Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Johor Bahru

For one person, living is cheaper in Johor Bahru: $1,080 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Johor Bahru
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Johor Bahru Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Johor Bahru

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,080

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Johor Bahru

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,080 in Johor Bahru.

Mexico City $1,608
Johor Bahru $1,080

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,611 in Johor Bahru.

Mexico City $2,549
Johor Bahru $1,611

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,141 in Johor Bahru.

Mexico City $3,490
Johor Bahru $2,141

Living in Mexico City is roughly 49% more expensive than in Johor Bahru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Johor Bahru is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$3.57 MYR 14.52

197.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$906

$18.54 MYR 75.5

160.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$5.03 MYR 20.47

105.77%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.2

$3.00 MYR 12.20

23.00%

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

$1.67 MX$31.23

$0.85 MYR 3.45

96.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.71

$0.56 MYR 2.30

126.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.8

$4.54 MYR 18.48

-29.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.5

$6.27 MYR 25.50

-15.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.70 MYR 6.92

1.18%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.0

$1.05 MYR 4.28

189.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$1.42 MYR 5.77

36.62%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.1

$1.73 MYR 7.03

67.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$18.23 MYR 74.2

-39.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$4.57 MYR 18.60

102.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$10.51 MYR 42.77

43.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.1

$3.28 MYR 13.37

-7.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$1.74 MYR 7.09

11.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.95

$3.91 MYR 15.93

-48.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.38

$1.64 MYR 6.67

40.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.14

$1.41 MYR 5.72

44.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.73

$1.65 MYR 6.70

9.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.72

$1.37 MYR 5.56

8.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.75

$0.56 MYR 2.26

126.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$4.19 MYR 17.05

26.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$14.20 MYR 57.8

13.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.16

$2.92 MYR 11.90

-32.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.7

$3.03 MYR 12.32

40.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.72

$0.70 MYR 2.83

-55.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$370

$12.36 MYR 50.3

59.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.44

$0.94 MYR 3.84

95.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.00

$0.75 MYR 3.07

-29.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.2

$9.95 MYR 40.50

-46.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.31

$0.83 MYR 3.37

81.93%

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

$21.8K MX$407.7K

$43.9K MYR 178.6K

-50.42%

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

$24.0K MX$449.5K

$35.7K MYR 145.4K

-32.87%

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

$63.0 MX$1,180

$52.7 MYR 214

19.57%

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

$27.39 MX$513

$11.01 MYR 44.82

148.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$668

$28.28 MYR 115

26.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,105

$41.28 MYR 168

42.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

$5.80 MYR 23.59

307.59%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$4.81 MYR 19.59

33.06%

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

$432 MX$8,088

$239 MYR 974

80.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.1K

$4,518 MYR 18.4K

152.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,278

$54.6 MYR 222

25.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$996

$16.53 MYR 67.3

221.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,020

$81.3 MYR 331

32.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,198

$98.3 MYR 400

19.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$523 MYR 2,130

112.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$416 MYR 1,692

70.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.5K

$983 MYR 4,000

163.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

$707 MYR 2,879

98.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.0K

$2,002 MYR 8,147

81.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.0K

$1,214 MYR 4,940

75.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

$1,076 MYR 4,378

-12.04%

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 Johor Bahru: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Johor Bahru

$416 38.5% 41.5% $295

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Johor Bahru

$269 24.9% 16% $51

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Johor Bahru

$120 11.2% 39.4% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Johor Bahru

$113 10.4% 27.6% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Johor Bahru

$92 8.5% 27% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Johor Bahru

$51 4.7% 29% $21

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Johor Bahru

$20 1.8% 22% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $523 in Johor Bahru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Johor Bahru pays 14% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $19 in Johor Bahru for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $269 per month, with Johor Bahru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇾 Johor Bahru

🕒 Local time

14:17 2:17 PM

04:17 4:17 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

858,118

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 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 = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.56 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Mexico City Johor Bahru 16,600 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Johor Bahru

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 Johor Bahru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,080 in Johor Bahru, so Johor Bahru is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Mexico City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $523 in Johor Bahru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Johor Bahru – a meal for two runs $19 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $1,080 in Johor Bahru – Johor Bahru is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Johor Bahru gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Johor Bahru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.