Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Shijiazhuang

For one person, living is cheaper in Shijiazhuang: $682 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Shijiazhuang
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Shijiazhuang Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Shijiazhuang

🇨🇳 China

$682

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $682 in Shijiazhuang.

Mexico City $1,548
Shijiazhuang $682

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $1,021 in Shijiazhuang.

Mexico City $2,436
Shijiazhuang $1,021

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $1,359 in Shijiazhuang.

Mexico City $3,323
Shijiazhuang $1,359

Living in Mexico City is roughly 127% more expensive than in Shijiazhuang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Shijiazhuang is 50% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$1.76 ¥11.80

526.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$18.64 ¥125

161.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$5.68 ¥37.97

91.90%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.27 ¥21.89

12.54%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$0.48 ¥3.19

239.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.27 ¥1.82

362.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$0.78 ¥5.23

316.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$1.71 ¥11.42

223.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.26 ¥8.44

34.92%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.16 ¥7.78

160.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$0.68 ¥4.53

182.35%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$1.29 ¥8.61

111.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$16.50 ¥110

-28.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$2.63 ¥17.58

262.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$9.67 ¥64.7

49.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.66 ¥11.10

81.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.23 ¥8.24

53.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$0.77 ¥5.17

158.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.19 ¥7.95

84.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$0.63 ¥4.21

204.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$0.62 ¥4.16

201.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.68 ¥4.56

111.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.43 ¥2.88

195.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$3.80 ¥25.39

37.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$3.83 ¥25.58

322.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$0.71 ¥4.78

167.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$0.77 ¥5.17

448.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$0.31 ¥2.08

9.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$17.67 ¥118

11.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$1.23 ¥8.20

62.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$0.37 ¥2.50

40.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$3.56 ¥23.81

50.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.24 ¥8.30

22.58%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$19.7K ¥131.4K

12.32%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$17.3K ¥116.0K

41.30%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$95.2 ¥637

-35.87%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$4.40 ¥29.42

549.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$6.60 ¥44.16

422.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$13.69 ¥91.5

311.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$15.08 ¥101

64.99%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$5.56 ¥37.19

19.78%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$369 ¥2,467

15.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$5,270 ¥35.2K

120.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$50.8 ¥339

33.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$26.12 ¥175

98.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$74.6 ¥499

42.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$52.8 ¥353

113.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$300 ¥2,006

241.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$184 ¥1,231

255.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$419 ¥2,802

450.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$279 ¥1,864

345.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$2,534 ¥16.9K

42.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$1,709 ¥11.4K

13.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$808 ¥5,400

19.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

3.31

241.39%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Shijiazhuang: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Shijiazhuang

$184 27% 71.9% $470

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Shijiazhuang

$172 25.3% 45.8% $146

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Shijiazhuang

$81 11.8% 60.4% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Shijiazhuang

$92 13.5% 39.6% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Shijiazhuang

$106 15.6% 14.4% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Shijiazhuang

$25 3.6% 64.4% $45

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Shijiazhuang

$22 3.2% 14.1% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $300 in Shijiazhuang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 19% 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 $19.00 in Shijiazhuang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $172 per month, with Shijiazhuang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇳 Shijiazhuang

🕒 Local time

05:41 5:41 AM

19:41 7:41 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

11,235,086

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 →

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Between locations

Mexico City Shijiazhuang 12,720 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

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Mexico City
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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 Shijiazhuang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Shijiazhuang differ by about 127% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $682 including rent). Shijiazhuang is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 19% 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 $300 in Shijiazhuang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Shijiazhuang runs roughly 11% 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 $369 in Shijiazhuang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $682 in Shijiazhuang versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Shijiazhuang but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Shijiazhuang 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 Shijiazhuang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 127% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.