Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Xiamen and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Xiamen: $832 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Xiamen
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Xiamen Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Xiamen

🇨🇳 China

$832

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $832 in Xiamen versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Xiamen $832
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,337 in Xiamen versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Xiamen $1,337
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,842 in Xiamen versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Xiamen $1,842
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Xiamen costs roughly 48% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Xiamen is 39% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.93 ¥19.49

$10.62 MX$201

-72.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.60 ¥157

$48.35 MX$914

-51.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.52

$10.35 MX$196

-49.76%

Cappuccino

$2.57 ¥17.06

$3.69 MX$69.7

-30.35%

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

$0.47 ¥3.10

$1.67 MX$31.49

-71.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$1.27 MX$23.91

-72.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 ¥10.06

$3.19 MX$60.3

-52.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 ¥19.57

$5.31 MX$100

-44.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ¥9.76

$1.72 MX$32.59

-14.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 ¥15.14

$3.04 MX$57.4

-25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.30

$1.94 MX$36.68

-51.03%

Eggs

$1.64 ¥10.87

$2.89 MX$54.6

-43.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.02 ¥79.8

$10.97 MX$207

9.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.45 ¥16.24

$9.25 MX$175

-73.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.76 ¥78.1

$15.13 MX$286

-22.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 ¥17.16

$3.05 MX$57.6

-15.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.80

$1.94 MX$36.68

-23.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 ¥11.10

$2.03 MX$38.26

-17.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ¥13.23

$2.31 MX$43.73

-13.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.47

$2.04 MX$38.45

-52.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.04

$1.80 MX$34.01

0.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 ¥6.15

$1.48 MX$27.95

-37.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.61

$1.27 MX$23.95

-57.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.92 ¥19.36

$5.30 MX$100

-44.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.38 ¥75.6

$16.10 MX$304

-29.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.28

$1.98 MX$37.47

-60.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ¥11.55

$4.25 MX$80.3

-59.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ¥1.08

$0.31 MX$5.76

-48.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.93 ¥79.2

$19.73 MX$373

-39.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ¥9.67

$1.84 MX$34.72

-20.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.53 MX$10.08

-45.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.39 ¥49.07

$5.30 MX$100

39.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.84

$1.51 MX$28.54

-11.92%

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

$19.7K ¥131.1K

$21.8K MX$411.0K

-9.24%

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

$17.6K ¥116.7K

$24.0K MX$453.2K

-26.76%

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

$43.23 ¥287

$63.0 MX$1,190

-31.36%

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

$8.70 ¥57.8

$27.39 MX$518

-68.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.38 ¥68.9

$35.67 MX$674

-70.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.30 ¥314

$58.9 MX$1,114

-19.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.31 ¥68.5

$23.64 MX$447

-56.39%

Cinema Ticket

$10.24 ¥68.0

$6.40 MX$121

60.00%

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

$496 ¥3,297

$432 MX$8,154

15.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K ¥164.7K

$11.4K MX$215.8K

117.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.20 ¥260

$68.2 MX$1,289

-42.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.55 ¥196

$53.1 MX$1,004

-44.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 ¥710

$108 MX$2,036

-0.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.5 ¥561

$117 MX$2,216

-27.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$352 ¥2,341

$1,113 MX$21.0K

-68.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 ¥1,766

$710 MX$13.4K

-62.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$841 ¥5,587

$2,588 MX$48.9K

-67.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$544 ¥3,610

$1,406 MX$26.6K

-61.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,588 ¥57.0K

$3,631 MX$68.6K

136.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,847 ¥32.2K

$2,135 MX$40.3K

127.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,179 ¥7,833

$946 MX$17.9K

24.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

11.35

-69.52%

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

Last update for Xiamen: October 24, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Xiamen

$266 32%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 167% $445

Groceries & Markets

Xiamen

$217 26.1%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 47.4% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Xiamen

$117 14.1%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 33.2% $39

Eating Out

Xiamen

$87 10.4%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 129% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Xiamen

$68 8.2%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 5.8% $3.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Xiamen

$62 7.5%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 102% $64

Getting Around

Xiamen

$15 1.9%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 64.6% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $352 in Xiamen and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Xiamen pays 25% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $24 in Xiamen vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $217 vs $320 per month, with Xiamen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Xiamen

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

03:19 3:19 AM

13:19 1:19 PM

14 h behind Xiamen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,531,000

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.151 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100 MXN = 5.29 USD

100 MXN = 4.73 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.151 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 18.89 MXN (100 MXN = 5.29 USD). 1 EUR = 21.13 MXN (100 MXN = 4.73 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Xiamen Mexico City 13,680 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Xiamen
Mexico 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

Xiamen vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $832 in Xiamen and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Xiamen is about 48% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 25% higher in Xiamen, 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: $352 in Xiamen versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Xiamen runs roughly 40% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $496 in Xiamen versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $832 in Xiamen versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Xiamen but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Xiamen 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 Xiamen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.