.6% $6

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $1,989 in Islip, NY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Islip, NY 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 $122 in Islip, NY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $416 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇸 Islip, NY

🕒 Local time

08:24 8:24 AM

10:24 10:24 AM

2 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

339,938

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.899 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Islip, NY 3,410 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Islip, NY

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 Islip, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Islip, NY is cheaper overall, especially in clothing. The 28% gap 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $1,989 in Islip, NY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $3,537 in Islip, NY. 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 $122 in Islip, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,259 in Islip, NY versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Islip, NY but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Islip, NY 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.