Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alor Setar and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Alor Setar: $868 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Alor Setar
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Alor Setar Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Alor Setar

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$868

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $868 per month in Alor Setar vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

Alor Setar $868
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $1,310 per month in Alor Setar vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

Alor Setar $1,310
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $1,752 per month in Alor Setar vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

Alor Setar $1,752
Mexico City $3,490

Alor Setar is about 46% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Alor Setar sits 36% below the global median, while Mexico City is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.06 MYR 8.38

$10.62 MX$198

-80.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.28 MYR 50.0

$48.35 MX$901

-74.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 MYR 16.65

$10.35 MX$193

-60.48%

Cappuccino

$1.92 MYR 7.84

$3.69 MX$68.8

-47.97%

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

$0.54 MYR 2.18

$1.67 MX$31.07

-67.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 MYR 1.23

$1.27 MX$23.59

-76.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 MYR 16.71

$3.19 MX$59.5

28.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 MYR 18.42

$5.31 MX$98.9

-14.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 MYR 6.56

$1.72 MX$32.15

-6.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.85 MYR 3.47

$3.04 MX$56.7

-72.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 MYR 7.11

$1.94 MX$36.19

-9.79%

Eggs

$1.53 MYR 6.22

$2.89 MX$53.8

-47.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.63 MYR 55.5

$10.97 MX$205

24.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 MYR 17.62

$9.25 MX$172

-53.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.47 MYR 34.51

$15.13 MX$282

-44.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 MYR 12.50

$3.05 MX$56.8

0.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$1.94 MX$36.19

-38.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 MYR 10.61

$2.03 MX$37.75

28.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 5.98

$2.31 MX$43.15

-36.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 MYR 4.32

$2.04 MX$37.94

-48.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 MYR 4.38

$1.80 MX$33.55

-40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 MYR 4.45

$1.48 MX$27.58

-26.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.33

$1.27 MX$23.63

-55.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 MYR 18.13

$5.30 MX$98.9

-16.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.90 MYR 77.0

$16.10 MX$300

17.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 MYR 12.15

$1.98 MX$36.97

50.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 MYR 21.11

$4.25 MX$79.3

21.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.84

$0.31 MX$5.69

125.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.69 MYR 51.7

$19.73 MX$368

-35.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 MYR 7.03

$1.84 MX$34.25

-5.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 MYR 1.66

$0.53 MX$9.94

-22.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.38 MYR 30.09

$5.30 MX$98.7

39.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 MYR 1.99

$1.51 MX$28.16

-67.55%

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

$45.3K MYR 184.5K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

108.15%

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

$35.8K MYR 146.1K

$24.0K MX$447.1K

49.45%

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

$37.81 MYR 154

$63.0 MX$1,174

-39.97%

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

$7.47 MYR 30.44

$27.39 MX$511

-72.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.90 MYR 89.3

$35.67 MX$665

-38.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.64 MYR 153

$58.9 MX$1,099

-36.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.37 MYR 25.95

$23.64 MX$441

-73.05%

Cinema Ticket

$4.83 MYR 19.68

$6.40 MX$119

-24.53%

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

$396 MYR 1,615

$432 MX$8,045

-8.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K MYR 43.6K

$11.4K MX$212.9K

-6.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.6 MYR 243

$68.2 MX$1,272

-12.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.76 MYR 146

$53.1 MX$990

-32.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.7 MYR 333

$108 MX$2,009

-24.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.9 MYR 281

$117 MX$2,186

-41.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$421 MYR 1,713

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-62.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 MYR 1,197

$710 MX$13.2K

-58.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$653 MYR 2,660

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-74.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$532 MYR 2,167

$1,406 MX$26.2K

-62.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,256 MYR 9,193

$3,631 MX$67.7K

-37.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,157 MYR 4,712

$2,135 MX$39.8K

-45.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 MYR 6,519

$946 MX$17.6K

69.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

11.35

-64.41%

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

Last update for Alor Setar: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alor Setar

$294 33.8%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 142% $417

Groceries & Markets

Alor Setar

$245 28.3%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 30.2% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Alor Setar

$111 12.8%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 40.8% $45

Eating Out

Alor Setar

$85 9.8%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 135% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alor Setar

$67 7.7%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 87.6% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Alor Setar

$47 5.5%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 51.7% $24

Getting Around

Alor Setar

$19 2.2%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 32.3% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $421 in Alor Setar versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 69% higher in Alor Setar, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12 in Alor Setar versus $48 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $245 vs $320 – making Alor Setar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Alor Setar

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

04:36 4:36 AM

14:36 2:36 PM

14 h behind Alor Setar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

423,868

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Alor Setar Mexico City 16,460 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Alor Setar
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

Alor Setar vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City costs about 85% more than Alor Setar, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,303 per month in Alor Setar and $2,412 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alor Setar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $421 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Kindergarten costs $396 per month in Alor Setar and $432 in Mexico City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $868 in Alor Setar and $1,608 in Mexico City. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Alor Setar – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Alor Setar is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 46% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.