Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Quzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Quzhou: $701 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Quzhou
Learn more

Quzhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Quzhou

🇨🇳 China

$701

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $701 in Quzhou.

Mexico City $1,548
Quzhou $701

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $1,153 in Quzhou.

Mexico City $2,436
Quzhou $1,153

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $1,606 in Quzhou.

Mexico City $3,323
Quzhou $1,606

Living in Mexico City is roughly 121% more expensive than in Quzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Quzhou is 48% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$205

$2.77 ¥18.45

297.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$908

$29.42 ¥196

65.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$203

$4.52 ¥30.17

141.15%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.7

$3.55 ¥23.67

3.66%

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

$1.63 MX$30.46

$0.47 ¥3.16

246.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.28

$0.29 ¥1.93

331.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.6

$1.03 ¥6.88

215.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$103

$3.45 ¥23.04

60.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.78

$1.74 ¥11.58

-2.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$56.3

$1.14 ¥7.60

164.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.86

$0.70 ¥4.66

174.29%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$51.0

$1.65 ¥10.97

65.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$220

$15.10 ¥101

-22.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$178

$3.66 ¥24.44

160.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$269

$9.06 ¥60.4

59.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$56.3

$1.02 ¥6.83

196.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.33

$1.55 ¥10.34

21.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$37.03

$1.49 ¥9.97

33.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.75

$1.17 ¥7.83

87.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.75

$0.63 ¥4.17

204.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.81

$0.75 ¥5.02

149.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.86

$0.70 ¥4.65

105.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.60

$0.58 ¥3.87

118.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$97.3

$4.61 ¥30.77

13.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$302

$8.06 ¥53.7

100.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.35

$0.81 ¥5.39

134.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.7

$1.43 ¥9.57

195.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.36

$0.31 ¥2.08

9.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$366

$18.24 ¥122

7.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$37.23

$1.74 ¥11.63

14.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.76

$0.34 ¥2.29

52.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$99.6

$7.04 ¥46.94

-24.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.39

$1.31 ¥8.72

16.03%

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

$22.1K MX$411.7K

$19.5K ¥129.9K

13.34%

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

$24.5K MX$457.1K

$17.8K ¥118.5K

37.93%

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

$61.1 MX$1,139

$51.8 ¥346

17.85%

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

$28.58 MX$533

$6.59 ¥43.99

333.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$643

$7.92 ¥52.8

335.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,051

$40.84 ¥272

38.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$464

$15.02 ¥100

65.65%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$124

$7.74 ¥51.6

-13.95%

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

$427 MX$7,964

$415 ¥2,767

2.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$217.0K

$16.0K ¥106.6K

-27.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,264

$62.4 ¥416

8.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$969

$26.59 ¥177

95.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,977

$61.6 ¥411

72.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,099

$51.7 ¥345

117.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$19.1K

$302 ¥2,012

239.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.2K

$179 ¥1,196

264.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$43.0K

$618 ¥4,125

273.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$23.2K

$381 ¥2,542

225.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$67.4K

$3,522 ¥23.5K

2.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$36.1K

$1,905 ¥12.7K

1.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$18.0K

$713 ¥4,759

35.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

3.18

255.35%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Quzhou: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Quzhou

$179 25.6% 72.6% $475

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Quzhou

$191 27.3% 39.8% $127

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Quzhou

$93 13.3% 54.2% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Quzhou

$91 13% 40.2% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Quzhou

$66 9.5% 46.6% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Quzhou

$56 8% 19.2% $13

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Quzhou

$23 3.3% 10.5% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $302 in Quzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 35% 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 in Mexico City vs $29 in Quzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $191 per month, with Quzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇳 Quzhou

🕒 Local time

10:40 10:40 AM

00:40 12:40 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

2,122,661

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 18.65 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.89 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.47 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Quzhou 13,260 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Quzhou

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 Quzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Quzhou differ by about 121% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $701 including rent). Quzhou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 35% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $302 in Quzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Quzhou runs roughly 7% 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 $415 in Quzhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $701 in Quzhou versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Quzhou but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Quzhou 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 Quzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.