Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Plainfield, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,674 a month against $2,628 in Plainfield, IL, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Plainfield, IL outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Plainfield, IL
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Plainfield, IL Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Plainfield, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $2,628 in Plainfield, IL.

Mexico City $1,674
Plainfield, IL $2,628

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $3,658 in Plainfield, IL.

Mexico City $2,606
Plainfield, IL $3,658

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $4,687 in Plainfield, IL.

Mexico City $3,537
Plainfield, IL $4,687

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$15.12 $15.12

-29.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$73.8 $73.8

-29.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$12.20 $12.20

-12.05%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.6

$5.23 $5.23

-27.34%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$2.77 $2.77

-41.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$2.30 $2.30

-47.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$6.16 $6.16

-48.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$8.06 $8.06

-32.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$0.81 $0.81

112.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$2.86 $2.86

3.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$3.16 $3.16

-38.92%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$3.78 $3.78

-26.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$8.77 $8.77

33.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$9.06 $9.06

4.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$12.46 $12.46

23.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$4.36 $4.36

-28.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$1.71 $1.71

14.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$3.09 $3.09

-35.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$2.24 $2.24

4.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$2.05 $2.05

-1.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$2.28 $2.28

-20.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$1.99 $1.99

-22.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$1.21 $1.21

8.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$6.93 $6.93

-22.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$10.02 $10.02

61.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$2.17 $2.17

-9.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$3.03 $3.03

43.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$2.53 $2.53

-24.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$1.59 $1.59

-70.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.11 $1.11

33.33%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$24.8K $24.8K

-13.82%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$25.5K $25.5K

-6.73%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$171 $171

-63.68%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$44.57 $44.57

-36.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$51.1 $51.1

-33.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$11.22 $11.22

-41.27%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$1,019 $1,019

-57.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$16.6K $16.6K

-15.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$48.95 $48.95

39.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$89.9 $89.9

23.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,158

$120 $120

-3.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$1,583 $1,583

-25.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$1,626 $1,626

-52.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$2,420 $2,420

6.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$2,424 $2,424

-41.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

$6,945 $6,945

-85.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

6.35

78.74%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Plainfield, IL: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Plainfield, IL

$1.6K 61.9% 111% $855

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Plainfield, IL

$299 11.4% 7.5% $24

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Plainfield, IL

$288 10.9% 43.4% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Plainfield, IL

$116 * 4.4% 26.1% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Plainfield, IL

$266 10.1% 114% $142

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Plainfield, IL

$22 * 0.9% 68.6% $49

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Plainfield, IL

$10 * 0.4% 58.1% $15

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 $1,179 in Mexico City and $1,583 in Plainfield, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Plainfield, IL pays about 6.9 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 Plainfield, IL. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $299, with Plainfield, IL cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇸 Plainfield, IL

🕒 Local time

03:29 3:29 AM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

40,466

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Plainfield, IL 2,670 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $2,628 in Plainfield, IL, so Mexico City is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 86% 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: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $1,583 in Plainfield, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $1,019 in Plainfield, 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 $52 versus $74 in Plainfield, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Mexico City wins on affordability, Plainfield, IL on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.