Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Balikpapan

For one person, living is cheaper in Balikpapan: $669 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Balikpapan
Learn more

Balikpapan Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Balikpapan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$669

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $669 in Balikpapan.

Mexico City $1,608
Balikpapan $669

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,057 in Balikpapan.

Mexico City $2,549
Balikpapan $1,057

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,444 in Balikpapan.

Mexico City $3,490
Balikpapan $1,444

Living in Mexico City is roughly 140% more expensive than in Balikpapan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Balikpapan is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$197

$1.40 Rp 25.4K

658.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$898

$10.88 Rp 197.7K

344.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$192

$3.02 Rp 54.8K

242.72%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.5

$1.34 Rp 24.4K

175.37%

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

$1.67 MX$30.95

$0.35 Rp 6,320

377.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.50

$0.39 Rp 7,034

225.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.3

$2.25 Rp 40.8K

41.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.6

$3.51 Rp 63.7K

51.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.03

$1.13 Rp 20.5K

52.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.5

$1.05 Rp 19.1K

189.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.05

$1.17 Rp 21.3K

65.81%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.6

$2.43 Rp 44.1K

18.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$7.14 Rp 129.7K

53.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$2.98 Rp 54.1K

210.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$281

$8.63 Rp 156.8K

75.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.6

$2.18 Rp 39.6K

39.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.05

$1.31 Rp 23.7K

48.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.61

$1.54 Rp 28.0K

31.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.99

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

94.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.79

$1.20 Rp 21.8K

70.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.43

$1.95 Rp 35.5K

-7.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.47

$0.84 Rp 15.3K

76.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.54

$0.72 Rp 13.0K

76.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.5

$1.78 Rp 32.2K

197.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$299

$21.12 Rp 383.5K

-23.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.83

$1.79 Rp 32.6K

10.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.0

$2.98 Rp 54.0K

42.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.67

$0.23 Rp 4,151

34.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$367

$11.50 Rp 208.8K

71.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.13

$1.11 Rp 20.2K

65.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.91

$0.29 Rp 5,189

82.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.3

$2.81 Rp 51.0K

88.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.05

$0.75 Rp 13.7K

101.33%

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

$21.8K MX$404.0K

$23.2K Rp 420.9M

-6.13%

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

$24.0K MX$445.4K

$31.4K Rp 570.2M

-23.60%

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

$63.0 MX$1,170

$64.1 Rp 1.2M

-1.78%

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

$27.39 MX$509

$4.19 Rp 76.1K

553.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$662

$29.48 Rp 535.4K

21.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,095

$23.84 Rp 432.9K

147.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$439

$8.27 Rp 150.3K

185.85%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$2.82 Rp 51.3K

126.95%

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

$432 MX$8,015

$91.6 Rp 1.7M

371.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.1K

$9,145 Rp 166.1M

24.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,267

$37.81 Rp 686.7K

80.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$987

$18.66 Rp 338.9K

184.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,002

$140 Rp 2.5M

-23.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,178

$70.6 Rp 1.3M

66.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$197 Rp 3.6M

465.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$143 Rp 2.6M

396.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.1K

$559 Rp 10.2M

362.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.1K

$362 Rp 6.6M

288.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.4K

$1,323 Rp 24.0M

174.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.6K

$777 Rp 14.1M

174.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$238 Rp 4.3M

298.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

9.46

19.98%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Balikpapan: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Balikpapan

$143 21.4% 79.8% $567

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Balikpapan

$206 30.8% 35.6% $114

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Balikpapan

$58 8.6% 71% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Balikpapan

$120 18% 22.9% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Balikpapan

$98 14.6% 22.4% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Balikpapan

$29 4.4% 58.9% $42

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Balikpapan

$15 2.2% 41.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $197 in Balikpapan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $11 in Balikpapan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $206 per month, with Balikpapan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇩 Balikpapan

🕒 Local time

23:50 11:50 PM

13:50 1:50 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

701,066

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18,161 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,355 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Mexico City Balikpapan 15,610 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
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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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $669 in Balikpapan, so Balikpapan is about 58% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 4 times higher, 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $197 in Balikpapan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Balikpapan runs roughly 42% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $92 in Balikpapan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $669 in Balikpapan versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Balikpapan but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Balikpapan 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 Balikpapan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.