Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Chengdu

For one person, living is cheaper in Chengdu: $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 Chengdu
Learn more

Chengdu Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$741

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,567 per month in Mexico City vs $741 in Chengdu, rent included.

Mexico City $1,567
Chengdu $741

A couple spends around $2,450 per month in Mexico City vs $1,204 in Chengdu, rent included.

Mexico City $2,450
Chengdu $1,204

A family of three spends $3,333 per month in Mexico City vs $1,667 in Chengdu, rent included.

Mexico City $3,333
Chengdu $1,667

Mexico City costs about 111% more than Chengdu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 16% above the global median, while Chengdu is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$2.80 ¥18.72

283.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$22.37 ¥150

124.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$4.91 ¥32.85

126.07%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.88 ¥19.28

27.78%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$0.50 ¥3.37

230.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$0.28 ¥1.88

364.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$1.53 ¥10.21

116.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$2.19 ¥14.61

152.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.90 ¥12.73

-6.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$1.50 ¥10.02

103.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$0.99 ¥6.62

103.03%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$1.56 ¥10.42

77.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$14.54 ¥97.2

-18.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$3.66 ¥24.48

154.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$11.19 ¥74.8

34.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$1.85 ¥12.40

66.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$1.37 ¥9.19

42.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$1.09 ¥7.28

86.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$1.16 ¥7.74

90.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$0.70 ¥4.70

188.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$0.72 ¥4.84

152.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$0.62 ¥4.16

145.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$0.54 ¥3.64

137.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$3.72 ¥24.89

41.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$4.58 ¥30.61

251.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$0.82 ¥5.49

137.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$1.48 ¥9.86

187.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$0.43 ¥2.88

-27.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$24.50 ¥164

-18.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$1.30 ¥8.71

53.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$0.29 ¥1.94

82.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$4.46 ¥29.85

26.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.32 ¥8.81

15.15%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$19.6K ¥130.9K

7.45%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$17.4K ¥116.1K

45.07%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$47.19 ¥316

32.42%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$9.21 ¥61.6

212.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$12.45 ¥83.2

176.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$26.80 ¥179

113.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

$11.39 ¥76.2

117.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$6.08 ¥40.62

9.70%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$379 ¥2,534

13.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$14.8K ¥99.0K

-20.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$25.28 ¥169

180.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$27.77 ¥186

86.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$56.9 ¥381

91.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$52.6 ¥352

113.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$464 ¥3,103

126.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$248 ¥1,659

168.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$813 ¥5,436

188.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$533 ¥3,565

130.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$3,762 ¥25.2K

-5.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$1,902 ¥12.7K

3.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$1,252 ¥8,368

-22.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

3.38

234.32%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chengdu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Chengdu

$248 33.5% 62.7% $417

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Chengdu

$196 26.5% 39.2% $127

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Chengdu

$87 11.7% 57.2% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Chengdu

$73 9.9% 52.7% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Chengdu

$69 9.3% 45.2% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Chengdu

$39 5.3% 44.7% $31

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Chengdu

$29 3.9% 12.4% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,051 in Mexico City versus $464 in Chengdu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 28% higher in Chengdu, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Mexico City versus $22.00 in Chengdu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $323 vs $196 – making Chengdu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🕒 Local time

08:05 8:05 AM

22:05 10:05 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

20,937,757

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Chengdu 13,920 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Chengdu

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 Chengdu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City, $741 in Chengdu – roughly 111% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,351 per month in Mexico City and $1,112 in Chengdu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chengdu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Mexico City and $22.00 in Chengdu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,567 in Mexico City and $741 in Chengdu. That's a gap of about 111%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Chengdu, where all-in costs run around $741, than in Mexico City at $1,567. In Chengdu 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 $741 in Chengdu to $1,567 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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