Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guangzhou (Canton) and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton): $914 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 Guangzhou (Canton)
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Guangzhou (Canton) Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Guangzhou (Canton)

🇨🇳 China

$914

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $914 per month in Guangzhou (Canton) vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

Guangzhou (Canton) $914
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $1,442 per month in Guangzhou (Canton) vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

Guangzhou (Canton) $1,442
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $1,971 per month in Guangzhou (Canton) vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

Guangzhou (Canton) $1,971
Mexico City $3,490

Guangzhou (Canton) is about 43% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Guangzhou (Canton) sits 33% below the global median, while Mexico City is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ¥20.19

$10.62 MX$199

-71.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.73 ¥198

$48.35 MX$904

-38.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.72

$10.35 MX$193

-48.21%

Cappuccino

$3.19 ¥21.24

$3.69 MX$69.0

-13.55%

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

$0.54 ¥3.60

$1.67 MX$31.14

-67.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.43

$1.27 MX$23.65

-71.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.31 ¥8.76

$3.19 MX$59.7

-58.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ¥18.33

$5.31 MX$99.2

-48.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ¥12.48

$1.72 MX$32.23

8.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.92 ¥12.79

$3.04 MX$56.8

-36.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.31

$1.94 MX$36.27

-43.30%

Eggs

$1.56 ¥10.42

$2.89 MX$54.0

-46.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.83 ¥112

$10.97 MX$205

53.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.18 ¥34.51

$9.25 MX$173

-44.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 ¥80.0

$15.13 MX$283

-20.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 ¥14.79

$3.05 MX$57.0

-27.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.34

$1.94 MX$36.27

-35.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ¥9.66

$2.03 MX$37.85

-28.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.45

$2.31 MX$43.25

-25.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.31

$2.04 MX$38.03

-53.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 ¥8.08

$1.80 MX$33.63

-32.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 ¥5.59

$1.48 MX$27.64

-43.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥4.75

$1.27 MX$23.69

-44.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 ¥26.09

$5.30 MX$99.1

-26.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.86 ¥72.4

$16.10 MX$301

-32.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ¥6.81

$1.98 MX$37.06

-48.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ¥12.84

$4.25 MX$79.5

-54.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.92

$0.31 MX$5.70

41.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.29 ¥122

$19.73 MX$369

-7.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.77 ¥11.78

$1.84 MX$34.34

-3.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 ¥2.66

$0.53 MX$9.97

-24.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.21 ¥48.09

$5.30 MX$99.0

36.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ¥9.12

$1.51 MX$28.23

-9.27%

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

$19.7K ¥131.5K

$21.8K MX$406.5K

-9.33%

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

$17.8K ¥118.9K

$24.0K MX$448.2K

-25.65%

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

$60.4 ¥402

$63.0 MX$1,177

-4.14%

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

$16.16 ¥108

$27.39 MX$512

-41.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.47 ¥96.5

$35.67 MX$666

-59.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.9 ¥472

$58.9 MX$1,101

20.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.27 ¥81.8

$23.64 MX$442

-48.10%

Cinema Ticket

$6.53 ¥43.50

$6.40 MX$120

2.03%

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

$1,612 ¥10.7K

$432 MX$8,065

273.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K ¥164.6K

$11.4K MX$213.5K

116.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.97 ¥326

$68.2 MX$1,275

-28.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.73 ¥271

$53.1 MX$993

-23.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.1 ¥547

$108 MX$2,014

-23.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.3 ¥475

$117 MX$2,191

-39.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$509 ¥3,391

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-54.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$270 ¥1,797

$710 MX$13.3K

-62.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,224 ¥8,158

$2,588 MX$48.4K

-52.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ¥3,335

$1,406 MX$26.3K

-64.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,271 ¥55.1K

$3,631 MX$67.8K

127.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,705 ¥24.7K

$2,135 MX$39.9K

73.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,269 ¥8,457

$946 MX$17.7K

34.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

11.35

-70.22%

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

Last update for Guangzhou (Canton): October 26, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guangzhou (Canton)

$270 29.5%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 164% $441

Groceries & Markets

Guangzhou (Canton)

$242 26.5%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 32.2% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Guangzhou (Canton)

$109 12%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 42.6% $47

Eating Out

Guangzhou (Canton)

$94 10.3%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 111% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guangzhou (Canton)

$91 10%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 38.5% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Guangzhou (Canton)

$84 9.2%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 14.5% $12

Getting Around

Guangzhou (Canton)

$24 2.6%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 6.9% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $509 in Guangzhou (Canton) versus $1,113 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 34% higher in Guangzhou (Canton), 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 Guangzhou (Canton) versus $48 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $242 vs $320 – making Guangzhou (Canton) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Guangzhou (Canton)

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

21:05 9:05 PM

07:05 7:05 AM

14 h behind Guangzhou (Canton)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,043,500

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 = 5.35 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Guangzhou (Canton) Mexico City 14,120 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Guangzhou (Canton)
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

Guangzhou (Canton) vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $914 in Guangzhou (Canton), $1,608 in Mexico City – roughly 76% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,371 per month in Guangzhou (Canton) and $2,412 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton), especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $509 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $914 in Guangzhou (Canton) and $1,608 in Mexico City. That’s a gap of about 76%.

Public transport costs about 7% less in Guangzhou (Canton). For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Guangzhou (Canton), where all-in costs run around $914, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Guangzhou (Canton) 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 $914 in Guangzhou (Canton) to $1,608 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Guangzhou (Canton) is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 76% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.