Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ottawa, IL and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,495 in Ottawa, IL, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Ottawa, IL
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Ottawa, IL Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Ottawa, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,495

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ottawa, IL and in Mexico City

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ottawa, IL and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,495 in Ottawa, IL versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Ottawa, IL $2,495
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,579 in Ottawa, IL versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Ottawa, IL $3,579
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,663 in Ottawa, IL versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Ottawa, IL $4,663
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Ottawa, IL is roughly 55% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ottawa, IL 83% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.87 $14.87

$10.62 MX$198

40.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.8 $59.8

$48.35 MX$901

23.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.81 $9.81

$10.35 MX$193

-5.22%

Cappuccino

$4.79 $4.79

$3.69 MX$68.8

29.81%

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

$2.17 $2.17

$1.67 MX$31.07

29.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.27 MX$23.59

40.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.47 $5.47

$3.19 MX$59.5

71.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 $5.36

$5.31 MX$98.9

0.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.72 MX$32.15

-54.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 $3.11

$3.04 MX$56.7

2.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.94 MX$36.19

54.64%

Eggs

$3.85 $3.85

$2.89 MX$53.8

33.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.28 $12.28

$10.97 MX$205

11.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.99 $5.99

$9.25 MX$172

-35.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.40 $12.40

$15.13 MX$282

-18.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 $3.53

$3.05 MX$56.8

15.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.94 MX$36.19

-25.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.22 $3.22

$2.03 MX$37.75

58.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.31 MX$43.15

88.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.04 MX$37.94

-0.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.80 MX$33.55

25.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.48 MX$27.58

48.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.27 MX$23.63

-3.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.39 $12.39

$5.30 MX$98.9

133.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.80 $14.80

$16.10 MX$300

-8.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.98 MX$36.97

9.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 $3.92

$4.25 MX$79.3

-7.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.92 $1.92

$0.31 MX$5.69

519.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.2 $63.2

$19.73 MX$368

220.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.84 MX$34.25

34.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.53 MX$9.94

198.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.24 $28.24

$5.30 MX$98.7

432.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.51 MX$28.16

-25.83%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

24.56%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$24.0K MX$447.1K

13.13%

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

$241 $241

$63.0 MX$1,174

282.01%

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

$45.26 $45.26

$27.39 MX$511

65.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.2 $68.2

$35.67 MX$665

91.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.92 $36.92

$58.9 MX$1,099

-37.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.55 $26.55

$23.64 MX$441

12.31%

Cinema Ticket

$11.43 $11.43

$6.40 MX$119

78.59%

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

$1,012 $1,012

$432 MX$8,045

134.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K $19.8K

$11.4K MX$212.9K

73.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.00 $49.00

$68.2 MX$1,272

-28.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.39 $44.39

$53.1 MX$990

-16.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 $118

$108 MX$2,009

9.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$117 MX$2,186

3.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,494 $1,494

$1,113 MX$20.8K

34.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 $1,276

$710 MX$13.2K

79.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,510 $2,510

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-3.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,088 $2,088

$1,406 MX$26.2K

48.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,189 $3,189

$3,631 MX$67.7K

-12.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,643 $2,643

$2,135 MX$39.8K

23.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,383 $2,383

$946 MX$17.6K

151.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

11.35

-39.91%

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

Last update for Ottawa, IL: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ottawa, IL

$1.3K 51.2%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 44.3% $566

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ottawa, IL

$354 14.2%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 64.4% $228

Groceries & Markets

Ottawa, IL

$314 12.6%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 1.9% $5.9

Eating Out

Ottawa, IL

$260 10.4%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 23.5% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Ottawa, IL

$150 6%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 4.1% $6.1

Getting Around

Ottawa, IL

$81 3.3%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 68.6% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Ottawa, IL

$60 2.4%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 20% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,494 in Ottawa, IL and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ottawa, IL pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $60 in Ottawa, IL vs $48 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $314 vs $320, with Ottawa, IL cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ottawa, IL

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

17:08 5:08 PM

16:08 4:08 PM

1 h behind Ottawa, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,342

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Ottawa, IL Mexico City 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ottawa, IL
Mexico City

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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,495 in Ottawa, IL and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Mexico City is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Ottawa, IL is about 2.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,494 in Ottawa, IL versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,012 in Ottawa, IL versus $432 in Mexico City. 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 $60 in Ottawa, 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, Ottawa, IL on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.