Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malacca and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Malacca: $609 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Malacca
Learn more

Malacca Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Malacca

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$609

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $609 per month in Malacca vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

Malacca $609
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $970 per month in Malacca vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

Malacca $970
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $1,330 per month in Malacca vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

Malacca $1,330
Mexico City $3,490

Malacca is about 62% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Malacca sits 55% below the global median, while Mexico City is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.23 MYR 13.11

$10.62 MX$200

-69.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.02 MYR 73.1

$48.35 MX$909

-62.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.80 MYR 19.46

$10.35 MX$194

-53.62%

Cappuccino

$2.89 MYR 11.72

$3.69 MX$69.4

-21.68%

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

$0.79 MYR 3.18

$1.67 MX$31.32

-52.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.21

$1.27 MX$23.78

-56.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.93 MYR 7.83

$3.19 MX$60.0

-39.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 MYR 11.77

$5.31 MX$99.7

-45.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 MYR 6.74

$1.72 MX$32.41

-3.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MYR 4.27

$3.04 MX$57.1

-65.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MYR 5.99

$1.94 MX$36.48

-23.71%

Eggs

$1.68 MYR 6.81

$2.89 MX$54.3

-41.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.08 MYR 73.3

$10.97 MX$206

64.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.63 MYR 18.78

$9.25 MX$174

-49.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.55 MYR 42.76

$15.13 MX$284

-30.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 MYR 13.36

$3.05 MX$57.3

7.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.81

$1.94 MX$36.48

-13.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 MYR 9.69

$2.03 MX$38.06

17.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 MYR 6.87

$2.31 MX$43.50

-26.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 MYR 5.70

$2.04 MX$38.25

-30.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 MYR 6.72

$1.80 MX$33.83

-7.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 MYR 5.57

$1.48 MX$27.80

-7.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.25

$1.27 MX$23.82

-56.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 MYR 16.97

$5.30 MX$99.7

-21.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.21 MYR 57.6

$16.10 MX$303

-11.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 MYR 8.68

$1.98 MX$37.27

8.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 MYR 12.70

$4.25 MX$79.9

-26.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 MYR 1.93

$0.31 MX$5.73

54.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.40 MYR 50.3

$19.73 MX$371

-37.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 MYR 4.13

$1.84 MX$34.53

-44.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 MYR 2.87

$0.53 MX$10.03

33.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.09 MYR 49.02

$5.30 MX$99.5

128.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.51 MYR 2.07

$1.51 MX$28.39

-66.23%

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

$44.4K MYR 180.2K

$21.8K MX$408.8K

104.28%

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

$36.0K MYR 145.9K

$24.0K MX$450.8K

49.99%

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

$52.4 MYR 212

$63.0 MX$1,184

-16.83%

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

$11.33 MYR 45.93

$27.39 MX$515

-58.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.13 MYR 114

$35.67 MX$670

-21.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.87 MYR 88.7

$58.9 MX$1,108

-62.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.78 MYR 47.74

$23.64 MX$444

-50.17%

Cinema Ticket

$4.92 MYR 19.94

$6.40 MX$120

-23.13%

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

$237 MYR 961

$432 MX$8,111

-45.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,388 MYR 17.8K

$11.4K MX$214.7K

-61.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 MYR 219

$68.2 MX$1,282

-20.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.83 MYR 68.2

$53.1 MX$999

-68.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.9 MYR 332

$108 MX$2,026

-23.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.7 MYR 392

$117 MX$2,204

-17.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$193 MYR 782

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-82.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,179 MYR 4,780

$3,631 MX$68.2K

-67.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$794 MYR 3,218

$2,135 MX$40.1K

-62.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$416 MYR 1,686

$946 MX$17.8K

-56.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

11.35

-64.23%

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

Last update for Malacca: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Malacca

$258 42.4%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 23.6% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Malacca

$112 18.5%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 38.8% $44

Eating Out

Malacca

$96 15.7%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 108% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malacca

$92 15.1%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 37.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Malacca

$32 5.2%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 126% $40

Getting Around

Malacca

$19 3.1%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 35% $6.6

Accommodation & Living

Malacca

- * 0%

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $193 in Malacca 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 in Mexico City are about 2.3 times higher, 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 $18 in Malacca versus $48 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $320 – making Malacca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Malacca

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

21:06 9:06 PM

07:06 7:06 AM

14 h behind Malacca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

579,000

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.05 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 USD). 1 EUR = 4.52 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malacca Mexico City 16,660 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Malacca
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $609 in Malacca, $1,608 in Mexico City – Malacca comes out roughly 62% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $913 per month in Malacca 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 Malacca, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $193 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Malacca and $48 in Mexico City. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $609 in Malacca and $1,608 in Mexico City. That makes Malacca about 62% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Malacca, where all-in costs run around $609, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Malacca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City 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 $609 in Malacca to $1,608 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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