Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Datong Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Datong

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,484 in Mexico City versus $711 in Datong.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,342 in Mexico City versus $1,127 in Datong.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,199 in Mexico City versus $1,543 in Datong.

Living in Mexico City is roughly 109% more expensive than Datong, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 10% above, Datong is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.29 MX$230

$2.84 ¥19.43

367.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.8 MX$931

$21.16 ¥145

154.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.29 MX$161

$4.96 ¥33.90

87.30%

Cappuccino

$3.61 MX$62.5

$3.03 ¥20.70

19.14%

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

$1.56 MX$26.97

$0.43 ¥2.94

262.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 MX$19.42

$0.29 ¥2.00

286.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 MX$54.1

$0.94 ¥6.43

232.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.71 MX$81.5

$2.14 ¥14.61

120.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$29.48

$1.87 ¥12.78

-9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 MX$47.92

$1.55 ¥10.59

78.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 MX$33.97

$0.89 ¥6.05

120.22%

Eggs

$2.60 MX$45.11

$1.55 ¥10.62

67.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.94 MX$172

$12.63 ¥86.2

-21.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.10 MX$140

$3.21 ¥21.93

152.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.50 MX$199

$10.36 ¥70.8

11.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 MX$49.72

$1.83 ¥12.48

56.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 MX$30.00

$1.24 ¥8.47

39.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 MX$34.65

$1.49 ¥10.17

34.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$35.30

$1.10 ¥7.52

85.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 MX$36.06

$0.75 ¥5.09

177.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 MX$38.03

$0.97 ¥6.66

126.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$25.18

$0.56 ¥3.85

158.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$18.59

$0.56 ¥3.79

91.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$74.0

$3.19 ¥21.81

33.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.32 MX$248

$10.61 ¥72.5

34.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 MX$30.55

$0.79 ¥5.37

122.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 MX$64.1

$1.66 ¥11.36

122.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 MX$6.11

$0.29 ¥2.00

20.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.19 MX$332

$16.40 ¥112

17.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 MX$23.13

$1.41 ¥9.62

-4.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.28 MX$4.82

$0.33 ¥2.25

-15.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.33 MX$92.4

$6.81 ¥46.52

-21.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 MX$23.22

$1.16 ¥7.94

15.52%

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

$19.1K MX$331.2K

$19.4K ¥132.5K

-1.43%

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

$23.9K MX$413.6K

$17.1K ¥117.0K

39.39%

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

$39.86 MX$690

$44.59 ¥305

-10.61%

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

$26.78 MX$464

$10.02 ¥68.4

167.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.36 MX$509

$11.84 ¥80.8

147.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.4 MX$925

$41.02 ¥280

30.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.09 MX$452

$13.79 ¥94.2

89.20%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$111

$6.07 ¥41.46

5.44%

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

$440 MX$7,629

$334 ¥2,280

31.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K MX$186.2K

$16.8K ¥114.7K

-36.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 MX$998

$43.51 ¥297

32.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.02 MX$780

$30.40 ¥208

48.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 MX$1,797

$71.1 ¥486

45.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 MX$1,870

$71.7 ¥490

50.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 MX$17.5K

$273 ¥1,867

270.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$630 MX$10.9K

$191 ¥1,304

229.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,162 MX$37.4K

$589 ¥4,020

267.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 MX$21.2K

$364 ¥2,483

236.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,793 MX$65.7K

$2,997 ¥20.5K

26.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,332 MX$40.4K

$2,036 ¥13.9K

14.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,075 MX$18.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

3.89

191.52%

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

Last update for Mexico City: April 11, 2026

Last update for Datong: April 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,013 in Mexico City and $273 in Datong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $54 in Mexico City vs $21 in Datong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $199 per month, with Datong cheaper across the board.

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 Datong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Datong wins on cost – living expenses run 109% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Datong the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,226 in Mexico City and $1,067 in Datong 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: $1,013 in Mexico City versus $273 in Datong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $440 in Mexico City versus $334 in Datong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $711 in Datong versus $1,484 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Datong but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Datong the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Datong delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $711 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Datong hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Datong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 109% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.