Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Zhongli City

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhongli City: $1,005 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Zhongli City
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Zhongli City Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Zhongli City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,005

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,005 in Zhongli City.

Mexico City $1,608
Zhongli City $1,005

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,698 in Zhongli City.

Mexico City $2,549
Zhongli City $1,698

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,392 in Zhongli City.

Mexico City $3,490
Zhongli City $2,392

Living in Mexico City is roughly 60% more expensive than in Zhongli City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Zhongli City is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$4.60 NT$150

130.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$30.45 NT$993

58.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$4.86 NT$158

112.96%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$2.52 NT$82.3

46.43%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$0.99 NT$32.20

68.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$0.68 NT$22.12

86.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$1.50 NT$48.99

112.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$2.68 NT$87.4

98.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$3.22 NT$105

-46.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.67 NT$54.5

82.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$2.62 NT$85.3

-25.95%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$2.51 NT$81.7

15.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$12.15 NT$396

-9.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$6.60 NT$215

40.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$15.66 NT$511

-3.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$3.64 NT$119

-16.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$1.85 NT$60.5

4.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$2.93 NT$95.6

-30.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$2.13 NT$69.5

8.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$1.22 NT$39.89

67.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$1.86 NT$60.5

-3.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$2.29 NT$74.7

-35.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$0.88 NT$28.56

44.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$3.80 NT$124

39.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$15.54 NT$507

3.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$1.54 NT$50.2

28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$2.42 NT$78.9

75.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.59 NT$19.37

-47.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$33.95 NT$1,107

-41.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$2.57 NT$83.8

-28.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$0.52 NT$16.84

1.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$9.25 NT$301

-42.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$0.95 NT$31.02

58.95%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$34.4K NT$1.1M

-36.82%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$22.3K NT$726.4K

7.67%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$101 NT$3,288

-37.54%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$14.83 NT$484

84.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$16.67 NT$544

113.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$36.46 NT$1,189

61.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$10.03 NT$327

-36.19%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$332 NT$10.8K

29.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$16.7K NT$543.5K

-31.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$71.3 NT$2,323

-4.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$34.96 NT$1,140

51.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$53.6 NT$1,749

100.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$105 NT$3,437

11.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$440 NT$14.4K

152.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$246 NT$8,019

188.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$857 NT$28.0K

201.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$720 NT$23.5K

95.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$6,314 NT$205.9K

-42.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$4,301 NT$140.2K

-50.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$2,257 NT$73.6K

-58.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

2.1

440.48%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Zhongli City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Zhongli City

$246 24.5% 65.4% $465

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Zhongli City

$308 30.7% 3.5% $11

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Zhongli City

$101 10.1% 49.1% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Zhongli City

$119 11.9% 23.4% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Zhongli City

$132 13.2% 5% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Zhongli City

$57 5.6% 21.2% $15

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Zhongli City

$41 4.1% 62.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $440 in Zhongli City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zhongli City pays about 2.4 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $30 in Zhongli City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $308 per month, with Zhongli City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇹🇼 Zhongli City

🕒 Local time

12:42 12:42 PM

02:42 2:42 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

396,453

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.41 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Mexico City Zhongli City 13,420 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

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 Zhongli City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,005 in Zhongli City, so Zhongli City is about 37% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 58% lower in Mexico City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $440 in Zhongli City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 42% less than in Zhongli City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $332 in Zhongli City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Zhongli City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.