Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Bien Hoa

For one person, living is cheaper in Bien Hoa: $671 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Bien Hoa
Learn more

Bien Hoa Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Bien Hoa

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$671

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Bien Hoa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $671 in Bien Hoa.

Mexico City $1,608
Bien Hoa $671

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $921 in Bien Hoa.

Mexico City $2,549
Bien Hoa $921

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,172 in Bien Hoa.

Mexico City $3,490
Bien Hoa $1,172

Living in Mexico City is roughly 140% more expensive than in Bien Hoa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Bien Hoa is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$1.90 ₫48.9K

458.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$11.66 ₫300.9K

314.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$4.72 ₫121.9K

119.28%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$1.17 ₫30.2K

215.38%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$0.43 ₫11.0K

288.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$0.21 ₫5,417

504.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$0.52 ₫13.3K

513.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$0.78 ₫20.2K

580.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.23 ₫31.8K

39.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$0.79 ₫20.5K

284.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$0.94 ₫24.2K

106.38%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$1.44 ₫37.1K

100.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$11.93 ₫307.7K

-8.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$1.96 ₫50.5K

371.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$9.82 ₫253.4K

54.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$2.06 ₫53.2K

48.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.24 ₫32.1K

56.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$1.18 ₫30.3K

72.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$0.94 ₫24.2K

145.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$1.18 ₫30.5K

72.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$1.15 ₫29.6K

56.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$0.41 ₫10.5K

260.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.49 ₫12.7K

159.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$1.26 ₫32.4K

320.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$7.63 ₫197.0K

111.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$0.40 ₫10.2K

395.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$0.80 ₫20.7K

431.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.31 ₫8,119

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$6.53 ₫168.4K

202.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$0.49 ₫12.6K

275.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$0.56 ₫14.4K

-5.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$1.13 ₫29.2K

369.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$0.86 ₫22.1K

75.58%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$31.0K ₫800.4M

-29.88%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$29.5K ₫761.4M

-18.71%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$50.9 ₫1.3M

23.81%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$4.13 ₫106.6K

563.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$6.59 ₫169.9K

441.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$10.97 ₫283.0K

437.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$7.86 ₫202.8K

200.76%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$3.42 ₫88.3K

87.13%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$67.4 ₫1.7M

540.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$14.6K ₫376.4M

-21.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$15.21 ₫392.4K

348.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$15.57 ₫401.8K

241.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$68.0 ₫1.8M

58.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$94.6 ₫2.4M

23.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$408 ₫10.5M

173.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$279 ₫7.2M

154.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$423 ₫10.9M

512.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$305 ₫7.9M

360.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$2,244 ₫57.9M

61.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$1,241 ₫32.0M

72.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$315 ₫8.1M

200.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

7.8

45.51%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bien Hoa: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Bien Hoa

$279 41.6% 60.7% $432

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Bien Hoa

$164 24.5% 48.6% $155

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Bien Hoa

$50 7.5% 74.8% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Bien Hoa

$87 13% 44.2% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Bien Hoa

$62 9.2% 51.1% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Bien Hoa

$18 2.7% 75.2% $54

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Bien Hoa

$11 1.7% 56.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $408 in Bien Hoa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $12 in Bien Hoa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $164 per month, with Bien Hoa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇻🇳 Bien Hoa

🕒 Local time

19:59 7:59 PM

08:59 8:59 AM

13 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,272,235

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, 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).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 25,802 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,810 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Bien Hoa 15,600 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Bien Hoa

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 Bien Hoa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bien Hoa is about 58% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 3 times higher, 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $408 in Bien Hoa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 95% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bien Hoa – a meal for two runs $12 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $671 in Bien Hoa versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bien Hoa but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Bien Hoa 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.

Expats usually find Bien Hoa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.