Last update: Nov 2026

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

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.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
57

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

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Beijing (Pekin)

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mexico City and in Beijing (Pekin) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mexico City costs about 41% more than Beijing (Pekin), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$4.54 ¥30.23

133.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$978

$29.58 ¥197

75.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$202

$5.22 ¥34.77

105.56%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.4

$3.73 ¥24.87

1.88%

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

$1.61 MX$30.35

$0.53 ¥3.53

203.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.81

$0.29 ¥1.94

317.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.8

$1.17 ¥7.79

171.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$1.70 ¥11.30

220.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.69 ¥11.28

1.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.8

$1.70 ¥11.29

74.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.24

$1.30 ¥8.67

48.46%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.2

$1.99 ¥13.25

39.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$220

$14.82 ¥98.7

-21.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$3.29 ¥21.90

188.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$10.93 ¥72.8

40.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.4

$2.09 ¥13.94

48.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.90

$1.71 ¥11.40

14.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.30

$2.05 ¥13.65

-3.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.95

$1.56 ¥10.38

50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.08

$0.74 ¥4.92

172.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.34

$0.84 ¥5.57

116.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.06

$0.74 ¥4.91

108.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.70

$0.57 ¥3.82

129.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$101

$4.25 ¥28.33

25.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$305

$14.22 ¥94.7

13.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.87

$0.98 ¥6.50

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.9

$1.88 ¥12.55

131.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.74

$0.57 ¥3.82

-47.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$367

$29.59 ¥197

-34.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.08

$1.94 ¥12.89

-1.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.90

$0.33 ¥2.22

42.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$7.08 ¥47.17

-23.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.92

$1.37 ¥9.12

8.03%

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

$21.4K MX$402.2K

$19.8K ¥132.0K

7.87%

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

$23.8K MX$447.1K

$17.9K ¥119.2K

32.73%

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

$62.0 MX$1,167

$59.7 ¥398

3.85%

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

$28.47 MX$536

$8.90 ¥59.3

219.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$642

$14.41 ¥96.0

136.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,099

$46.85 ¥312

24.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$461

$24.86 ¥166

-1.45%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$7.50 ¥49.98

-12.13%

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

$434 MX$8,172

$968 ¥6,447

-55.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$264.1K

$44.5K ¥296.7K

-68.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,286

$72.2 ¥481

-5.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,031

$40.00 ¥266

37.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,086

$89.3 ¥595

24.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,183

$125 ¥830

-6.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.2K

$942 ¥6,277

25.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$525 ¥3,496

46.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.4K

$2,250 ¥15.0K

14.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

$1,061 ¥7,069

33.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.5K

$12.2K ¥80.9K

-70.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

$6,534 ¥43.5K

-68.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.9K

$1,688 ¥11.2K

-40.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

3.12

263.78%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

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

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Beijing (Pekin)

$525 44.1% 31.9% $246

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Beijing (Pekin)

$228 19.2% 29.5% $95

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Beijing (Pekin)

$109 9.2% 45.5% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Beijing (Pekin)

$147 12.3% 6.8% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Beijing (Pekin)

$83 7% 33.4% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Beijing (Pekin)

$62 5.2% 13.6% $9.7

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Beijing (Pekin)

$35 3% 42% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,179 in Mexico City versus $942 in Beijing (Pekin). 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 $52 in Mexico City versus $30 in Beijing (Pekin). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $228 – making Beijing (Pekin) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🕒 Local time

07:49 7:49 AM

21:49 9:49 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

21,893,095 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.47 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

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

From you

Mexico City
Beijing (Pekin)

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

Mexico City vs Beijing (Pekin): 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 $2,510 per month in Mexico City and $1,784 in Beijing (Pekin). 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 $52 in Mexico City and $30 in Beijing (Pekin). That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $1,190 in Beijing (Pekin). 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.