Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Dalian

For one person, living is cheaper in Dalian: $917 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Dalian
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Dalian Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Dalian

🇨🇳 China

$917

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $917 in Dalian.

Mexico City $1,608
Dalian $917

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,453 in Dalian.

Mexico City $2,549
Dalian $1,453

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,989 in Dalian.

Mexico City $3,490
Dalian $1,989

Living in Mexico City is roughly 75% more expensive than in Dalian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Dalian is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$3.66 ¥24.37

190.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$25.01 ¥166

93.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$5.38 ¥35.83

92.38%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$3.43 ¥22.82

7.58%

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

$1.67 MX$31.05

$0.48 ¥3.19

247.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.58

$0.23 ¥1.52

452.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$0.99 ¥6.57

222.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$1.51 ¥10.05

251.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$1.64 ¥10.91

4.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$1.50 ¥9.95

102.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$0.95 ¥6.33

104.21%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.57 ¥10.47

84.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$20.12 ¥134

-45.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$3.50 ¥23.32

164.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$12.81 ¥85.2

18.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$1.28 ¥8.55

138.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.09 ¥7.25

77.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.73

$1.97 ¥13.08

3.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.12

$0.89 ¥5.94

159.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.91

$0.89 ¥5.92

129.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.53

$0.69 ¥4.58

160.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.56

$1.31 ¥8.71

12.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.62

$0.63 ¥4.19

101.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.8

$3.83 ¥25.46

38.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$15.01 ¥99.9

7.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.95

$1.12 ¥7.46

76.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$1.86 ¥12.36

128.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

$0.29 ¥1.92

6.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$29.71 ¥198

-33.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$1.54 ¥10.25

19.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.43 ¥2.86

23.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$4.24 ¥28.23

25.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.14

$1.27 ¥8.44

18.90%

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

$21.8K MX$405.3K

$19.2K ¥127.7K

13.32%

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

$24.0K MX$446.9K

$17.3K ¥115.3K

38.40%

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

$63.0 MX$1,173

$66.0 ¥439

-4.55%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$9.51 ¥63.3

188.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$13.65 ¥90.8

161.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

$40.42 ¥269

45.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$36.60 ¥244

-35.41%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$6.94 ¥46.21

-7.78%

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

$432 MX$8,041

$403 ¥2,679

7.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.8K

$20.6K ¥137.1K

-44.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,271

$76.0 ¥505

-10.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$55.9 ¥372

-5.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,008

$112 ¥746

-3.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,185

$121 ¥808

-3.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$406 ¥2,703

174.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$238 ¥1,583

198.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$701 ¥4,667

269.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$450 ¥2,992

212.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

$2,636 ¥17.5K

37.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$1,644 ¥10.9K

29.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$1,077 ¥7,169

-12.17%

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Dalian: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Dalian

$238 26% 66.5% $473

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Dalian

$239 26.1% 25.1% $80

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Dalian

$97 10.6% 51% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Dalian

$164 17.9% 5.5% $8.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Dalian

$89 9.7% 29.3% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Dalian

$54 5.9% 24.3% $17

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Dalian

$35 3.8% 35.7% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $406 in Dalian. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dalian pays 14% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $25 in Dalian for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $239 per month, with Dalian cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇳 Dalian

🕒 Local time

20:51 8:51 PM

10:51 10:51 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

7,450,785

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Mexico City Dalian 12,260 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Dalian

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 Dalian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $917 in Dalian, so Dalian is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Mexico City. 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $406 in Dalian. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $403 in Dalian. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $917 in Dalian versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Dalian but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Dalian 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.