Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Putian

For one person, living is cheaper in Putian: $518 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Putian
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Putian Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Putian

🇨🇳 China

$518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $518 in Putian.

Mexico City $1,548
Putian $518

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $854 in Putian.

Mexico City $2,436
Putian $854

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $1,190 in Putian.

Mexico City $3,323
Putian $1,190

Living in Mexico City is roughly 199% more expensive than in Putian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Putian is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$2.21 ¥14.79

398.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$23.26 ¥156

109.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$5.17 ¥34.57

110.83%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.44 ¥16.32

50.82%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$0.43 ¥2.88

279.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.29 ¥1.92

331.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$0.77 ¥5.16

322.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$2.93 ¥19.58

88.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.47 ¥9.82

15.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.25 ¥15.07

34.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$0.93 ¥6.19

106.45%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$1.58 ¥10.58

72.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$11.73 ¥78.4

0.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$2.43 ¥16.22

292.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$12.18 ¥81.4

18.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.55 ¥17.03

18.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.42 ¥9.49

33.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$1.70 ¥11.34

17.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.98 ¥13.25

10.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.02 ¥6.79

88.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.77 ¥11.86

5.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.93 ¥6.19

54.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.50 ¥3.36

154.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$3.04 ¥20.31

71.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$11.18 ¥74.8

44.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$0.83 ¥5.58

128.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$1.71 ¥11.44

146.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$0.74 ¥4.92

-54.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$22.38 ¥150

-12.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$1.52 ¥10.16

31.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$0.29 ¥1.94

79.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$7.02 ¥46.94

-23.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.31 ¥8.76

16.03%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$19.4K ¥129.8K

13.72%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$17.8K ¥118.8K

37.94%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$44.03 ¥294

38.70%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$8.87 ¥59.3

222.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$10.55 ¥70.6

226.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$10.08 ¥67.4

-33.93%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$492 ¥3,286

-13.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$24.5K ¥163.6K

-52.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$39.10 ¥261

73.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$29.11 ¥195

78.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$103 ¥691

2.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$85.7 ¥573

31.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$2,637 ¥17.6K

36.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$1,115 ¥7,452

73.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$480 ¥3,211

100.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

3.46

226.59%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Putian: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Putian

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Putian

$215 41.6% 32.3% $103

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Putian

$75 14.5% 63.2% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Putian

$116 22.4% 24% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Putian

$63 12.3% 48.9% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Putian

$20 * 3.9% 71.1% $50

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Putian

$28 5.5% 10.4% $2.7

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Mexico City pays 101% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $23.00 in Putian for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $215 per month, with Putian cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇳 Putian

🕒 Local time

21:10 9:10 PM

11:10 11:10 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,954,000

💱 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 23, 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 23, 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 Putian 13,540 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Putian

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 Putian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Putian differ by about 199% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $518 including rent). Putian is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 101% higher in Mexico City, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

A monthly transit pass in Putian runs roughly 14% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $492 in Putian. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $518 in Putian versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Putian but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Putian 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 Putian gentler on the wallet – expenses run 199% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.