Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Changchun

For one person, living is cheaper in Changchun: $904 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Changchun
Learn more

Changchun Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Changchun

🇨🇳 China

$904

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $904 in Changchun.

Mexico City $1,548
Changchun $904

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $1,324 in Changchun.

Mexico City $2,436
Changchun $1,324

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $1,743 in Changchun.

Mexico City $3,323
Changchun $1,743

Living in Mexico City is roughly 71% more expensive than in Changchun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Changchun is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$205

$3.02 ¥20.17

264.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$908

$22.15 ¥148

119.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$203

$5.19 ¥34.59

110.02%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.7

$2.40 ¥15.98

53.33%

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

$1.63 MX$30.46

$0.47 ¥3.14

246.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.28

$0.31 ¥2.09

303.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.6

$1.21 ¥8.10

168.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$103

$1.91 ¥12.71

189.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.78

$1.90 ¥12.67

-10.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$56.3

$1.22 ¥8.14

147.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.86

$1.44 ¥9.63

33.33%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$51.0

$1.81 ¥12.09

50.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$220

$34.55 ¥230

-65.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$178

$5.71 ¥38.06

66.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$269

$10.36 ¥69.1

39.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$56.3

$1.72 ¥11.48

75.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.33

$1.45 ¥9.69

30.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$37.03

$1.80 ¥12.02

10.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.75

$1.89 ¥12.63

15.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.75

$0.89 ¥5.94

115.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.81

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.86

$0.58 ¥3.88

148.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.60

$1.47 ¥9.77

-13.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$97.3

$3.78 ¥25.21

38.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$302

$21.06 ¥140

-23.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.35

$0.92 ¥6.11

106.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.7

$1.10 ¥7.35

283.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.36

$0.44 ¥2.91

-22.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$366

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$37.23

$1.24 ¥8.24

61.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.76

$0.31 ¥2.08

67.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$99.6

$3.02 ¥20.13

76.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.39

$1.28 ¥8.56

18.75%

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

$22.1K MX$411.7K

$19.3K ¥129.0K

14.14%

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

$24.5K MX$457.1K

$17.8K ¥118.6K

37.83%

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

$61.1 MX$1,139

$76.7 ¥511

-20.35%

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

$28.58 MX$533

$4.43 ¥29.56

545.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$643

$14.76 ¥98.4

133.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,051

$37.44 ¥250

50.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$464

$4.13 ¥27.52

502.42%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$124

$6.64 ¥44.31

0.30%

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

$427 MX$7,964

$553 ¥3,692

-22.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$217.0K

$21.9K ¥145.8K

-46.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,264

$73.7 ¥492

-8.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$969

$44.44 ¥296

16.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,977

$60.2 ¥401

76.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,099

$69.7 ¥465

61.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$19.1K

$216 ¥1,443

373.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.2K

$246 ¥1,644

165.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$43.0K

$576 ¥3,839

301.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$23.2K

$308 ¥2,052

303.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$67.4K

$1,668 ¥11.1K

116.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$36.1K

$1,006 ¥6,711

92.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$18.0K

$961 ¥6,408

0.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

4.37

158.58%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Changchun: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Changchun

$246 27.3% 62.3% $408

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Changchun

$313 * 34.6% 1.6% $5.2

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Changchun

$82 9% 60% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Changchun

$112 12.4% 26.7% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Changchun

$96 10.6% 22.8% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Changchun

$51 5.6% 27.2% $19

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Changchun

$4.5 * 0.5% 82.3% $21

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $216 in Changchun. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 0% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $22.00 in Changchun for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $313 per month, with Changchun cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇳 Changchun

🕒 Local time

09:45 9:45 AM

23:45 11:45 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

9,066,906

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 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 October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 18.65 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Changchun 11,650 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Changchun

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 Changchun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Changchun is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 71% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 0% higher in Mexico City, 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: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $216 in Changchun. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $553 in Changchun. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Changchun – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $49.00 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $904 in Changchun versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Changchun but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Changchun the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Changchun is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Mexico City, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Changchun gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.