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Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Mexico City Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Mexico City

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Shanghai is 24.1% cheaper than Mexico City without rent, and 18.7% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Shanghai is 24.6% cheaper than Mexico City without rent, and 13.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Shanghai
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.77 ยฅ33.30
$13.19 MX$233
-63.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.92 ยฅ251
$53.5 MX$944
-32.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.45 ยฅ38.01
$9.37 MX$165
-41.84%
Cappuccino
$3.42 ยฅ23.89
$3.75 MX$66.2
-8.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.58 ยฅ4.07
$1.57 MX$27.71
-63.06%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.34 ยฅ2.35
$1.11 MX$19.61
-69.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.42 ยฅ9.91
$3.12 MX$55.1
-54.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.80 ยฅ19.56
$4.81 MX$84.9
-41.79%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Shanghai
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.09 ยฅ14.59
$1.65 MX$29.16
26.67%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 ยฅ12.92
$2.77 MX$48.87
-33.21%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.10 ยฅ7.66
$1.91 MX$33.67
-42.41%
Eggs
$1.60 ยฅ11.20
$2.60 MX$45.81
-38.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.28 ยฅ107
$10.21 MX$180
49.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.08 ยฅ21.53
$8.46 MX$149
-63.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.85 ยฅ75.8
$11.60 MX$205
-6.47%
Apples (1kg)
$2.33 ยฅ16.30
$3.00 MX$52.9
-22.33%
Banana (1kg)
$1.77 ยฅ12.35
$1.73 MX$30.49
2.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.78 ยฅ12.42
$2.04 MX$36.05
-12.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.47 ยฅ10.28
$2.00 MX$35.34
-26.50%
Potato (1kg)
$0.81 ยฅ5.64
$2.15 MX$37.91
-62.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.16 ยฅ8.10
$2.25 MX$39.71
-48.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.63 ยฅ4.37
$1.39 MX$24.57
-54.68%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.60 ยฅ4.17
$1.07 MX$18.88
-43.93%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.77 ยฅ19.35
$4.13 MX$73.0
-32.93%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.49 ยฅ80.2
$12.35 MX$218
-6.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.84 ยฅ5.86
$1.70 MX$30.02
-50.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.61 ยฅ11.27
$3.56 MX$62.8
-54.78%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Shanghai
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.40 ยฅ2.79
$0.36 MX$6.35
11.11%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$34.13 ยฅ238
$18.70 MX$330
82.51%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.29 ยฅ15.98
$1.36 MX$24.05
68.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.38 ยฅ2.63
$0.28 MX$4.88
35.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.32 ยฅ58.1
$5.44 MX$96.0
52.94%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 ยฅ8.00
$1.34 MX$23.64
-14.18%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.7K ยฅ137.2K
$19.0K MX$335.5K
3.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.3K ยฅ127.5K
$23.3K MX$411.1K
-21.58%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shanghai
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$52.1 ยฅ363
$40.62 MX$717
28.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.79 ยฅ61.3
$26.92 MX$475
-67.35%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.87 ยฅ96.8
$29.98 MX$529
-53.74%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Shanghai
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.42 ยฅ324
$52.2 MX$922
-11.09%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.78 ยฅ138
$25.91 MX$457
-23.66%
Cinema Ticket
$8.28 ยฅ57.8
$6.39 MX$113
29.58%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Shanghai
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,297 ยฅ9,056
$431 MX$7,603
201.19%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$30.9K ยฅ215.7K
$10.4K MX$184.0K
196.32%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Shanghai
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.8 ยฅ417
$58.4 MX$1,031
2.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.03 ยฅ265
$44.65 MX$788
-14.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.5 ยฅ541
$103 MX$1,823
-25.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$99.3 ยฅ693
$106 MX$1,876
-6.57%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Shanghai
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$944 ยฅ6,591
$998 MX$17.6K
-5.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$570 ยฅ3,981
$624 MX$11.0K
-8.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,460 ยฅ17.2K
$2,108 MX$37.2K
16.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,204 ยฅ8,401
$1,231 MX$21.7K
-2.25%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$14.2K ยฅ99.5K
$3,647 MX$64.4K
290.75%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,080 ยฅ49.4K
$2,169 MX$38.3K
226.36%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Shanghai
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,632 ยฅ11.4K
$1,044 MX$18.4K
56.32%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.58
11.34
-68.43%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Shanghai: January 10, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
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