Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dalian and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Dalian: $917 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Dalian
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Dalian Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Dalian

🇨🇳 China

$917

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $917 in Dalian versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Dalian $917
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,453 in Dalian versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Dalian $1,453
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,989 in Dalian versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Dalian $1,989
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Dalian costs roughly 43% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dalian is 33% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.37

$10.62 MX$198

-65.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.01 ¥166

$48.35 MX$901

-48.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.38 ¥35.83

$10.35 MX$193

-48.02%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.82

$3.69 MX$68.8

-7.05%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$1.67 MX$31.07

-71.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ¥1.52

$1.27 MX$23.59

-81.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 ¥6.57

$3.19 MX$59.5

-68.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 ¥10.05

$5.31 MX$98.9

-71.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ¥10.91

$1.72 MX$32.15

-4.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 ¥9.95

$3.04 MX$56.7

-50.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.33

$1.94 MX$36.19

-51.03%

Eggs

$1.57 ¥10.47

$2.89 MX$53.8

-45.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.12 ¥134

$10.97 MX$205

83.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.50 ¥23.32

$9.25 MX$172

-62.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 ¥85.2

$15.13 MX$282

-15.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.55

$3.05 MX$56.8

-58.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.25

$1.94 MX$36.19

-43.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ¥13.08

$2.03 MX$37.75

-2.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.94

$2.31 MX$43.15

-61.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.92

$2.04 MX$37.94

-56.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.58

$1.80 MX$33.55

-61.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 ¥8.71

$1.48 MX$27.58

-11.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.27 MX$23.63

-50.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.46

$5.30 MX$98.9

-27.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.01 ¥99.9

$16.10 MX$300

-6.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 ¥7.46

$1.98 MX$36.97

-43.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ¥12.36

$4.25 MX$79.3

-56.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.31 MX$5.69

-6.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.71 ¥198

$19.73 MX$368

50.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ¥10.25

$1.84 MX$34.25

-16.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.86

$0.53 MX$9.94

-18.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.24 ¥28.23

$5.30 MX$98.7

-20.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.44

$1.51 MX$28.16

-15.89%

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

$19.2K ¥127.7K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

-11.76%

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

$17.3K ¥115.3K

$24.0K MX$447.1K

-27.75%

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

$66.0 ¥439

$63.0 MX$1,174

4.76%

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

$9.51 ¥63.3

$27.39 MX$511

-65.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.65 ¥90.8

$35.67 MX$665

-61.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.42 ¥269

$58.9 MX$1,099

-31.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.60 ¥244

$23.64 MX$441

54.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.94 ¥46.21

$6.40 MX$119

8.44%

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

$403 ¥2,678

$432 MX$8,045

-6.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K ¥137.1K

$11.4K MX$212.9K

80.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.0 ¥505

$68.2 MX$1,272

11.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ¥372

$53.1 MX$990

5.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 ¥746

$108 MX$2,009

3.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 ¥808

$117 MX$2,186

3.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$406 ¥2,703

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-63.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$238 ¥1,583

$710 MX$13.2K

-66.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$701 ¥4,667

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-72.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$450 ¥2,992

$1,406 MX$26.2K

-68.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,636 ¥17.5K

$3,631 MX$67.7K

-27.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,644 ¥10.9K

$2,135 MX$39.8K

-23.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,077 ¥7,169

$946 MX$17.6K

13.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

11.35

-65.73%

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

Last update for Dalian: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dalian

$239 26.1%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 33.6% $80

Accommodation & Living

Dalian

$238 26%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 199% $473

Clothing & Footwear

Dalian

$164 17.9%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 5.2% $8.5

Eating Out

Dalian

$97 10.6%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 104% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dalian

$89 9.7%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 41.4% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Dalian

$54 5.9%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 32.1% $17

Getting Around

Dalian

$35 3.8%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 26.3% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $406 in Dalian and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dalian pays 14% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $25 in Dalian vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $239 vs $320 per month, with Dalian cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Dalian

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

09:02 9:02 AM

19:02 7:02 PM

14 h behind Dalian

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,450,785

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Dalian Mexico City 12,260 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Dalian
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $917 in Dalian and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Dalian is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 14% higher in Dalian, 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: $406 in Dalian versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $403 in Dalian versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $917 in Dalian versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Dalian but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Dalian 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.