Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Nantong

For one person, living is cheaper in Nantong: $748 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Nantong
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Nantong Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Nantong

🇨🇳 China

$748

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $748 in Nantong.

Mexico City $1,608
Nantong $748

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,233 in Nantong.

Mexico City $2,549
Nantong $1,233

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,719 in Nantong.

Mexico City $3,490
Nantong $1,719

Living in Mexico City is roughly 115% more expensive than in Nantong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Nantong is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$2.97 ¥19.70

257.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$23.82 ¥158

102.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$4.44 ¥29.50

133.11%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$2.84 ¥18.87

29.93%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$0.65 ¥4.31

156.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$0.31 ¥2.03

309.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$0.73 ¥4.84

336.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$2.31 ¥15.33

129.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.58 ¥10.47

8.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.53 ¥10.18

98.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$0.84 ¥5.56

130.95%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$1.76 ¥11.69

64.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$6.84 ¥45.47

60.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$3.66 ¥24.34

152.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$10.04 ¥66.7

50.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$2.32 ¥15.44

31.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.35 ¥9.00

43.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$1.47 ¥9.77

38.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$1.42 ¥9.44

62.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$0.73 ¥4.85

179.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$0.93 ¥6.17

93.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$0.66 ¥4.39

124.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.51 ¥3.40

149.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$3.30 ¥21.91

60.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$9.20 ¥61.1

75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$0.79 ¥5.28

150.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$1.70 ¥11.32

150.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.21 ¥1.39

47.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$14.81 ¥98.4

33.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$1.89 ¥12.59

-2.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$0.39 ¥2.56

35.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$7.23 ¥48.02

-26.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$1.16 ¥7.71

30.17%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$19.1K ¥127.2K

13.68%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$18.4K ¥122.5K

30.13%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$47.68 ¥317

32.09%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$7.37 ¥48.96

271.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$15.00 ¥99.7

137.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$114 ¥755

-48.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$12.01 ¥79.8

96.84%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$7.34 ¥48.76

-12.81%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$204 ¥1,353

111.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$11.9K ¥78.8K

-3.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$58.6 ¥389

16.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$41.71 ¥277

27.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$64.6 ¥430

66.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$108 ¥718

8.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$211 ¥1,400

428.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$142 ¥945

399.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$696 ¥4,623

271.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$354 ¥2,355

296.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$3,703 ¥24.6K

-1.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$2,275 ¥15.1K

-6.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$1,327 ¥8,815

-28.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

3.5

224.29%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Nantong: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Nantong

$142 19% 80% $568

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Nantong

$182 24.3% 43.1% $138

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Nantong

$83 11.1% 58.1% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Nantong

$123 16.4% 21.2% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Nantong

$70 9.4% 44.4% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Nantong

$128 17.2% 78.8% $57

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Nantong

$19 2.6% 23.5% $6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $211 in Nantong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nantong pays 40% 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 $24 in Nantong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $182 per month, with Nantong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇳 Nantong

🕒 Local time

21:05 9:05 PM

11:05 11:05 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

7,726,635

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Nantong 12,880 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Nantong

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 Nantong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $748 in Nantong, so Nantong is about 53% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 29% 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 $211 in Nantong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Nantong runs roughly 25% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $204 in Nantong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $748 in Nantong versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Nantong but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Nantong 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 Nantong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.