Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Zhubei City

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhubei City: $1,029 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Zhubei City
Learn more

Zhubei City Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Zhubei City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,029

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Zhubei 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 Zhubei City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,029 in Zhubei City.

Mexico City $1,608
Zhubei City $1,029

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,814 in Zhubei City.

Mexico City $2,549
Zhubei City $1,814

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,599 in Zhubei City.

Mexico City $3,490
Zhubei City $2,599

Living in Mexico City is roughly 56% more expensive than in Zhubei City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Zhubei City is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$4.73 NT$154

124.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$27.28 NT$890

77.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$5.11 NT$167

102.54%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$2.79 NT$90.8

32.26%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$0.91 NT$29.51

83.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$0.57 NT$18.62

122.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$1.86 NT$60.7

71.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$2.20 NT$71.9

141.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$2.76 NT$90.1

-37.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.77 NT$57.8

71.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$4.50 NT$147

-56.89%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$2.74 NT$89.3

5.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$24.58 NT$801

-55.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$8.13 NT$265

13.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$24.77 NT$808

-38.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$4.08 NT$133

-25.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$2.44 NT$79.5

-20.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$2.73 NT$88.9

-25.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$3.31 NT$108

-30.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$3.05 NT$99.4

-33.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$2.02 NT$65.7

-10.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$1.97 NT$64.3

-24.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$1.32 NT$43.00

-3.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$3.94 NT$129

34.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$9.10 NT$297

76.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$1.41 NT$45.88

40.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$2.25 NT$73.5

88.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.59 NT$19.18

-47.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$3.08 NT$101

-40.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$0.59 NT$19.10

-10.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$9.28 NT$302

-42.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$1.02 NT$33.33

48.04%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$33.2K NT$1.1M

-34.57%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$24.0K NT$783.2K

-0.15%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$98.5 NT$3,211

-36.05%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$18.80 NT$613

45.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$22.96 NT$749

55.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$31.27 NT$1,019

88.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$9.95 NT$325

-35.68%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$642 NT$20.9K

-32.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$16.5K NT$537.1K

-30.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$56.1 NT$1,830

21.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$30.46 NT$993

74.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$89.7 NT$2,926

20.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$98.4 NT$3,207

19.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$495 NT$16.1K

124.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$208 NT$6,773

242.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$1,060 NT$34.6K

144.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$776 NT$25.3K

81.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$15.8K NT$514.7K

-77.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$9,406 NT$306.7K

-77.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$2,393 NT$78.0K

-60.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

2.4

372.92%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Zhubei City: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Zhubei City

$208 20.2% 70.8% $503

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Zhubei City

$392 38.1% 22.7% $73

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Zhubei City

$106 10.3% 46.5% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Zhubei City

$124 12% 20.7% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Zhubei City

$140 13.6% 11.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Zhubei City

$51 5% 28.7% $21

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Zhubei City

$8.4 * 0.8% 67.1% $17

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 $1,113 in Mexico City and $495 in Zhubei City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zhubei City pays about 2.5 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 $27 in Zhubei City. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $392, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇹🇼 Zhubei City

🕒 Local time

01:10 1:10 AM

15:10 3:10 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

211,746

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Zhubei City 13,450 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Zhubei City

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 Zhubei City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,029 in Zhubei City, so Zhubei City is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 60% 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 $495 in Zhubei City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $642 in Zhubei City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Zhubei City – a meal for two runs $27 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Zhubei City is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.