Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Kemaman

For one person, living is cheaper in Kemaman: $897 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Kemaman
Learn more

Kemaman Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Kemaman

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$897

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $897 in Kemaman, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Kemaman $897

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,369 in Kemaman, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Kemaman $1,369

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $1,841 in Kemaman, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Kemaman $1,841

Mexico City costs about 79% more than Kemaman, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Kemaman is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$2.62 MYR 10.65

305.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$906

$14.92 MYR 60.7

224.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$4.40 MYR 17.90

135.23%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.2

$3.09 MYR 12.57

19.42%

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

$1.67 MX$31.23

$0.48 MYR 1.93

247.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.71

$0.36 MYR 1.46

252.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.8

$3.28 MYR 13.34

-2.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.5

$5.76 MYR 23.45

-7.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.88 MYR 7.66

-8.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.0

$1.04 MYR 4.24

192.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$1.01 MYR 4.13

92.08%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.1

$1.15 MYR 4.70

151.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$9.61 MYR 39.11

14.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$3.19 MYR 13.00

189.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$9.30 MYR 37.84

62.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.1

$3.59 MYR 14.63

-15.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$1.87 MYR 7.62

3.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.95

$2.62 MYR 10.66

-22.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.38

$1.82 MYR 7.40

26.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.14

$2.17 MYR 8.83

-5.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.73

$2.04 MYR 8.30

-11.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.72

$1.47 MYR 5.98

0.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.75

$0.51 MYR 2.08

149.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$4.57 MYR 18.60

15.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$19.42 MYR 79.1

-17.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.16

$2.72 MYR 11.09

-27.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.7

$4.44 MYR 18.07

-4.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.72

$0.76 MYR 3.11

-59.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$370

$10.79 MYR 43.94

82.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.44

$1.20 MYR 4.88

53.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.00

$0.36 MYR 1.46

47.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.2

$8.90 MYR 36.24

-40.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.31

$0.48 MYR 1.94

214.58%

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

$21.8K MX$407.7K

$46.4K MYR 188.7K

-53.08%

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

$24.0K MX$449.5K

$36.1K MYR 146.8K

-33.51%

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

$63.0 MX$1,180

$49.04 MYR 200

28.43%

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

$27.39 MX$513

$8.25 MYR 33.58

232.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$668

$27.11 MYR 110

31.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,105

$41.78 MYR 170

41.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

$6.29 MYR 25.62

275.83%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$4.79 MYR 19.49

33.61%

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

$432 MX$8,088

$123 MYR 500

251.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.1K

$10.3K MYR 42.1K

10.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,278

$52.0 MYR 211

31.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$996

$30.15 MYR 123

76.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,020

$78.6 MYR 320

37.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,198

$86.0 MYR 350

36.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$434 MYR 1,767

156.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$288 MYR 1,171

146.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.5K

$636 MYR 2,589

306.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

$546 MYR 2,223

157.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.0K

$2,062 MYR 8,395

76.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.0K

$1,069 MYR 4,351

99.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

4.51

151.66%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kemaman: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Kemaman

$288 32.1% 59.5% $423

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Kemaman

$243 27.1% 23.9% $76

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Kemaman

$102 11.4% 48.4% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Kemaman

$111 12.4% 28.8% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Kemaman

$84 9.4% 33% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Kemaman

$51 5.7% 28.4% $20

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Kemaman

$17 1.9% 33.9% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $434 in Kemaman. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $15 in Kemaman. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $243 – making Kemaman the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇾 Kemaman

🕒 Local time

12:23 12:23 PM

02:23 2:23 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

215,582

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Kemaman 16,410 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Kemaman

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 Kemaman: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 79%, 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 $1,346 in Kemaman. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kemaman, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $434 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City and $15 in Kemaman. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $897 in Kemaman. That makes Kemaman about 44% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kemaman, where all-in costs run around $897, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Kemaman it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Kemaman is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 44% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.