Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Taiyuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Taiyuan: $589 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Taiyuan
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Taiyuan Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Taiyuan

🇨🇳 China

$589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $589 in Taiyuan.

Mexico City $1,567
Taiyuan $589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $913 in Taiyuan.

Mexico City $2,450
Taiyuan $913

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $1,238 in Taiyuan.

Mexico City $3,333
Taiyuan $1,238

Living in Mexico City is roughly 166% more expensive than in Taiyuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 16% above, Taiyuan is 56% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$2.28 ¥15.21

371.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$14.73 ¥98.4

241.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$4.40 ¥29.37

152.27%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.64 ¥17.60

39.39%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$0.47 ¥3.11

251.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$0.29 ¥1.92

348.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$1.22 ¥8.12

172.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$2.15 ¥14.36

157.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$0.83 ¥5.51

142.17%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$1.01 ¥6.75

174.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$13.02 ¥86.9

15.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$1.87 ¥12.50

64.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$1.38 ¥9.20

41.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$0.81 ¥5.40

150.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$1.16 ¥7.76

90.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$0.48 ¥3.20

320.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$0.29 ¥1.91

527.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$0.46 ¥3.07

178.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$2.95 ¥19.72

78.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$7.56 ¥50.5

113.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$0.87 ¥5.80

124.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$1.45 ¥9.71

193.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$0.31 ¥2.08

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$13.65 ¥91.1

45.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$1.18 ¥7.89

69.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$0.23 ¥1.53

130.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$3.73 ¥24.88

50.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.25 ¥8.32

21.60%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$20.0K ¥133.4K

5.27%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$17.5K ¥117.1K

43.59%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$94.3 ¥630

-33.75%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$10.27 ¥68.6

180.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$12.74 ¥85.1

170.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$45.17 ¥302

26.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

$8.76 ¥58.5

183.22%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$6.64 ¥44.31

0.45%

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

$431 MX$7,964

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$27.60 ¥184

156.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$67.2 ¥449

-22.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$74.0 ¥494

47.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$59.4 ¥397

89.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$223 ¥1,488

371.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$114 ¥759

484.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$556 ¥3,714

321.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$259 ¥1,730

373.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$2,629 ¥17.6K

35.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$1,252 ¥8,356

57.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$928 ¥6,194

5.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

3.83

195.04%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Taiyuan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Taiyuan

$114 19.3% 82.9% $551

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Taiyuan

$103 * 17.5% 68.1% $220

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Taiyuan

$76 13% 62.3% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Taiyuan

$103 17.4% 33.6% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Taiyuan

$117 19.9% 6.6% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Taiyuan

$58 9.9% 17% $12

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Taiyuan

$17 2.9% 33.2% $8.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,051 in Mexico City and $223 in Taiyuan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 5% 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: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $15.00 in Taiyuan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $103 per month, with Taiyuan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇳 Taiyuan

🕒 Local time

05:57 5:57 AM

19:57 7:57 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

3,525,300

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Taiyuan 12,830 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Taiyuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Taiyuan differ by about 166% in total monthly costs ($1,567 vs $589 including rent). Taiyuan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 5% 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: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $223 in Taiyuan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Taiyuan – a meal for two runs $15.00 versus $50.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Taiyuan runs roughly 45% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $589 in Taiyuan versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Taiyuan but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Taiyuan 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 Taiyuan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 166% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.