Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Kota Bharu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kota Bharu: $694 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Kota Bharu
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Kota Bharu Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Kota Bharu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$694

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Kota Bharu

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

A single person spends $1,674 per month in Mexico City vs $694 in Kota Bharu, rent included.

Mexico City $1,674
Kota Bharu $694

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Mexico City vs $1,075 in Kota Bharu, rent included.

Mexico City $2,606
Kota Bharu $1,075

A family of three spends $3,537 per month in Mexico City vs $1,455 in Kota Bharu, rent included.

Mexico City $3,537
Kota Bharu $1,455

Mexico City costs about 141% more than Kota Bharu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mexico City sits 24% above the global median, while Kota Bharu is 49% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$2.24 MYR 9.12

372.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$978

$19.43 MYR 79.2

167.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$202

$4.79 MYR 19.51

124.01%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.4

$2.18 MYR 8.87

74.31%

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

$1.61 MX$30.35

$0.47 MYR 1.93

242.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.81

$0.26 MYR 1.05

365.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.8

$4.27 MYR 17.40

-25.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$4.34 MYR 17.68

25.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.57 MYR 6.38

9.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.8

$0.90 MYR 3.67

230.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.24

$0.78 MYR 3.18

147.44%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.2

$1.60 MYR 6.51

73.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$220

$13.48 MYR 55.0

-13.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$3.06 MYR 12.49

209.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$6.52 MYR 26.57

135.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.4

$3.07 MYR 12.52

0.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.90

$1.45 MYR 5.89

35.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.30

$2.76 MYR 11.25

-28.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.95

$1.12 MYR 4.58

108.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.08

$0.95 MYR 3.86

112.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.34

$1.10 MYR 4.46

65.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.06

$1.10 MYR 4.48

40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.70

$0.45 MYR 1.83

191.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$101

$3.35 MYR 13.66

59.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$305

$19.31 MYR 78.7

-16.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.87

$2.93 MYR 11.93

-33.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.9

$5.45 MYR 22.19

-20.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.74

$0.76 MYR 3.11

-60.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$367

$12.22 MYR 49.79

59.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.08

$1.77 MYR 7.20

8.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.90

$0.41 MYR 1.65

14.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$3.75 MYR 15.29

44.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.92

$0.48 MYR 1.96

208.33%

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

$21.4K MX$402.2K

$31.4K MYR 128.1K

-32.03%

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

$23.8K MX$447.1K

$29.5K MYR 120.3K

-19.55%

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

$62.0 MX$1,167

$37.70 MYR 154

64.43%

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

$28.47 MX$536

$8.53 MYR 34.74

233.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$642

$26.29 MYR 107

29.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,099

$48.85 MYR 199

19.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$461

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$4.44 MYR 18.11

48.42%

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

$434 MX$8,172

$122 MYR 497

256.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$264.1K

$11.6K MYR 47.3K

20.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,286

$54.7 MYR 223

25.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,031

$19.81 MYR 80.7

176.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,086

$80.7 MYR 329

37.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,183

$69.8 MYR 284

66.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.2K

$247 MYR 1,007

377.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$123 MYR 502

525.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.4K

$676 MYR 2,753

280.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

$224 MYR 913

533.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.9K

$296 MYR 1,205

239.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

4.24

167.69%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kota Bharu: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Kota Bharu

$123 17.7% 84% $648

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Kota Bharu

$229 33% 29.2% $94

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Kota Bharu

$91 13.2% 54.5% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Kota Bharu

$101 14.6% 35.7% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Kota Bharu

$73 10.5% 41.8% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Kota Bharu

$58 8.3% 19.3% $14

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Kota Bharu

$19 2.8% 23.7% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,179 in Mexico City versus $247 in Kota Bharu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Mexico City are about 3.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Mexico City versus $19 in Kota Bharu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $229 – making Kota Bharu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇾 Kota Bharu

🕒 Local time

03:37 3:37 AM

17:37 5:37 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

568,900

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.57 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Kota Bharu 16,330 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Kota Bharu

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 Kota Bharu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City costs about 141% more than Kota Bharu, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,510 per month in Mexico City and $1,041 in Kota Bharu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kota Bharu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $247 there versus $1,179 in Mexico City.

Public transport costs about 37% less in Kota Bharu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $434 per month in Mexico City and $122 in Kota Bharu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kota Bharu, where all-in costs run around $694, than in Mexico City at $1,674. In Kota Bharu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Kota Bharu. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mexico City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.