Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Changshu

For one person, living is cheaper in Changshu: $712 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Changshu
Learn more

Changshu Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Changshu

🇨🇳 China

$712

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $712 in Changshu.

Mexico City $1,674
Changshu $712

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,135 in Changshu.

Mexico City $2,606
Changshu $1,135

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $1,558 in Changshu.

Mexico City $3,537
Changshu $1,558

Living in Mexico City is roughly 135% more expensive than in Changshu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Changshu is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$2.86 ¥19.01

270.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$976

$22.02 ¥147

135.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$201

$5.01 ¥33.36

114.17%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.3

$2.95 ¥19.66

28.81%

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

$1.61 MX$30.28

$0.47 ¥3.10

242.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.76

$0.27 ¥1.79

348.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.7

$0.94 ¥6.27

238.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$2.03 ¥13.54

167.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.26

$1.78 ¥11.84

-3.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.7

$1.60 ¥10.65

85.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.17

$0.90 ¥5.96

114.44%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.1

$1.59 ¥10.58

74.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$219

$12.91 ¥86.0

-9.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$3.13 ¥20.86

202.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$10.04 ¥66.8

53.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.3

$1.82 ¥12.13

70.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.82

$1.25 ¥8.30

56.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.22

$1.48 ¥9.86

33.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.86

$1.14 ¥7.56

105.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.00

$0.70 ¥4.67

188.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.26

$0.94 ¥6.29

93.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.00

$0.56 ¥3.76

175.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.64

$0.54 ¥3.62

142.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$100

$3.16 ¥21.07

69.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$304

$10.53 ¥70.1

53.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.79

$0.80 ¥5.33

145.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.7

$1.65 ¥10.99

163.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.72

$0.27 ¥1.77

11.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$366

$16.99 ¥113

14.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.01

$1.43 ¥9.52

34.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.88

$0.33 ¥2.19

42.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$6.88 ¥45.79

-21.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.86

$1.17 ¥7.76

26.50%

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

$21.4K MX$401.4K

$19.1K ¥127.4K

11.67%

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

$23.8K MX$446.1K

$17.1K ¥113.9K

38.85%

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

$62.0 MX$1,164

$45.53 ¥303

36.15%

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

$28.47 MX$535

$9.56 ¥63.7

197.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$641

$11.58 ¥77.1

194.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,097

$41.24 ¥275

41.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$460

$14.17 ¥94.3

72.90%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$6.03 ¥40.18

9.29%

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

$434 MX$8,155

$333 ¥2,214

30.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$263.6K

$16.8K ¥111.8K

-16.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,284

$44.16 ¥294

54.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,029

$30.30 ¥202

80.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,082

$71.5 ¥476

54.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,178

$71.4 ¥475

62.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.1K

$283 ¥1,881

317.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$190 ¥1,265

305.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.3K

$591 ¥3,938

334.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

$367 ¥2,444

286.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.3K

$3,049 ¥20.3K

17.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

$2,030 ¥13.5K

1.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

3.89

191.77%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Changshu: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Changshu

$190 26.7% 75.3% $581

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Changshu

$198 27.8% 39% $126

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Changshu

$85 12% 57.6% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Changshu

$98 13.8% 37.9% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Changshu

$67 9.4% 46.5% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Changshu

$53 7.5% 25.5% $18

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Changshu

$21 3% 15.4% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $283 in Changshu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $22 in Changshu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $198 per month, with Changshu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇳 Changshu

🕒 Local time

10:03 10:03 AM

00:03 12:03 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,677,050

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.48 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Changshu 12,920 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Changshu

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 Changshu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Changshu is about 57% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,510 in Mexico City and $1,067 in Changshu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $283 in Changshu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Changshu – a meal for two runs $22 versus $52 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,674 per month in Mexico City versus $712 in Changshu – Changshu is about 57% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $712 in Changshu versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Changshu but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Changshu 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 Changshu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.