Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Changzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Changzhou: $741 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Changzhou
Learn more

Changzhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Changzhou

🇨🇳 China

$741

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $741 in Changzhou.

Mexico City $1,567
Changzhou $741

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $1,217 in Changzhou.

Mexico City $2,450
Changzhou $1,217

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $1,694 in Changzhou.

Mexico City $3,333
Changzhou $1,694

Living in Mexico City is roughly 112% more expensive than in Changzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 16% above, Changzhou is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$2.92 ¥19.50

268.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$28.54 ¥191

76.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$4.51 ¥30.16

146.12%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.22 ¥14.82

65.77%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$0.38 ¥2.55

334.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$0.23 ¥1.53

465.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$0.62 ¥4.15

435.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$1.45 ¥9.69

282.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.86 ¥12.47

-4.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$1.28 ¥8.59

138.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$1.00 ¥6.65

101.00%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$1.72 ¥11.53

61.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$7.41 ¥49.53

60.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$2.82 ¥18.85

230.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$12.35 ¥82.6

21.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$2.16 ¥14.44

42.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$1.73 ¥11.58

12.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$1.97 ¥13.14

3.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$1.04 ¥6.96

112.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$0.77 ¥5.13

162.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$0.99 ¥6.63

83.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$0.39 ¥2.60

289.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$0.62 ¥4.18

106.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$3.29 ¥22.03

60.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$10.58 ¥70.8

52.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$0.82 ¥5.48

137.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$1.56 ¥10.45

172.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$0.33 ¥2.20

-6.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$14.32 ¥95.8

38.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$1.51 ¥10.09

32.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$0.31 ¥2.08

70.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$2.93 ¥19.57

91.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.31 ¥8.74

16.03%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$17.1K ¥114.1K

23.24%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$13.8K ¥92.3K

82.38%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$57.5 ¥385

8.66%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$8.13 ¥54.3

253.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$10.66 ¥71.3

223.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$40.60 ¥271

40.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

$14.75 ¥98.6

68.20%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$4.57 ¥30.53

45.95%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$251 ¥1,681

71.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$15.1K ¥101.0K

-22.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$55.3 ¥370

27.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$22.58 ¥151

129.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$76.0 ¥508

43.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$76.2 ¥510

47.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$285 ¥1,908

268.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$229 ¥1,529

190.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$917 ¥6,132

155.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$495 ¥3,311

147.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$2,942 ¥19.7K

20.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$1,613 ¥10.8K

22.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$1,067 ¥7,131

-8.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

3.35

237.31%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Changzhou: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Changzhou

$229 30.9% 65.6% $436

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Changzhou

$192 25.9% 40.6% $131

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Changzhou

$72 9.7% 64.6% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Changzhou

$104 14% 33.1% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Changzhou

$76 10.3% 39.3% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Changzhou

$50 6.7% 29.4% $21

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Changzhou

$19 2.5% 27.5% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,051 in Mexico City and $285 in Changzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Changzhou pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $29.00 in Changzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $192 per month, with Changzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇳 Changzhou

🕒 Local time

23:31 11:31 PM

13:31 1:31 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

5,278,121

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Changzhou 12,960 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Changzhou

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 Changzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Changzhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 112% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Changzhou. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $285 in Changzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 68% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Changzhou – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $50.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $741 in Changzhou versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Changzhou but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Changzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Changzhou 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 Changzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 112% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.