Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Bukit Mertajam

For one person, living is cheaper in Bukit Mertajam: $621 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Bukit Mertajam
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Bukit Mertajam Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Bukit Mertajam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Bukit Mertajam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $621 in Bukit Mertajam.

Mexico City $1,608
Bukit Mertajam $621

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $976 in Bukit Mertajam.

Mexico City $2,549
Bukit Mertajam $976

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,331 in Bukit Mertajam.

Mexico City $3,490
Bukit Mertajam $1,331

Living in Mexico City is roughly 159% more expensive than in Bukit Mertajam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Bukit Mertajam is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$1.91 MYR 7.79

456.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$906

$20.97 MYR 85.4

130.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$3.98 MYR 16.21

160.05%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.2

$3.14 MYR 12.77

17.52%

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

$1.67 MX$31.23

$0.69 MYR 2.82

142.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.71

$0.45 MYR 1.85

182.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.8

$4.51 MYR 18.35

-29.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.5

$6.26 MYR 25.48

-15.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.66 MYR 6.76

3.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.0

$1.12 MYR 4.56

171.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$1.95 MYR 7.94

-0.51%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.1

$2.55 MYR 10.37

13.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$13.83 MYR 56.3

-20.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$4.41 MYR 17.96

109.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$9.98 MYR 40.64

51.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.1

$3.39 MYR 13.79

-10.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$1.76 MYR 7.16

10.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.95

$2.26 MYR 9.21

-10.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.38

$1.55 MYR 6.31

49.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.14

$1.27 MYR 5.15

60.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.73

$1.38 MYR 5.60

30.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.72

$1.12 MYR 4.55

32.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.75

$0.67 MYR 2.72

89.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$4.45 MYR 18.11

19.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$19.54 MYR 79.5

-17.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.16

$3.42 MYR 13.91

-42.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.7

$5.08 MYR 20.70

-16.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.72

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$370

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.44

$1.24 MYR 5.03

48.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.00

$1.19 MYR 4.86

-55.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.2

$4.95 MYR 20.16

7.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.31

$0.81 MYR 3.31

86.42%

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

$21.8K MX$407.7K

$43.9K MYR 178.5K

-50.40%

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

$24.0K MX$449.5K

$35.5K MYR 144.5K

-32.45%

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

$63.0 MX$1,180

$63.1 MYR 257

-0.16%

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

$27.39 MX$513

$8.54 MYR 34.76

220.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$668

$26.67 MYR 109

33.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,105

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$5.00 MYR 20.36

28.00%

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

$432 MX$8,088

$249 MYR 1,013

73.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.1K

$13.1K MYR 53.5K

-13.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,278

$70.5 MYR 287

-3.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$996

$41.35 MYR 168

28.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,020

$86.7 MYR 353

24.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,198

$95.0 MYR 387

23.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

$572 MYR 2,330

65.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

4.17

172.18%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bukit Mertajam: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Bukit Mertajam

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Bukit Mertajam

$269 43.3% 15.8% $51

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Bukit Mertajam

$105 16.8% 47.4% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Bukit Mertajam

$132 21.3% 15.2% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Bukit Mertajam

$98 15.8% 22% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Bukit Mertajam

$10 * 1.6% 86% $62

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Bukit Mertajam

$7.2 * 1.2% 71.7% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

Mexico City pays 65% 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: $48 in Mexico City vs $21 in Bukit Mertajam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $269 per month, with Bukit Mertajam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇾 Bukit Mertajam

🕒 Local time

13:10 1:10 PM

03:10 3:10 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

212,329

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Bukit Mertajam 16,520 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Bukit Mertajam

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 Bukit Mertajam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $621 in Bukit Mertajam, so Bukit Mertajam is about 61% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 65% 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $621 in Bukit Mertajam – Bukit Mertajam is about 61% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $621 in Bukit Mertajam versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bukit Mertajam but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Bukit Mertajam 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.

It comes down to priorities – Bukit Mertajam wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.