Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Chengdu: $741 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
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Chengdu Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$741

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $741 per month in Chengdu vs $1,567 in Mexico City, rent included.

Chengdu $741
Mexico City $1,567

A couple spends around $1,204 per month in Chengdu vs $2,450 in Mexico City, rent included.

Chengdu $1,204
Mexico City $2,450

A family of three spends $1,667 per month in Chengdu vs $3,333 in Mexico City, rent included.

Chengdu $1,667
Mexico City $3,333

Chengdu is about 53% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chengdu sits 45% below the global median, while Mexico City is 16% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.80 ¥18.72

$10.75 MX$199

-73.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.37 ¥150

$50.3 MX$929

-55.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.91 ¥32.85

$11.10 MX$205

-55.77%

Cappuccino

$2.88 ¥19.28

$3.68 MX$68.1

-21.74%

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

$0.50 ¥3.37

$1.65 MX$30.42

-69.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.88

$1.30 MX$24.08

-78.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 ¥10.21

$3.32 MX$61.3

-53.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 ¥14.61

$5.54 MX$102

-60.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ¥12.73

$1.77 MX$32.68

7.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 ¥10.02

$3.05 MX$56.4

-50.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.62

$2.01 MX$37.20

-50.75%

Eggs

$1.56 ¥10.42

$2.77 MX$51.1

-43.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.54 ¥97.2

$11.91 MX$220

22.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ¥24.48

$9.33 MX$172

-60.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.19 ¥74.8

$15.02 MX$278

-25.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 ¥12.40

$3.08 MX$56.8

-39.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 ¥9.19

$1.95 MX$35.97

-29.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.28

$2.03 MX$37.54

-46.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ¥7.74

$2.21 MX$40.92

-47.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.70

$2.02 MX$37.41

-65.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.84

$1.82 MX$33.67

-60.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$1.52 MX$28.07

-59.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.64

$1.28 MX$23.65

-57.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 ¥24.89

$5.27 MX$97.4

-29.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.58 ¥30.61

$16.12 MX$298

-71.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.49

$1.95 MX$36.05

-57.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ¥9.86

$4.25 MX$78.6

-65.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$0.31 MX$5.82

38.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.50 ¥164

$19.85 MX$367

23.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ¥8.71

$2.00 MX$36.93

-35.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.53 MX$9.86

-45.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ¥29.85

$5.62 MX$104

-20.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.81

$1.52 MX$28.07

-13.16%

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

$19.6K ¥130.9K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

-6.94%

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

$17.4K ¥116.1K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

-31.07%

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

$47.19 ¥316

$62.5 MX$1,155

-24.48%

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

$9.21 ¥61.6

$28.77 MX$532

-67.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.45 ¥83.2

$34.45 MX$637

-63.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.80 ¥179

$57.1 MX$1,055

-53.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.39 ¥76.2

$24.81 MX$458

-54.09%

Cinema Ticket

$6.08 ¥40.62

$6.67 MX$123

-8.85%

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

$379 ¥2,534

$431 MX$7,964

-12.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥99.0K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

26.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.28 ¥169

$70.8 MX$1,308

-64.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.77 ¥186

$51.8 MX$958

-46.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.9 ¥381

$109 MX$2,011

-47.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.6 ¥352

$112 MX$2,076

-53.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ¥3,103

$1,051 MX$19.4K

-55.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$248 ¥1,659

$665 MX$12.3K

-62.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$813 ¥5,436

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-65.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$533 ¥3,565

$1,227 MX$22.7K

-56.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,762 ¥25.2K

$3,554 MX$65.7K

5.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,902 ¥12.7K

$1,977 MX$36.5K

-3.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,252 ¥8,368

$975 MX$18.0K

28.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

11.3

-70.09%

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

Last update for Chengdu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chengdu

$248 33.5%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 168% $417

Groceries & Markets

Chengdu

$196 26.5%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 64.5% $127

Eating Out

Chengdu

$87 11.7%

Mexico City

$203 13% 134% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Chengdu

$73 9.9%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 111% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chengdu

$69 9.3%

Mexico City

$126 8% 82.6% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Chengdu

$39 5.3%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 80.8% $31

Getting Around

Chengdu

$29 3.9%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 11% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chengdu versus $1,051 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 28% higher in Chengdu, 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 $22.00 in Chengdu versus $50.0 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $196 vs $323 – making Chengdu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

20:34 8:34 PM

06:34 6:34 AM

14 h behind Chengdu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,937,757

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chengdu Mexico City 13,920 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Chengdu
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

Chengdu vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $741 in Chengdu, $1,567 in Mexico City – roughly 111% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,112 per month in Chengdu and $2,351 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chengdu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Chengdu and $50.0 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 $741 in Chengdu and $1,567 in Mexico City. That's a gap of about 111%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Chengdu, where all-in costs run around $741, than in Mexico City at $1,567. In Chengdu 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 $741 in Chengdu to $1,567 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Chengdu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mexico City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.