Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Jambi

For one person, living is cheaper in Jambi: $614 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Jambi
Learn more

Jambi Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Jambi

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $614 in Jambi.

Mexico City $1,608
Jambi $614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $977 in Jambi.

Mexico City $2,549
Jambi $977

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,340 in Jambi.

Mexico City $3,490
Jambi $1,340

Living in Mexico City is roughly 162% more expensive than in Jambi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Jambi is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$1.50 Rp 27.2K

608.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$900

$12.18 Rp 221.0K

296.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$2.82 Rp 51.1K

267.02%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$1.32 Rp 24.0K

179.55%

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

$1.67 MX$31.03

$0.43 Rp 7,726

288.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.56

$0.17 Rp 3,132

647.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.4

$2.11 Rp 38.4K

51.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.8

$3.51 Rp 63.7K

51.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.11

$1.18 Rp 21.4K

45.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$1.02 Rp 18.5K

198.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.14

$0.86 Rp 15.7K

125.58%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.47 Rp 26.6K

96.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$8.08 Rp 146.7K

35.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

240.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$7.31 Rp 132.7K

106.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

36.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.14

$1.29 Rp 23.5K

50.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.70

$1.57 Rp 28.5K

29.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.09

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

94.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.88

$1.20 Rp 21.8K

70.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.51

$1.96 Rp 35.5K

-8.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.54

$0.88 Rp 16.0K

68.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.60

$0.43 Rp 7,797

195.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$2.67 Rp 48.4K

98.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$22.44 Rp 407.1K

-28.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.92

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

7.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$2.87 Rp 52.0K

48.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

$0.26 Rp 4,705

19.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$367

$11.33 Rp 205.6K

74.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.21

$0.50 Rp 8,984

268.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.93

$0.31 Rp 5,593

70.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.6

$3.02 Rp 54.8K

75.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.12

$1.02 Rp 18.4K

48.04%

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

$21.8K MX$405.0K

$23.0K Rp 416.6M

-5.25%

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

$24.0K MX$446.5K

$36.3K Rp 658.0M

-33.86%

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

$63.0 MX$1,172

$73.6 Rp 1.3M

-14.42%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$3.81 Rp 69.2K

618.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$17.48 Rp 317.2K

104.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,097

$15.36 Rp 278.8K

283.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$440

$8.55 Rp 155.2K

176.49%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$2.71 Rp 49.2K

136.16%

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

$432 MX$8,035

$86.2 Rp 1.6M

400.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.7K

$8,342 Rp 151.4M

36.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,270

$42.73 Rp 775.3K

59.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$989

$31.73 Rp 575.7K

67.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,006

$72.4 Rp 1.3M

48.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,183

$66.6 Rp 1.2M

76.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$215 Rp 3.9M

418.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$134 Rp 2.4M

431.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$567 Rp 10.3M

356.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$349 Rp 6.3M

302.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

$1,148 Rp 20.8M

216.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.7K

$759 Rp 13.8M

181.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$198 Rp 3.6M

376.81%

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 Jambi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Jambi

$134 21.7% 81.2% $577

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Jambi

$198 32.3% 37.9% $121

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Jambi

$56 9.2% 71.6% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Jambi

$96 15.6% 38.4% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Jambi

$95 15.5% 24.7% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Jambi

$21 3.4% 71% $51

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Jambi

$14 2.3% 43.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $215 in Jambi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 4.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $12 in Jambi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $198 per month, with Jambi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇩 Jambi

🕒 Local time

12:21 12:21 PM

01:21 1:21 AM

13 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

750,857

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 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 October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 18.62 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,229 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Jambi 16,850 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Jambi

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 Jambi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Jambi differ by about 162% in total monthly costs ($1,608 vs $614 including rent). Jambi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 4.8 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 $215 in Jambi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $614 in Jambi – a 162% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Jambi runs roughly 43% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $614 in Jambi versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Jambi but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Jambi 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 Jambi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.