Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Bandar Seri Begawan

For one person, living is cheaper in Bandar Seri Begawan: $1,215 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Bandar Seri Begawan
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Bandar Seri Begawan Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Bandar Seri Begawan

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Bandar Seri Begawan

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 Bandar Seri Begawan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $1,215 in Bandar Seri Begawan, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Bandar Seri Begawan $1,215

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,756 in Bandar Seri Begawan, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Bandar Seri Begawan $1,756

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $2,296 in Bandar Seri Begawan, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Bandar Seri Begawan $2,296

Mexico City costs about 32% more than Bandar Seri Begawan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Bandar Seri Begawan is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$3.93 BND 5.03

170.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$27.87 BND 35.73

73.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$6.14 BND 7.87

68.57%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 BND 2.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 BND 3.03

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$4.01 BND 5.14

-7.98%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$0.95 BND 1.22

75.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$0.53 BND 0.68

139.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.89 BND 2.42

-8.99%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$1.76 BND 2.25

72.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.19 BND 1.52

63.03%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$2.09 BND 2.68

38.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$9.18 BND 11.77

19.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$4.61 BND 5.91

100.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$10.69 BND 13.70

41.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$3.14 BND 4.02

-2.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$2.22 BND 2.84

-12.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$2.84 BND 3.64

-28.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$2.58 BND 3.31

-10.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$1.67 BND 2.15

22.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$1.99 BND 2.55

-9.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$3.63 BND 4.65

-59.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.92 BND 1.18

38.04%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$23.60 BND 30.25

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.34 BND 4.28

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$15.44 BND 19.79

-65.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$0.81 BND 1.04

-61.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$23.46 BND 30.08

-15.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$3.98 BND 5.11

-53.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$3.39 BND 4.34

-84.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$11.48 BND 14.71

-53.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$0.43 BND 0.55

251.16%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$43.6K BND 55.8K

-50.06%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$36.1K BND 46.3K

-33.63%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$61.3 BND 78.6

2.67%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$21.81 BND 27.96

25.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$66.1 BND 84.8

-46.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$46.25 BND 59.3

27.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$7.12 BND 9.13

232.02%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$5.62 BND 7.20

13.88%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$220 BND 282

96.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$9,743 BND 12.5K

17.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$77.1 BND 98.8

-11.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$95.5 BND 122

-44.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$102 BND 131

5.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$73.2 BND 93.8

60.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$726 BND 931

53.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$481 BND 616

47.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$1,159 BND 1,486

123.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$681 BND 873

106.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$3,076 BND 3,943

18.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$2,232 BND 2,861

-4.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$1,745 BND 2,237

-45.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

3.88

192.53%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bandar Seri Begawan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$481 39.6% 32.3% $230

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$220 18.1% 31.1% $100

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$104 8.6% 47.7% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$156 12.9% 0.4% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$149 12.3% 18.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$57 4.7% 19.9% $14

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$48 3.9% 87.1% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $726 in Bandar Seri Begawan. 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 84% higher in Bandar Seri Begawan, 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 $48 in Mexico City versus $28 in Bandar Seri Begawan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $220 – making Bandar Seri Begawan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇳 Bandar Seri Begawan

🕒 Local time

18:18 6:18 PM

08:18 8:18 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

50,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brunei Dollar BND $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 BND = 0.78 USD

1 BND = 0.701 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BND, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.78 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 BND (1 BND = 0.701 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Bandar Seri Begawan 15,410 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Bandar Seri Begawan

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 Bandar Seri Begawan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $1,823 in Bandar Seri Begawan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bandar Seri Begawan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $726 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,215 in Bandar Seri Begawan. That makes Bandar Seri Begawan about 24% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 16% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bandar Seri Begawan, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Bandar Seri Begawan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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