Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Chongqing

For one person, living is cheaper in Chongqing: $722 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Chongqing
Learn more

Chongqing Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Chongqing

🇨🇳 China

$722

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,548 per month in Mexico City vs $722 in Chongqing, rent included.

Mexico City $1,548
Chongqing $722

A couple spends around $2,436 per month in Mexico City vs $1,175 in Chongqing, rent included.

Mexico City $2,436
Chongqing $1,175

A family of three spends $3,323 per month in Mexico City vs $1,629 in Chongqing, rent included.

Mexico City $3,323
Chongqing $1,629

Mexico City costs about 115% more than Chongqing, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mexico City sits 14% above the global median, while Chongqing is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$2.64 ¥17.62

317.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$22.26 ¥149

118.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$4.83 ¥32.27

125.67%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.07 ¥13.81

77.78%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$0.46 ¥3.11

254.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.31 ¥2.09

303.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$1.22 ¥8.15

166.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$1.77 ¥11.84

212.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$2.01 ¥13.44

-15.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.66 ¥11.07

81.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$0.61 ¥4.05

214.75%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.25 ¥15.04

21.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$17.76 ¥119

-33.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$3.31 ¥22.11

187.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$10.03 ¥67.1

43.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.49 ¥10.00

102.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.28 ¥8.57

47.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$1.23 ¥8.26

61.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.21 ¥8.07

80.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$0.61 ¥4.08

214.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.02 ¥6.79

83.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.90 ¥6.02

60.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.62 ¥4.12

104.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$3.04 ¥20.32

71.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$8.98 ¥60.1

80.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$0.76 ¥5.10

150.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$1.73 ¥11.55

143.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$0.36 ¥2.38

-5.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$22.52 ¥151

-12.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$1.46 ¥9.74

36.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$0.31 ¥2.09

67.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$2.91 ¥19.46

83.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.32 ¥8.80

15.15%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$19.4K ¥129.8K

13.68%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$17.2K ¥115.0K

42.54%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$45.07 ¥301

35.50%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$7.26 ¥48.52

293.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$7.19 ¥48.09

379.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$49.49 ¥331

13.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$10.40 ¥69.6

139.23%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$5.95 ¥39.81

11.93%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$289 ¥1,929

48.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$25.1K ¥167.8K

-53.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$39.99 ¥267

69.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$29.64 ¥198

75.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$66.0 ¥441

60.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$64.4 ¥430

74.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$426 ¥2,851

140.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$196 ¥1,313

233.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$894 ¥5,977

158.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$422 ¥2,823

194.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$2,741 ¥18.3K

31.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$1,741 ¥11.6K

11.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$1,102 ¥7,371

-12.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

3.34

238.32%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chongqing: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Chongqing

$196 27.2% 70% $458

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Chongqing

$214 29.7% 32.7% $104

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Chongqing

$73 10.1% 64.1% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Chongqing

$90 12.5% 40.9% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Chongqing

$60 8.3% 52% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Chongqing

$61 8.5% 11.9% $8.3

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Chongqing

$27 3.7% 5.2% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,025 in Mexico City versus $426 in Chongqing. 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 14% higher in Chongqing, 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 $49.00 in Mexico City versus $22.00 in Chongqing. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $318 vs $214 – making Chongqing the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇳 Chongqing

🕒 Local time

09:34 9:34 AM

23:34 11:34 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,564,449

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Chongqing 13,910 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Chongqing

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 Chongqing: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 115%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,322 per month in Mexico City and $1,082 in Chongqing. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $427 per month in Mexico City and $289 in Chongqing. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 48% more in Mexico City, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Chongqing, where all-in costs run around $722, than in Mexico City at $1,548. In Chongqing it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chongqing – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Chongqing. 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.