Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Benxi

For one person, living is cheaper in Benxi: $692 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Benxi
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Benxi Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Benxi

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Benxi

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 Benxi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $692 in Benxi, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Benxi $692

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $991 in Benxi, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Benxi $991

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $1,291 in Benxi, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Benxi $1,291

Mexico City costs about 132% more than Benxi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Benxi is 49% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$3.04 ¥20.19

249.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$22.33 ¥148

116.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$5.31 ¥35.25

94.92%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$2.40 ¥15.98

53.75%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$0.51 ¥3.39

227.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$0.29 ¥1.89

337.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$0.73 ¥4.84

336.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$1.76 ¥11.69

201.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.85 ¥12.28

-7.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.22 ¥8.08

149.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$0.84 ¥5.60

130.95%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$1.60 ¥10.65

80.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$10.00 ¥66.4

9.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$2.85 ¥18.92

224.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$8.92 ¥59.3

69.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$1.62 ¥10.74

88.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.38 ¥9.17

40.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$1.62 ¥10.76

25.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$1.37 ¥9.12

68.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$0.58 ¥3.88

251.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$1.85 ¥12.26

-2.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$0.61 ¥4.09

142.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.69 ¥4.57

84.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$2.97 ¥19.75

78.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$8.24 ¥54.7

95.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$0.58 ¥3.85

241.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$1.25 ¥8.30

240.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.31 ¥2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$12.21 ¥81.1

61.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$0.88 ¥5.84

109.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$0.29 ¥1.91

82.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$2.98 ¥19.82

77.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$1.13 ¥7.53

33.63%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$19.8K ¥131.7K

9.79%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$18.0K ¥119.4K

33.48%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$54.4 ¥361

15.86%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$6.70 ¥44.51

308.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$10.41 ¥69.2

242.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$66.3 ¥441

-11.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$8.31 ¥55.2

184.48%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$6.03 ¥40.08

6.14%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$449 ¥2,985

-3.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$8,894 ¥59.1K

28.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$29.74 ¥198

129.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$32.77 ¥218

62.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$60.2 ¥400

79.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$52.4 ¥348

123.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$137 ¥907

715.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$189 ¥1,259

275.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$258 ¥1,711

905.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$153 ¥1,015

820.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$3,371 ¥22.4K

7.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$1,941 ¥12.9K

9.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$447 ¥2,971

111.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

183.75%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Benxi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Benxi

$189 27.4% 73.3% $521

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Benxi

$179 25.9% 43.9% $140

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Benxi

$79 11.5% 60% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Benxi

$79 11.4% 49.5% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Benxi

$71 10.3% 43.3% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Benxi

$78 11.3% 9.3% $6.7

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Benxi

$16 2.3% 38% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $137 in Benxi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Mexico City are about 2.1 times higher, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $22 in Benxi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $179 – making Benxi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇳 Benxi

🕒 Local time

22:43 10:43 PM

12:43 12:43 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

809,655

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Mexico City Benxi 11,950 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Benxi

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 Benxi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City costs about 132% more than Benxi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $1,039 in Benxi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Benxi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $137 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Kindergarten costs $432 per month in Mexico City and $449 in Benxi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 78% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Benxi, where all-in costs run around $692, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Benxi 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 $692 in Benxi to $1,608 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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