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

😐 Solo nomad: Mexico City is 28.6% more expensive than Shanghai without rent, and 18.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Mexico City is 36.8% more expensive than Shanghai without rent, and 22.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Shanghai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.38 MX$253
$4.73 ¥33.92
182.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$52.7 MX$997
$36.17 ¥259
45.78%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.31 MX$176
$5.6 ¥40.18
66.25%
Cappuccino
$3.61 MX$68.3
$3.56 ¥25.53
1.40%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 MX$30.91
$0.54 ¥3.9
203.70%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.12 MX$21.14
$0.36 ¥2.59
211.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.26 MX$61.7
$1.43 ¥10.25
127.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.82 MX$91.1
$2.76 ¥19.81
74.64%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Shanghai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.65 MX$31.24
$2.18 ¥15.66
-24.31%
White Bread (500g)
$2.74 MX$51.7
$1.81 ¥13
51.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.92 MX$36.28
$1.1 ¥7.9
74.55%
Eggs
$2.51 MX$47.53
$1.69 ¥12.1
48.52%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.89 MX$187
$15.79 ¥113
-37.37%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.39 MX$159
$3.17 ¥22.76
164.67%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.95 MX$226
$10.88 ¥78.1
9.83%
Apples (1kg)
$2.87 MX$54.3
$2.26 ¥16.24
26.99%
Banana (1kg)
$1.74 MX$32.85
$1.67 ¥11.98
4.19%
Oranges (1kg)
$2 MX$37.81
$1.78 ¥12.78
12.36%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.07 MX$39.14
$1.52 ¥10.94
36.18%
Potato (1kg)
$2.05 MX$38.78
$0.85 ¥6.09
141.18%
Onion (1kg)
$2.18 MX$41.22
$1.17 ¥8.37
86.32%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.38 MX$26.16
$0.68 ¥4.84
102.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.11 MX$21.06
$0.6 ¥4.29
85.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.16 MX$78.6
$2.87 ¥20.56
44.95%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.05 MX$209
$11.16 ¥80
-0.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.75 MX$33.16
$0.8 ¥5.73
118.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.7 MX$70
$1.56 ¥11.22
137.18%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Shanghai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.38 MX$7.25
$0.4 ¥2.89
-5.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.97 MX$359
$35.15 ¥252
-46.03%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.36 MX$25.72
$2.29 ¥16.45
-40.61%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.28 MX$5.25
$0.37 ¥2.69
-24.32%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.3 MX$100
$8.14 ¥58.4
-34.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 MX$25.63
$1.09 ¥7.81
24.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.8K MX$354.6K
$19.5K ¥140.1K
-3.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.4K MX$441.7K
$18.2K ¥130.5K
28.39%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Shanghai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$39.97 MX$756
$51.6 ¥370
-22.46%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.48 MX$519
$8.68 ¥62.2
216.59%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.22 MX$571
$13.5 ¥96.8
123.85%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Shanghai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.6 MX$994
$46.42 ¥333
13.31%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.84 MX$507
$20.44 ¥147
31.31%
Cinema Ticket
$6.32 MX$120
$8.58 ¥61.5
-26.34%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Shanghai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$437 MX$8,258
$1,307 ¥9,378
-66.59%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.6K MX$199.9K
$31.4K ¥225.4K
-66.35%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Shanghai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.2 MX$1,082
$58.8 ¥422
-2.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.14 MX$853
$36.99 ¥265
22.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 MX$1,928
$77.7 ¥558
31.20%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$109 MX$2,056
$98.5 ¥706
10.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Shanghai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,000 MX$18.9K
$952 ¥6,827
5.01%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$622 MX$11.8K
$574 ¥4,115
8.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,160 MX$40.8K
$2,518 ¥18.1K
-14.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,235 MX$23.3K
$1,201 ¥8,614
2.84%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,566 MX$67.4K
$14.4K ¥103.2K
-75.22%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,480 MX$46.9K
$7,106 ¥51K
-65.10%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Shanghai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$867 MX$16.4K
$1,534 ¥11K
-43.45%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.34
3.58
216.76%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 28, 2025

Last update for Shanghai: October 28, 2025

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