Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Oak Lawn, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,586 in Oak Lawn, IL, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 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
119

Cost of Living Index in Oak Lawn, IL
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Oak Lawn, IL Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Oak Lawn, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,586 in Oak Lawn, IL.

Mexico City $1,548
Oak Lawn, IL $2,586

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $3,492 in Oak Lawn, IL.

Mexico City $2,436
Oak Lawn, IL $3,492

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $4,398 in Oak Lawn, IL.

Mexico City $3,323
Oak Lawn, IL $4,398

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 40% less than in Oak Lawn, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 14% above, Oak Lawn, IL 91% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$15.26 $15.26

-27.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$62.8 $62.8

-22.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$7.77 $7.77

40.28%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$5.43 $5.43

-32.23%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$2.16 $2.16

-24.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$1.13 $1.13

10.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$5.14 $5.14

-36.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$5.15 $5.15

7.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$0.93 $0.93

82.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.37 $2.37

27.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$3.41 $3.41

-43.70%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$3.76 $3.76

-27.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$11.16 $11.16

5.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$8.61 $8.61

10.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$13.18 $13.18

9.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$3.25 $3.25

-7.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.95 $1.95

-3.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$3.26 $3.26

-38.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$3.29 $3.29

-33.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$2.15 $2.15

-10.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.11 $1.11

68.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$2.06 $2.06

-30.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$2.04 $2.04

-37.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$9.87 $9.87

-47.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$9.96 $9.96

62.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$2.06 $2.06

-7.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$3.32 $3.32

27.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$2.05 $2.05

-83.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$49.95 $49.95

-60.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$5.38 $5.38

-62.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$2.82 $2.82

-81.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$17.46 $17.46

-69.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.12 $1.12

35.71%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$15.9K $15.9K

38.98%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$27.0K $27.0K

-9.38%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$220 $220

-72.23%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$53.0 $53.0

-46.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$66.1 $66.1

-47.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$42.21 $42.21

33.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$20.35 $20.35

-67.27%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$1,336 $1,336

-68.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$12.6K $12.6K

-7.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$47.58 $47.58

42.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$25.39 $25.39

104.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$58.0 $58.0

82.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$50.8 $50.8

121.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$1,601 $1,601

-35.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$1,432 $1,432

-54.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$2,851 $2,851

-19.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$1,945 $1,945

-36.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$2,575 $2,575

40.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$2,733 $2,733

-29.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

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 20, 2026

Last update for Oak Lawn, IL: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Oak Lawn, IL

$1.4K 55.4% 119% $777

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Oak Lawn, IL

$313 12.1% 1.5% $4.7

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Oak Lawn, IL

$260 10% 27.4% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Oak Lawn, IL

$82 3.2% 46.3% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Oak Lawn, IL

$339 13.1% 173% $215

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Oak Lawn, IL

$83 3.2% 19% $13

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Oak Lawn, IL

$78 3% 203% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $1,601 in Oak Lawn, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $63.0 in Oak Lawn, IL. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $313, with Oak Lawn, IL cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇸 Oak Lawn, IL

🕒 Local time

15:19 3:19 PM

16:19 4:19 PM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

58,362

💱 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 →

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Mexico City Oak Lawn, IL 2,700 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Mexico City and Oak Lawn, IL differ by about 67% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $2,586 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,322 in Mexico City and $3,879 in Oak Lawn, IL to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $1,601 in Oak Lawn, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 154% less than in Oak Lawn, IL. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $1,336 in Oak Lawn, IL. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,586 in Oak Lawn, IL, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Oak Lawn, IL. 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.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Oak Lawn, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.