Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Bintulu

For one person, living is cheaper in Bintulu: $852 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Bintulu
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Bintulu Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Bintulu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Bintulu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $852 in Bintulu.

Mexico City $1,674
Bintulu $852

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,331 in Bintulu.

Mexico City $2,606
Bintulu $1,331

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $1,810 in Bintulu.

Mexico City $3,537
Bintulu $1,810

Living in Mexico City is roughly 96% more expensive than in Bintulu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Bintulu is 37% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$4.02 MYR 16.34

163.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$18.75 MYR 76.2

177.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$5.74 MYR 23.30

86.93%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.7

$2.89 MYR 11.76

31.49%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$0.68 MYR 2.77

136.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$0.38 MYR 1.53

218.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$2.99 MYR 12.13

6.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$5.19 MYR 21.09

4.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$2.10 MYR 8.54

-18.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$1.43 MYR 5.80

107.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$1.32 MYR 5.37

46.21%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$2.21 MYR 8.96

25.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$17.39 MYR 70.6

-32.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$3.59 MYR 14.59

164.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$5.95 MYR 24.16

158.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$1.76 MYR 7.15

76.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$1.00 MYR 4.05

96.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$1.71 MYR 6.93

15.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$1.12 MYR 4.56

108.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$0.55 MYR 2.24

267.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$1.19 MYR 4.85

52.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$0.75 MYR 3.04

105.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$0.45 MYR 1.81

191.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$4.11 MYR 16.70

30.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$19.47 MYR 79.1

-16.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$3.02 MYR 12.28

-35.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$2.00 MYR 8.12

117.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$1.26 MYR 5.13

-76.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

$16.05 MYR 65.2

21.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$0.95 MYR 3.88

102.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$0.82 MYR 3.32

-42.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$2.51 MYR 10.18

115.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$0.66 MYR 2.70

124.24%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$44.8K MYR 181.9K

-52.29%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$39.9K MYR 161.9K

-40.39%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$59.5 MYR 242

4.20%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$31.54 MYR 128

-9.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$30.82 MYR 125

10.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$68.5 MYR 278

-14.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

$12.11 MYR 49.17

102.31%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$4.51 MYR 18.32

46.12%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$125 MYR 507

247.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$7,487 MYR 30.4K

87.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$65.4 MYR 266

4.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$35.43 MYR 144

54.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$78.3 MYR 318

41.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,159

$92.1 MYR 374

25.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$224 MYR 909

426.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$156 MYR 634

394.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$474 MYR 1,927

441.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$335 MYR 1,361

323.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

$1,775 MYR 7,211

101.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

$1,172 MYR 4,760

76.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

$613 MYR 2,489

63.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

4.5

152.22%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bintulu: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Bintulu

$156 18.3% 79.8% $615

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Bintulu

$235 27.6% 27.4% $89

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Bintulu

$114 13.3% 43.3% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Bintulu

$122 14.3% 22.5% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Bintulu

$122 14.3% 2.2% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Bintulu

$78 9.1% 8.3% $6

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Bintulu

$26 3.1% 4.6% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $224 in Bintulu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 64% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $19 in Bintulu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $235 per month, with Bintulu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇾 Bintulu

🕒 Local time

11:36 11:36 AM

01:36 1:36 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

240,172

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 4.06 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.55 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Bintulu 15,690 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Bintulu

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 Bintulu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bintulu wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bintulu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 64% higher in Mexico City, 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: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $224 in Bintulu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,674 per month in Mexico City versus $852 in Bintulu – Bintulu is about 49% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Bintulu runs roughly 18% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Bintulu is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Bintulu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.