Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $784 a month against $1,561 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Jump to prices
🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,561
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: China is 41.6% cheaper than Mexico City without rent, and 49.8% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: China is 43% cheaper than Mexico City without rent, and 47.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
China
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.90 ¥19.39
$11.12 MX$204
-73.92%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.02 ¥147
$48.99 MX$900
-55.05%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.20 ¥34.74
$11.23 MX$206
-53.70%
Cappuccino
$3.04 ¥20.31
$3.76 MX$69.0
-19.15%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.52 ¥3.45
$1.65 MX$30.34
-68.48%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 ¥1.85
$1.28 MX$23.48
-78.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.01 ¥6.75
$3.26 MX$59.8
-69.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.19 ¥14.64
$5.66 MX$104
-61.31%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
China
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.75 ¥11.71
$1.81 MX$33.23
-3.31%
White Bread (500g)
$1.64 ¥10.96
$2.94 MX$54.0
-44.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.92 ¥6.12
$2.05 MX$37.62
-55.12%
Eggs
$1.59 ¥10.66
$2.93 MX$53.7
-45.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.99 ¥86.8
$11.95 MX$219
8.70%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.35 ¥22.38
$9.51 MX$175
-64.77%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.18 ¥74.7
$14.84 MX$273
-24.66%
Apples (1kg)
$1.80 ¥12.02
$3.14 MX$57.7
-42.68%
Banana (1kg)
$1.31 ¥8.78
$2.01 MX$36.99
-34.83%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.47 ¥9.80
$2.08 MX$38.10
-29.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.32 ¥8.79
$2.22 MX$40.72
-40.54%
Potato (1kg)
$0.76 ¥5.07
$2.06 MX$37.82
-63.11%
Onion (1kg)
$0.92 ¥6.15
$1.88 MX$34.46
-51.06%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.59 ¥3.94
$1.48 MX$27.18
-60.14%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 ¥3.63
$1.35 MX$24.70
-60.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.79 ¥25.34
$5.41 MX$99.3
-29.94%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.14 ¥81.1
$16.86 MX$310
-28.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.82 ¥5.48
$1.98 MX$36.43
-58.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 ¥10.92
$4.32 MX$79.4
-62.27%
🚌 Getting Around
China
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 ¥1.93
$0.34 MX$6.33
-14.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.33 ¥149
$20.23 MX$371
10.38%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.53 ¥10.24
$2.10 MX$38.47
-27.14%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 ¥2.31
$0.53 MX$9.74
-33.96%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.00 ¥46.79
$5.41 MX$99.3
29.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 ¥8.77
$1.52 MX$27.91
-13.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.0K ¥127.1K
$21.7K MX$399.0K
-12.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.0K ¥113.7K
$24.8K MX$455.6K
-31.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
China
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$54.1 ¥362
$63.0 MX$1,156
-14.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.42 ¥56.3
$28.88 MX$530
-70.84%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$10.72 ¥71.6
$33.93 MX$623
-68.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
China
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.72 ¥272
$55.8 MX$1,024
-27.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.58 ¥97.4
$24.90 MX$457
-41.45%
Cinema Ticket
$6.76 ¥45.15
$6.77 MX$124
-0.15%
🧸 Childcare & Education
China
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$462 ¥3,089
$428 MX$7,854
8.07%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.6K ¥131.0K
$11.9K MX$218.0K
65.05%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
China
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.57 ¥305
$70.0 MX$1,286
-34.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.05 ¥241
$53.7 MX$986
-32.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.4 ¥504
$110 MX$2,016
-31.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.0 ¥528
$115 MX$2,115
-31.42%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
China
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$386 ¥2,577
$1,062 MX$19.5K
-63.71%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$240 ¥1,601
$671 MX$12.3K
-64.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$843 ¥5,637
$2,379 MX$43.7K
-64.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$461 ¥3,083
$1,260 MX$23.1K
-63.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,590 ¥30.7K
$3,716 MX$68.2K
23.52%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,279 ¥15.2K
$1,976 MX$36.3K
15.35%
💵 Salaries & Financials
China
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,060 ¥7,082
$997 MX$18.3K
6.29%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.46
11.3
-69.38%

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

Last update for China: October 4, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
China
$240
Mexico City
$671 180% $431
Groceries & Markets
China
$207
Mexico City
$327 57.8% $120
Clothing & Footwear
China
$106
Mexico City
$157 47.7% $51
Eating Out
China
$88
Mexico City
$207 136% $119
Monthly Utilities & Internet
China
$73
Mexico City
$126 71.7% $53
Sport & Entertainment
China
$54
Mexico City
$69 27.8% $15
Getting Around
China
$27
Mexico City
$26 1.5% $0.4
Good to know
🇨🇳 China
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🕒 Local time
13:39 1:39 PM
23:39 11:39 PM
14 h behind China
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,442,965,000
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 = 5.45 USD
100 MXN = 4.86 EUR
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →
On the map
Between locations
  • China Mexico City 12,460 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • China
  • 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

China vs other spots: cost of living compared

🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
🇺🇸 United States
$2,785
/mo nomad
🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
🇮🇳 India
$380
/mo nomad
🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,199
/mo nomad
🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$481
/mo nomad
Show more

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