Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Dien Bien Phu

For one person, living is cheaper in Dien Bien Phu: $779 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Dien Bien Phu
Learn more

Dien Bien Phu Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Dien Bien Phu

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Dien Bien Phu

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 Dien Bien Phu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $779 in Dien Bien Phu.

Mexico City $1,608
Dien Bien Phu $779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,255 in Dien Bien Phu.

Mexico City $2,549
Dien Bien Phu $1,255

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,730 in Dien Bien Phu.

Mexico City $3,490
Dien Bien Phu $1,730

Living in Mexico City is roughly 106% more expensive than in Dien Bien Phu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Dien Bien Phu is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$2.08 ₫53.7K

410.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$19.33 ₫499.8K

150.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$4.37 ₫113.1K

136.84%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$1.67 ₫43.2K

120.96%

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

$1.67 MX$31.05

$0.55 ₫14.2K

203.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.58

$0.31 ₫7,992

309.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$0.93 ₫24.0K

243.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$1.50 ₫38.9K

254.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$1.47 ₫38.0K

17.01%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$1.11 ₫28.8K

173.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$0.99 ₫25.7K

95.96%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.49 ₫38.4K

93.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$12.30 ₫318.1K

-10.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$3.64 ₫94.2K

154.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$9.84 ₫254.3K

53.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$3.08 ₫79.7K

-0.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.11 ₫28.7K

74.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.73

$1.36 ₫35.2K

49.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.12

$1.24 ₫32.0K

86.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.91

$0.92 ₫23.8K

121.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.53

$1.10 ₫28.4K

63.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.56

$0.63 ₫16.2K

134.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.62

$0.55 ₫14.3K

130.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.8

$1.39 ₫35.9K

281.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$11.46 ₫296.2K

40.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.95

$0.91 ₫23.5K

117.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$1.74 ₫44.9K

144.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

$0.35 ₫8,940

-11.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$6.71 ₫173.4K

194.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$0.79 ₫20.4K

132.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.59 ₫15.3K

-10.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$2.53 ₫65.5K

109.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.14

$0.96 ₫24.8K

57.29%

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

$21.8K MX$405.3K

$30.5K ₫787.3M

-28.57%

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

$24.0K MX$446.9K

$28.4K ₫734.0M

-15.52%

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

$63.0 MX$1,173

$77.5 ₫2.0M

-18.68%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$5.84 ₫150.9K

369.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$8.63 ₫223.1K

313.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

$23.13 ₫598.0K

154.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$7.77 ₫200.9K

204.25%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$3.35 ₫86.5K

91.04%

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

$432 MX$8,041

$187 ₫4.8M

131.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.8K

$13.6K ₫351.2M

-15.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,271

$46.55 ₫1.2M

46.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$26.46 ₫684.2K

100.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,008

$83.4 ₫2.2M

29.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,185

$79.0 ₫2.0M

48.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$403 ₫10.4M

176.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$280 ₫7.2M

153.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$819 ₫21.2M

215.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$632 ₫16.3M

122.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

$2,205 ₫57.0M

64.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$1,208 ₫31.2M

76.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

8.28

37.08%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Dien Bien Phu: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Dien Bien Phu

$280 35.9% 60.6% $431

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Dien Bien Phu

$199 25.6% 37.7% $120

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Dien Bien Phu

$61 7.8% 69.4% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Dien Bien Phu

$106 13.6% 32% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Dien Bien Phu

$92 11.8% 27.1% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Dien Bien Phu

$30 3.8% 58.4% $42

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Dien Bien Phu

$12 1.5% 53.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $403 in Dien Bien Phu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $19 in Dien Bien Phu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $199 per month, with Dien Bien Phu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇻🇳 Dien Bien Phu

🕒 Local time

21:10 9:10 PM

10:10 10:10 AM

13 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

80,366

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, 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).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 25,852 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,779 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Dien Bien Phu 14,880 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Dien Bien Phu

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 Dien Bien Phu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dien Bien Phu is about 52% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $1,169 in Dien Bien Phu 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $403 in Dien Bien Phu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Dien Bien Phu – a meal for two runs $19 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $779 in Dien Bien Phu – Dien Bien Phu is about 52% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $779 in Dien Bien Phu versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Dien Bien Phu but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Dien Bien Phu 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.

Expats usually find Dien Bien Phu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.