Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Cheras

For one person, living is cheaper in Cheras: $1,139 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Cheras
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Cheras Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Cheras

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,139

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $1,139 in Cheras, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Cheras $1,139

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,560 in Cheras, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Cheras $1,560

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $1,982 in Cheras, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Cheras $1,982

Mexico City costs about 41% more than Cheras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Cheras is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$3.61 MYR 14.65

194.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$24.03 MYR 97.4

101.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$5.02 MYR 20.33

106.18%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$2.99 MYR 12.11

23.41%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$0.91 MYR 3.69

83.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$0.57 MYR 2.31

122.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$4.33 MYR 17.54

-26.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$6.32 MYR 25.61

-15.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.89 MYR 7.65

-8.99%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.07 MYR 4.34

184.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.49 MYR 6.04

30.20%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$1.78 MYR 7.23

62.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$18.03 MYR 73.1

-39.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$4.56 MYR 18.49

102.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$10.89 MYR 44.16

38.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$3.58 MYR 14.51

-14.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.86 MYR 7.54

4.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$2.63 MYR 10.68

-22.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$1.67 MYR 6.77

38.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$2.08 MYR 8.43

-1.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$1.65 MYR 6.70

9.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$1.33 MYR 5.40

11.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.50 MYR 2.04

154.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$4.30 MYR 17.45

23.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$14.15 MYR 57.4

13.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$2.66 MYR 10.76

-25.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$3.15 MYR 12.76

34.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.76 MYR 3.09

-59.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$12.45 MYR 50.5

58.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$0.94 MYR 3.82

95.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$0.36 MYR 1.45

47.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$9.17 MYR 37.20

-42.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$0.86 MYR 3.51

75.58%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$45.0K MYR 182.6K

-51.71%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$35.8K MYR 145.2K

-33.04%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$49.55 MYR 201

27.10%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$10.91 MYR 44.24

151.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$27.88 MYR 113

27.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$52.1 MYR 211

13.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$6.66 MYR 26.98

254.95%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$4.99 MYR 20.25

28.26%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$164 MYR 664

163.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$4,411 MYR 17.9K

158.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$53.6 MYR 217

27.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$30.08 MYR 122

76.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$81.9 MYR 332

31.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$97.3 MYR 394

20.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$386 MYR 1,566

188.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$463 MYR 1,877

53.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$666 MYR 2,700

288.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$490 MYR 1,985

187.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$2,001 MYR 8,114

81.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$1,081 MYR 4,380

97.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$1,161 MYR 4,706

-18.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

4.06

179.56%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cheras: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Cheras

$463 40.6% 34.8% $248

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Cheras

$269 23.6% 15.8% $51

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Cheras

$120 10.5% 39.6% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Cheras

$118 10.4% 24.1% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Cheras

$88 7.8% 29.9% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Cheras

$62 5.5% 13.5% $9.7

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Cheras

$18 1.6% 28.4% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $386 in Cheras. 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 23% higher in Cheras, 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 $24 in Cheras. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $269 – making Cheras the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇾 Cheras

🕒 Local time

19:46 7:46 PM

09:46 9:46 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

440,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 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 = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.05 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Cheras 16,630 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Cheras

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 Cheras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 41%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $1,708 in Cheras. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cheras, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $386 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City and $24 in Cheras. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cheras, where all-in costs run around $1,139, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Cheras it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Cheras is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 29% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.