Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Streamwood, IL and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,519 in Streamwood, IL, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

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

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Streamwood, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,519

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,519 in Streamwood, IL versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Streamwood, IL $2,519
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,740 in Streamwood, IL versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Streamwood, IL $3,740
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,961 in Streamwood, IL versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Streamwood, IL $4,961
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Streamwood, IL is roughly 63% 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: Streamwood, IL 86% above, Mexico City 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.86 $19.86

$11.02 MX$204

80.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.0 $76.0

$48.68 MX$900

56.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.94 $11.94

$10.90 MX$201

9.54%

Cappuccino

$5.39 $5.39

$3.68 MX$68.1

46.47%

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

$3.04 $3.04

$1.63 MX$30.18

86.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.25 MX$23.07

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.85 $5.85

$3.25 MX$60.1

80.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.80 $7.80

$5.53 MX$102

41.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.70 MX$31.50

-45.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 $3.49

$3.02 MX$55.8

15.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.92 MX$35.53

52.60%

Eggs

$3.57 $3.57

$2.73 MX$50.5

30.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.14 $10.14

$11.77 MX$218

-13.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.30 $11.30

$9.53 MX$176

18.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.36 $14.36

$14.41 MX$266

-0.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$3.02 MX$55.8

58.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.89 MX$35.01

-11.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$1.99 MX$36.70

124.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$2.19 MX$40.38

119.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.92 MX$35.43

43.23%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$1.87 MX$34.49

65.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.44 MX$26.62

6.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.27 MX$23.39

17.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.86 $10.86

$5.22 MX$96.4

108.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.14 $12.14

$16.17 MX$299

-24.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.90 MX$35.03

-10.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 $4.38

$4.22 MX$78.0

3.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.34 MX$6.30

500.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.10 $40.10

$19.65 MX$363

104.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.08 $4.08

$2.00 MX$36.90

104.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.52 MX$9.67

294.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.25 $44.25

$5.34 MX$98.7

728.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.52 MX$28.13

-28.29%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

13.02%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

2.67%

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

$173 $173

$61.1 MX$1,129

183.36%

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

$51.0 $51.0

$28.58 MX$528

78.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.9 $54.9

$34.47 MX$637

59.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.70 $41.70

$56.4 MX$1,042

-26.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.19 $8.19

$24.88 MX$460

-67.08%

Cinema Ticket

$15.23 $15.23

$6.66 MX$123

128.68%

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

$1,505 $1,505

$427 MX$7,891

252.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K $23.3K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

100.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 $56.8

$67.8 MX$1,253

-16.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.21 $45.21

$52.0 MX$960

-12.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.2 $98.2

$106 MX$1,959

-7.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$113 MX$2,080

-9.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,616 $1,616

$1,025 MX$18.9K

57.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 $1,287

$654 MX$12.1K

96.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,495 $2,495

$2,308 MX$42.7K

8.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,185 $2,185

$1,242 MX$22.9K

75.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,723 $2,723

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-24.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,365 $2,365

$1,936 MX$35.8K

22.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,119 $7,119

$964 MX$17.8K

638.48%

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 Streamwood, IL: October 20, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Streamwood, IL

$1.3K 51.1%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 49.2% $633

Groceries & Markets

Streamwood, IL

$356 14.1%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 10.6% $38

Eating Out

Streamwood, IL

$326 13%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 37.6% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Streamwood, IL

$279 11.1%

Mexico City

$124 8% 55.5% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Streamwood, IL

$136 5.4%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 12% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Streamwood, IL

$72 2.9%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 3.4% $2.5

Getting Around

Streamwood, IL

$63 2.5%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 59.1% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,616 in Streamwood, IL and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Streamwood, IL pays 638% 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 Streamwood, IL vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $356 vs $318 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Streamwood, IL

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

20:16 8:16 PM

19:16 7:16 PM

1 h behind Streamwood, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,535

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 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 →

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Between locations

Streamwood, IL Mexico City 2,720 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Streamwood, 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

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

Streamwood, IL and Mexico City differ by about 63% in total monthly costs ($2,519 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 638% higher in Streamwood, 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: $1,616 in Streamwood, IL versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 104% less than in Streamwood, IL. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,505 in Streamwood, IL versus $427 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,519 in Streamwood, IL, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Streamwood, 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.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Streamwood, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.