Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

For one person, living is cheaper in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu: $707 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu
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Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

🇨🇳 China

$707

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

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 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $707 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu.

Mexico City $1,567
Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu $707

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $1,185 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu.

Mexico City $2,450
Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu $1,185

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $1,663 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu.

Mexico City $3,333
Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu $1,663

Living in Mexico City is roughly 122% more expensive than in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 16% above, Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu is 48% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$198

$3.83 ¥25.64

180.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$928

$26.02 ¥174

93.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$4.57 ¥30.58

142.89%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$3.17 ¥21.21

16.09%

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

$1.65 MX$30.39

$0.48 ¥3.23

243.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.05

$0.31 ¥2.04

319.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$0.93 ¥6.22

256.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$1.47 ¥9.80

276.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.65

$1.79 ¥11.98

-1.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$1.18 ¥7.91

158.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.16

$0.87 ¥5.85

131.03%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$2.07 ¥13.85

33.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$19.53 ¥131

-39.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$3.69 ¥24.70

152.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$277

$6.16 ¥41.17

143.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$2.33 ¥15.56

32.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.94

$1.38 ¥9.25

41.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.50

$1.47 ¥9.81

38.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.87

$1.31 ¥8.74

68.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.37

$0.87 ¥5.79

132.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.63

$0.86 ¥5.77

111.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.04

$0.62 ¥4.18

145.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.63

$0.54 ¥3.60

137.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.3

$3.57 ¥23.90

47.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$13.36 ¥89.3

20.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.01

$0.75 ¥5.01

160.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.5

$1.45 ¥9.68

193.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.81

$0.31 ¥2.08

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$366

$19.88 ¥133

-0.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$1.97 ¥13.20

1.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.85

$0.38 ¥2.55

39.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$7.03 ¥47.00

-20.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.05

$1.21 ¥8.12

25.62%

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

$21.0K MX$388.3K

$18.1K ¥121.2K

16.03%

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

$25.2K MX$464.8K

$17.9K ¥119.7K

40.66%

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

$62.5 MX$1,154

$18.76 ¥125

233.10%

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

$28.77 MX$531

$10.11 ¥67.6

184.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$636

$11.07 ¥74.0

211.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,054

$60.8 ¥407

-6.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

$16.34 ¥109

51.84%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$7.45 ¥49.80

-10.47%

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

$431 MX$7,955

$301 ¥2,015

43.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.7K

$17.8K ¥118.8K

-33.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,307

$45.01 ¥301

57.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$957

$41.36 ¥277

25.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,009

$60.5 ¥404

80.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,073

$58.6 ¥392

91.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$256 ¥1,715

309.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$165 ¥1,105

302.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$631 ¥4,217

272.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.6K

$379 ¥2,535

223.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.6K

$2,912 ¥19.5K

22.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$1,953 ¥13.1K

1.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

3.5

222.86%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$165 23.4% 75.2% $500

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$216 30.5% 33.1% $107

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$93 13.2% 54.1% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$92 13.1% 40.2% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$40 5.7% 68.2% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$76 10.7% 7.5% $5.3

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$25 3.5% 3% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,051 in Mexico City and $256 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $26.00 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $216 per month, with Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇳 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

🕒 Local time

04:24 4:24 AM

18:24 6:24 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

831,113

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.42 USD

100 MXN = 4.84 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 18.46 MXN (100 MXN = 5.42 USD). 1 EUR = 20.67 MXN (100 MXN = 4.84 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu 12,910 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

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 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu differ by about 122% in total monthly costs ($1,567 vs $707 including rent). Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,351 in Mexico City and $1,061 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $256 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu runs roughly 0% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $431 in Mexico City versus $301 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $707 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu 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 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 122% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.