Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Plainfield, IL and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,583 in Plainfield, IL, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Plainfield, IL outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

126

Cost of Living Index in Plainfield, IL
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Plainfield, IL Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Plainfield, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,583

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,583 in Plainfield, IL versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Plainfield, IL $2,583
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,616 in Plainfield, IL versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Plainfield, IL $3,616
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,650 in Plainfield, IL versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Plainfield, IL $4,650
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Plainfield, IL is roughly 67% 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: Plainfield, IL 91% above, Mexico City 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.02 $15.02

$11.02 MX$204

36.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.6 $75.6

$48.68 MX$900

55.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.15 $12.15

$10.90 MX$201

11.47%

Cappuccino

$5.30 $5.30

$3.68 MX$68.1

44.02%

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

$2.72 $2.72

$1.63 MX$30.18

66.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.25 MX$23.07

83.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.88 $5.88

$3.25 MX$60.1

80.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.96 $7.96

$5.53 MX$102

43.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.70 MX$31.50

-54.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 $2.77

$3.02 MX$55.8

-8.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.13 $3.13

$1.92 MX$35.53

63.02%

Eggs

$3.79 $3.79

$2.73 MX$50.5

38.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 $8.85

$11.77 MX$218

-24.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.87 $8.87

$9.53 MX$176

-6.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 $12.69

$14.41 MX$266

-11.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$3.02 MX$55.8

42.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.89 MX$35.01

-9.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$1.99 MX$36.70

61.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.19 MX$40.38

1.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.92 MX$35.43

8.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.87 MX$34.49

20.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.44 MX$26.62

41.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.27 MX$23.39

-5.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.13 $7.13

$5.22 MX$96.4

36.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 $10.19

$16.17 MX$299

-36.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.90 MX$35.03

12.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 $3.02

$4.22 MX$78.0

-28.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 $2.44

$2.00 MX$36.90

22.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.52 MX$9.67

196.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.52 MX$28.13

-25.66%

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

$24.2K $24.2K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

9.47%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

3.13%

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

$171 $171

$61.1 MX$1,129

180.14%

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

$45.23 $45.23

$28.58 MX$528

58.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.3 $50.3

$34.47 MX$637

45.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$11.45 $11.45

$6.66 MX$123

71.92%

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

$989 $989

$427 MX$7,891

131.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K $19.8K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

70.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.02 $48.02

$67.8 MX$1,253

-29.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 $89.3

$106 MX$1,959

-15.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 $118

$113 MX$2,080

4.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,606 $1,606

$1,025 MX$18.9K

56.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,585 $1,585

$654 MX$12.1K

142.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,364 $2,364

$2,308 MX$42.7K

2.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,385 $2,385

$1,242 MX$22.9K

92.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,122 $7,122

$964 MX$17.8K

638.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

11.3

-43.10%

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

Last update for Plainfield, IL: October 18, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Plainfield, IL

$1.6K 61.4%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 58.7% $931

Groceries & Markets

Plainfield, IL

$298 11.5%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 6.7% $20

Eating Out

Plainfield, IL

$286 11.1%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 28.6% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Plainfield, IL

$267 10.3%

Mexico City

$124 8% 53.4% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Plainfield, IL

$115 * 4.4%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 32.7% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Plainfield, IL

$23 * 0.9%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 204% $47

Getting Around

Plainfield, IL

$10 * 0.4%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 153% $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 $1,606 in Plainfield, IL and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Plainfield, IL pays 639% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $76.0 in Plainfield, IL vs $49.00 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $298 vs $318, with Plainfield, IL cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Plainfield, IL

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

05:50 5:50 AM

04:50 4:50 AM

1 h behind Plainfield, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,466

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

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).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Plainfield, IL
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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

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

Plainfield, IL and Mexico City differ by about 67% in total monthly costs ($2,583 vs $1,548 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 639% higher in Plainfield, IL, 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: $1,606 in Plainfield, IL versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $989 in Plainfield, IL versus $427 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 $49.00 versus $76.0 in Plainfield, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,583 in Plainfield, IL, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Plainfield, 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, Plainfield, IL and Mexico City 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 67% less than in Plainfield, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.