Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Belait and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $1,723 in Kuala Belait, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Belait
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Kuala Belait Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Kuala Belait

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,723

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,723 per month in Kuala Belait vs $1,567 in Mexico City, rent included.

Kuala Belait $1,723
Mexico City $1,567

A couple spends around $2,576 per month in Kuala Belait vs $2,450 in Mexico City, rent included.

Kuala Belait $2,576
Mexico City $2,450

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Kuala Belait vs $3,333 in Mexico City, rent included.

Kuala Belait $3,429
Mexico City $3,333

Kuala Belait costs about 10% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kuala Belait and Mexico City sit above the global median – Kuala Belait by 28%, Mexico City by 16%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.88 BND 10.08

$10.75 MX$199

-26.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.73 BND 59.8

$50.3 MX$929

-7.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.72 BND 9.87

$11.10 MX$205

-30.45%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 BND 2.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 BND 2.96

Cappuccino

$4.46 BND 5.70

$3.68 MX$68.1

21.20%

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

$0.94 BND 1.20

$1.65 MX$30.42

-43.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 BND 0.68

$1.30 MX$24.08

-59.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 BND 2.41

$1.77 MX$32.68

6.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 BND 3.20

$3.05 MX$56.4

-18.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 BND 2.91

$2.01 MX$37.20

12.94%

Eggs

$2.60 BND 3.33

$2.77 MX$51.1

-6.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.10 BND 24.44

$11.91 MX$220

60.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.78 BND 12.51

$9.33 MX$172

4.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.84 BND 31.79

$15.02 MX$278

65.38%

Apples (1kg)

$4.83 BND 6.18

$3.08 MX$56.8

56.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 BND 2.83

$1.95 MX$35.97

13.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.92 BND 6.29

$2.03 MX$37.54

142.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 BND 3.30

$2.21 MX$40.92

16.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 BND 2.13

$2.02 MX$37.41

-17.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.87 BND 3.67

$1.82 MX$33.67

57.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$5.47 BND 7.00

$1.52 MX$28.07

259.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BND 1.17

$1.28 MX$23.65

-28.13%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$11.69 BND 14.96

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.80 BND 7.42

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.72 BND 9.88

$5.27 MX$97.4

46.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.01 BND 5.13

$2.00 MX$36.93

100.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 BND 4.26

$0.53 MX$9.86

528.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.53 BND 14.75

$5.62 MX$104

105.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.36 BND 0.46

$1.52 MX$28.07

-76.32%

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

$30.7K BND 39.3K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

46.07%

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

$27.2K BND 34.8K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

7.90%

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

$39.35 BND 50.4

$62.5 MX$1,155

-37.03%

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

$21.71 BND 27.77

$28.77 MX$532

-24.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.4 BND 83.6

$34.45 MX$637

89.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$99.2 BND 127

$57.1 MX$1,055

73.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.92 BND 34.44

$24.81 MX$458

8.50%

Cinema Ticket

$5.56 BND 7.12

$6.67 MX$123

-16.64%

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

$214 BND 274

$431 MX$7,964

-50.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,168 BND 11.7K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

-21.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.8 BND 96.9

$70.8 MX$1,308

7.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$103 BND 132

$51.8 MX$958

99.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$154 BND 197

$109 MX$2,011

41.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.6 BND 94.2

$112 MX$2,076

-34.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$751 BND 961

$1,051 MX$19.4K

-28.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 BND 998

$665 MX$12.3K

17.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 BND 1,518

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-49.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 BND 1,520

$1,227 MX$22.7K

-3.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,363 BND 4,302

$975 MX$18.0K

245.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.88

11.3

-65.66%

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

Last update for Kuala Belait: October 13, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuala Belait

$780 45.3%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 14.7% $115

Groceries & Markets

Kuala Belait

$358 20.8%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 9.8% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Kuala Belait

$183 10.6%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 15.4% $28

Eating Out

Kuala Belait

$146 8.4%

Mexico City

$203 13% 39.5% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuala Belait

$126 7.3%

Mexico City

$126 8% 0.6% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Kuala Belait

$110 6.4%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 36.1% $40

Getting Around

Kuala Belait

$21 * 1.2%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 24.8% $5.1

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $751 in Kuala Belait versus $1,051 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 245% higher in Kuala Belait, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Kuala Belait versus $50.0 in Mexico City. Groceries tell a different story – $358 in Kuala Belait vs $323 in Mexico City – so Mexico City wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇳 Kuala Belait

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

12:20 12:20 PM

22:20 10:20 PM

14 h behind Kuala Belait

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,178

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Brunei Dollar BND $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BND = 0.782 USD

1 BND = 0.695 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to BND – Brunei Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇳 Brunei Dollar ($)

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.782 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 BND (1 BND = 0.695 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to BND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kuala Belait Mexico City 15,500 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Kuala Belait
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

Kuala Belait vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,723 in Kuala Belait, $1,567 in Mexico City – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,585 per month in Kuala Belait and $2,351 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mexico City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,723 in Kuala Belait and $1,567 in Mexico City. That's a gap of about 10%.

Kindergarten costs $214 per month in Kuala Belait and $431 in Mexico City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,567, than in Kuala Belait at $1,723. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kuala Belait it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,567 in Mexico City to $1,723 in Kuala Belait. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kuala Belait makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.