Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Saint Charles, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,710 in Saint Charles, IL, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 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
132

Cost of Living Index in Saint Charles, IL
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Saint Charles, IL Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Saint Charles, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,710 in Saint Charles, IL.

Mexico City $1,548
Saint Charles, IL $2,710

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $4,230 in Saint Charles, IL.

Mexico City $2,436
Saint Charles, IL $4,230

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $5,749 in Saint Charles, IL.

Mexico City $3,323
Saint Charles, IL $5,749

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 43% less than in Saint Charles, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 14% above, Saint Charles, IL 100% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$38.02 $38.02

-71.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$99.6 $99.6

-51.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$10.63 $10.63

2.54%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$6.85 $6.85

-46.28%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$3.37 $3.37

-51.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$3.07 $3.07

-59.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$7.03 $7.03

-53.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$7.54 $7.54

-26.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$0.98 $0.98

73.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$3.55 $3.55

-14.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$4.23 $4.23

-54.61%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$4.57 $4.57

-40.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$12.33 $12.33

-4.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$11.47 $11.47

-16.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$12.85 $12.85

12.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$5.08 $5.08

-40.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.01 $1.01

87.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$4.34 $4.34

-54.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$4.78 $4.78

-54.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$2.75 $2.75

-30.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$3.04 $3.04

-38.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.57 $1.57

-8.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$2.23 $2.23

-43.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$11.41 $11.41

-54.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$15.12 $15.12

6.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.93 $1.93

-1.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$3.46 $3.46

21.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$2.02 $2.02

-83.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$3.24 $3.24

-38.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.64 $1.64

-68.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$32.52 $32.52

-83.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$0.99 $0.99

53.54%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$26.0K $26.0K

-15.08%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$26.1K $26.1K

-5.98%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$195 $195

-68.75%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$66.6 $66.6

-57.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$70.9 $70.9

-51.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$43.09 $43.09

30.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$14.74 $14.74

-54.82%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$1,358 $1,358

-68.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$26.2K $26.2K

-55.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$51.1 $51.1

32.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$39.30 $39.30

32.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$75.7 $75.7

40.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$131 $131

-14.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$1,800 $1,800

-43.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$1,277 $1,277

-48.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$2,543 $2,543

-9.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$2,472 $2,472

-49.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$3,065 $3,065

17.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$2,620 $2,620

-26.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.57

71.99%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Saint Charles, IL: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Saint Charles, IL

$1.3K 47.1% 95.2% $623

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Saint Charles, IL

$380 14% 19.6% $62

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Saint Charles, IL

$494 18.2% 142% $290

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Saint Charles, IL

$134 4.9% 12.2% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Saint Charles, IL

$333 12.3% 168% $209

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Saint Charles, IL

$73 2.7% 4.1% $2.9

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Saint Charles, IL

$20 * 0.7% 23.9% $6.1

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 $1,025 in Mexico City and $1,800 in Saint Charles, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $100 in Saint Charles, IL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $380 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇸 Saint Charles, IL

🕒 Local time

05:41 5:41 AM

06:41 6:41 AM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

70,329

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Saint Charles, IL 2,700 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Mexico City and Saint Charles, IL differ by about 75% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $2,710 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 $4,065 in Saint Charles, 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 $1,800 in Saint Charles, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $1,358 in Saint Charles, 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 $49.00 versus $100 in Saint Charles, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,710 in Saint Charles, IL, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Saint Charles, 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.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Saint Charles, IL 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 75% less than in Saint Charles, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.