Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,274 in Mexico, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Mexico
Learn more

Mexico Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,274

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico and in China

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mexico and in China actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,274 in Mexico versus $791 in China.

Mexico $1,274
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,010 in Mexico versus $1,251 in China.

Mexico $2,010
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,746 in Mexico versus $1,711 in China.

Mexico $2,746
China $1,711

Internal cost variation is higher in Mexico: monthly costs span $730 to $2,625, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in Mexico.

Living in Mexico is roughly 61% more expensive than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Mexico 6% lower, China 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.63 MX$200

$2.98 ¥19.81

256.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.29 MX$813

$22.09 ¥147

95.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 MX$168

$5.20 ¥34.60

71.92%

Cappuccino

$3.61 MX$67.7

$2.97 ¥19.74

21.55%

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

$1.48 MX$27.70

$0.48 ¥3.19

208.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 MX$18.77

$0.30 ¥2.01

233.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 MX$50.0

$1.08 ¥7.18

147.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 MX$82.0

$2.28 ¥15.15

91.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 MX$29.76

$1.80 ¥11.96

-11.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$1.68 ¥11.15

58.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MX$31.57

$0.92 ¥6.13

82.61%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.38

$1.61 ¥10.73

56.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.79 MX$165

$13.38 ¥89.0

-34.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.97 MX$150

$3.35 ¥22.28

137.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.50 MX$216

$11.35 ¥75.5

1.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 MX$51.7

$1.82 ¥12.12

51.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.61

$1.31 ¥8.69

16.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 MX$36.70

$1.49 ¥9.89

30.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 MX$36.93

$1.27 ¥8.47

55.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.84

$0.71 ¥4.73

176.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.08

$0.93 ¥6.21

118.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 MX$26.90

$0.62 ¥4.12

130.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 MX$21.39

$0.56 ¥3.74

103.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.52 MX$84.9

$3.78 ¥25.15

19.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 MX$204

$12.13 ¥80.7

-10.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 MX$33.14

$0.83 ¥5.54

113.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$1.68 ¥11.21

89.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 MX$11.64

$0.29 ¥1.91

113.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.85 MX$560

$17.83 ¥119

67.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 MX$49.97

$1.49 ¥9.89

78.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 MX$51.0

$0.37 ¥2.49

635.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.63 MX$200

$7.10 ¥47.23

49.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 MX$26.24

$1.26 ¥8.37

11.11%

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

$24.0K MX$450.0K

$19.4K ¥129.4K

23.26%

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

$23.9K MX$449.0K

$17.5K ¥116.7K

36.38%

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

$69.2 MX$1,299

$54.6 ¥363

26.80%

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

$23.51 MX$441

$8.73 ¥58.1

169.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.00 MX$544

$11.07 ¥73.6

161.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.74 MX$652

$40.77 ¥271

-14.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.46 MX$328

$14.48 ¥96.4

20.58%

Cinema Ticket

$5.24 MX$98.5

$6.78 ¥45.12

-22.71%

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

$261 MX$4,892

$517 ¥3,437

-49.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,999 MX$112.6K

$19.8K ¥131.8K

-69.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 MX$1,048

$46.53 ¥310

20.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.58 MX$781

$35.66 ¥237

16.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.3 MX$1,809

$77.0 ¥512

25.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.1 MX$1,691

$80.3 ¥534

12.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 MX$13.4K

$386 ¥2,567

84.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$477 MX$8,954

$235 ¥1,561

103.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 MX$25.5K

$822 ¥5,469

65.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 MX$17.0K

$453 ¥3,015

99.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,597 MX$48.7K

$4,697 ¥31.3K

-44.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,565 MX$29.4K

$2,372 ¥15.8K

-34.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$773 MX$14.5K

$1,093 ¥7,274

-29.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.43

3.46

230.35%

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

Last update for Mexico: October 25, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico

$477 37.4%

China

$235 29.6% 50.8% $242

Groceries & Markets

Mexico

$267 21%

China

$210 26.5% 21.3% $57

Eating Out

Mexico

$187 14.7%

China

$88 11.1% 52.9% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico

$128 10%

China

$108 13.6% 15.7% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico

$122 9.6%

China

$74 9.4% 38.9% $47

Getting Around

Mexico

$49 3.8%

China

$22 2.8% 54% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico

$45 3.6%

China

$54 6.9% 20.1% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $624 in Mexico, $298 in China. Capital cities: $1,113 in Mexico City vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $722 in Mexico, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 109% higher in Mexico.

Dining out costs 95% more in Mexico.

Public transport is 72% more expensive in Mexico.

Salaries are 21% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

17:18 5:18 PM

07:18 7:18 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

124,777,324

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 31, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico China 12,460 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico
China

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 vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $1,274 in Mexico, China comes out about 38% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $624 in Mexico and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.