Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,674 a month against $2,626 in Oak Park, IL, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mexico City, Mexico
Oak Park, IL, United States
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,674
/mo nomad
Oak Park, IL
🇺🇸 United States
$2,626
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $2,626 in Oak Park, IL.

  • Mexico City $1,674
  • Oak Park, IL $2,626

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $3,844 in Oak Park, IL.

  • Mexico City $2,606
  • Oak Park, IL $3,844

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $5,063 in Oak Park, IL.

  • Mexico City $3,537
  • Oak Park, IL $5,063

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 36% less than in Oak Park, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 24% above, Oak Park, IL 94% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Oak Park, IL
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.59 MX$197
$20.05 $20.05
-47.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$52.0 MX$967
$74.1 $74.1
-29.91%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.73 MX$200
$11.42 $11.42
-6.04%
Cappuccino
$3.80 MX$70.6
$5.47 $5.47
-30.53%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.61 MX$30.01
$2.73 $2.73
-41.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.21 MX$22.55
$2.06 $2.06
-41.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 MX$59.1
$6.18 $6.18
-48.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.44 MX$101
$7.36 $7.36
-26.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Oak Park, IL
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 MX$31.96
$1.01 $1.01
70.30%
White Bread (500g)
$2.97 MX$55.2
$3.48 $3.48
-14.66%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.93 MX$35.84
$4.28 $4.28
-54.91%
Eggs
$2.77 MX$51.6
$4.24 $4.24
-34.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.67 MX$217
$11.32 $11.32
3.09%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.48 MX$176
$11.50 $11.50
-17.57%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.37 MX$286
$16.95 $16.95
-9.32%
Apples (1kg)
$3.10 MX$57.8
$5.02 $5.02
-38.25%
Banana (1kg)
$1.96 MX$36.49
$1.67 $1.67
17.37%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.98 MX$36.88
$4.28 $4.28
-53.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.34 MX$43.46
$5.16 $5.16
-54.65%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.66
$3.21 $3.21
-37.07%
Onion (1kg)
$1.82 MX$33.95
$3.03 $3.03
-39.93%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.54 MX$28.74
$2.39 $2.39
-35.56%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.31 MX$24.42
$2.11 $2.11
-37.91%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.35 MX$99.6
$8.95 $8.95
-40.22%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.19 MX$301
$15.24 $15.24
6.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.96 MX$36.46
$2.11 $2.11
-7.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.35 MX$81.0
$2.93 $2.93
48.46%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Oak Park, IL
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.30 MX$5.67
$2.09 $2.09
-85.65%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.49 MX$363
$65.9 $65.9
-70.40%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.92 MX$35.68
$3.24 $3.24
-40.74%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.47 MX$8.80
$1.98 $1.98
-76.26%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.41 MX$101
$28.15 $28.15
-80.78%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.48 MX$27.61
$1.03 $1.03
43.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.4K MX$397.7K
$25.3K $25.3K
-15.52%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$442.1K
$24.1K $24.1K
-1.27%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Oak Park, IL
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.0 MX$1,154
$202 $202
-69.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.47 MX$530
$58.9 $58.9
-51.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.11 MX$635
$69.3 $69.3
-50.79%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Oak Park, IL
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.4 MX$1,087
$37.65 $37.65
55.09%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.50 MX$456
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.59 MX$123
$12.73 $12.73
-48.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Oak Park, IL
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$434 MX$8,081
$1,393 $1,393
-68.82%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.0K MX$261.2K
$20.9K $20.9K
-32.74%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Oak Park, IL
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.4 MX$1,272
$60.7 $60.7
12.55%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.8 MX$1,020
$41.62 $41.62
31.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 MX$2,063
$99.2 $99.2
11.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$116 MX$2,158
$117 $117
-1.08%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Oak Park, IL
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,179 MX$21.9K
$1,557 $1,557
-24.28%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$771 MX$14.3K
$1,279 $1,279
-39.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,570 MX$47.8K
$2,540 $2,540
1.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,420 MX$26.4K
$2,113 $2,113
-32.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,586 MX$66.7K
$3,100 $3,100
15.67%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,064 MX$38.4K
$2,462 $2,462
-16.18%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Oak Park, IL
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,003 MX$18.7K
$5,868 $5,868
-82.91%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.35
6.59
72.23%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Oak Park, IL: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$771
Oak Park, IL
$1.3K 66% $508
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$324
Oak Park, IL
$397 22.7% $73
Eating Out
Mexico City
$201
Oak Park, IL
$325 62.1% $125
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$158
Oak Park, IL
$143 8.9% $14
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$125
Oak Park, IL
$331 165% $206
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$72
Oak Park, IL
$63 11.8% $8.5
Getting Around
Mexico City
$25
Oak Park, IL
$87 250% $62

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $1,557 in Oak Park, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oak Park, IL pays about 5.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $74 in Oak Park, IL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $397 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇺🇸 Oak Park, IL
🕒 Local time
12:56 12:56 PM
12:56 12:56 PM
Same time as Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
54,583
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Oak Park, IL 2,720 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Oak Park, 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 Park, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Mexico City and in Oak Park, IL?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $2,626 in Oak Park, IL, so Mexico City is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 83% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Mexico City and in Oak Park, IL?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $1,557 in Oak Park, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in Mexico City and in Oak Park, IL?
A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 70% less than in Oak Park, IL. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Mexico City and Oak Park, IL?
Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $1,393 in Oak Park, IL. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How far does $3,000 go in Mexico City compared to Oak Park, IL?
Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Mexico City and Oak Park, IL?
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.
Where should expats move: Mexico City or Oak Park, IL?
Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Oak Park, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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