Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Beijing (Pekin): $1,190 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Beijing (Pekin)
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Beijing (Pekin) Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,190

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Beijing (Pekin) 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 Beijing (Pekin) and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,190 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,674 in Mexico City, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,190
Mexico City $1,674

A couple spends around $1,889 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $2,606 in Mexico City, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,889
Mexico City $2,606

A family of three spends $2,588 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $3,537 in Mexico City, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,588
Mexico City $3,537

Beijing (Pekin) is about 29% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Beijing (Pekin) sits 12% below the global median, while Mexico City is 24% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.54 ¥30.23

$10.59 MX$197

-57.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.58 ¥197

$52.0 MX$967

-43.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.22 ¥34.77

$10.73 MX$200

-51.35%

Cappuccino

$3.73 ¥24.87

$3.80 MX$70.6

-1.84%

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

$0.53 ¥3.53

$1.61 MX$30.01

-67.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$1.21 MX$22.55

-76.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.80

$3.18 MX$59.1

-63.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ¥11.30

$5.44 MX$101

-68.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ¥11.28

$1.72 MX$31.96

-1.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 ¥11.29

$2.97 MX$55.2

-42.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.67

$1.93 MX$35.84

-32.64%

Eggs

$1.99 ¥13.25

$2.77 MX$51.6

-28.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.82 ¥98.7

$11.67 MX$217

26.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.29 ¥21.90

$9.48 MX$176

-65.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.93 ¥72.8

$15.37 MX$286

-28.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 ¥13.94

$3.10 MX$57.8

-32.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 ¥11.41

$1.96 MX$36.49

-12.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 ¥13.65

$1.98 MX$36.88

3.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ¥10.38

$2.34 MX$43.46

-33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.92

$2.02 MX$37.66

-63.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.84 ¥5.57

$1.82 MX$33.95

-53.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ¥4.91

$1.54 MX$28.74

-51.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ¥3.82

$1.31 MX$24.42

-56.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 ¥28.33

$5.35 MX$99.6

-20.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.22 ¥94.7

$16.19 MX$301

-12.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.50

$1.96 MX$36.46

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 ¥12.55

$4.35 MX$81.0

-56.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.82

$0.30 MX$5.67

90.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.59 ¥197

$19.49 MX$363

51.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ¥12.89

$1.92 MX$35.68

1.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.22

$0.47 MX$8.80

-29.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.08 ¥47.18

$5.41 MX$101

30.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ¥9.12

$1.48 MX$27.61

-7.43%

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

$19.8K ¥132.0K

$21.4K MX$397.7K

-7.29%

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

$17.9K ¥119.2K

$23.8K MX$442.1K

-24.66%

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

$59.7 ¥398

$62.0 MX$1,154

-3.71%

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

$8.90 ¥59.3

$28.47 MX$530

-68.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.41 ¥96.0

$34.11 MX$635

-57.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 ¥312

$58.4 MX$1,087

-19.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.86 ¥166

$24.50 MX$456

1.47%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ¥49.98

$6.59 MX$123

13.81%

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

$968 ¥6,447

$434 MX$8,081

122.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$44.5K ¥296.7K

$14.0K MX$261.2K

217.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 ¥481

$68.4 MX$1,272

5.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.00 ¥266

$54.8 MX$1,020

-27.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 ¥595

$111 MX$2,063

-19.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 ¥830

$116 MX$2,158

7.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$942 ¥6,277

$1,179 MX$21.9K

-20.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$525 ¥3,496

$771 MX$14.3K

-31.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,250 ¥15.0K

$2,570 MX$47.8K

-12.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 ¥7,069

$1,420 MX$26.4K

-25.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.2K ¥80.9K

$3,586 MX$66.7K

238.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,534 ¥43.5K

$2,064 MX$38.4K

216.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,688 ¥11.2K

$1,003 MX$18.7K

68.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

11.35

-72.51%

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

Last update for Beijing (Pekin): November 2, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$525 44.1%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 46.9% $246

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$228 19.2%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 41.7% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$147 12.3%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 7.3% $11

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$109 9.2%

Mexico City

$201 12% 83.5% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$83 7%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 50.1% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$62 5.2%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 15.7% $9.7

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$35 3%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 29.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $942 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $1,179 in Mexico City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 68% higher in Beijing (Pekin), which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $52 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $228 vs $324 – making Beijing (Pekin) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

01:43 1:43 AM

11:43 11:43 AM

14 h behind Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.46 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Beijing (Pekin) Mexico City 12,460 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Beijing (Pekin)
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

Beijing (Pekin) vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 41%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,784 per month in Beijing (Pekin) and $2,510 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Beijing (Pekin), especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $942 there versus $1,179 in Mexico City.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Beijing (Pekin) and $52 in Mexico City. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,190 in Beijing (Pekin) and $1,674 in Mexico City. That makes Beijing (Pekin) about 29% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Beijing (Pekin), where all-in costs run around $1,190, than in Mexico City at $1,674. In Beijing (Pekin) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,190 in Beijing (Pekin) to $1,674 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.