Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Kota Damansara

For one person, living is cheaper in Kota Damansara: $942 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Kota Damansara
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Kota Damansara Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Kota Damansara

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$942

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $942 in Kota Damansara, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Kota Damansara $942

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,415 in Kota Damansara, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Kota Damansara $1,415

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $1,887 in Kota Damansara, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Kota Damansara $1,887

Mexico City costs about 71% more than Kota Damansara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Kota Damansara is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$5.00 MYR 20.45

112.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$904

$19.36 MYR 79.1

149.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$5.02 MYR 20.51

106.18%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.0

$2.90 MYR 11.84

27.24%

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

$1.67 MX$31.14

$0.82 MYR 3.36

103.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.65

$0.48 MYR 1.96

164.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.7

$4.46 MYR 18.24

-28.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.2

$6.08 MYR 24.84

-12.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.23

$1.66 MYR 6.80

3.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.8

$1.09 MYR 4.47

178.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.27

$1.50 MYR 6.14

29.33%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.0

$1.78 MYR 7.28

62.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$13.91 MYR 56.9

-21.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$4.52 MYR 18.49

104.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$9.78 MYR 39.97

54.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.0

$3.30 MYR 13.49

-7.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.27

$1.75 MYR 7.13

10.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.85

$2.25 MYR 9.19

-9.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.25

$1.52 MYR 6.23

51.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.03

$1.24 MYR 5.06

64.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.63

$1.32 MYR 5.39

36.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.64

$1.17 MYR 4.77

26.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.69

$0.55 MYR 2.26

130.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.1

$4.17 MYR 17.04

27.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$301

$14.65 MYR 59.9

9.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.06

$3.25 MYR 13.27

-39.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.5

$4.38 MYR 17.90

-2.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.70

$0.69 MYR 2.82

-55.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$369

$11.20 MYR 45.77

76.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.34

$0.99 MYR 4.05

85.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.97

$0.76 MYR 3.12

-30.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.0

$4.82 MYR 19.69

9.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.23

$0.89 MYR 3.64

69.66%

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

$21.8K MX$406.5K

$44.1K MYR 180.4K

-50.71%

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

$24.0K MX$448.2K

$35.6K MYR 145.4K

-32.60%

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

$63.0 MX$1,177

$51.8 MYR 212

21.63%

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

$27.39 MX$512

$8.85 MYR 36.17

209.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$666

$26.39 MYR 108

35.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,101

$35.61 MYR 146

65.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$442

$6.98 MYR 28.51

238.68%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$5.02 MYR 20.50

27.49%

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

$432 MX$8,065

$238 MYR 972

81.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$213.5K

$4,537 MYR 18.5K

151.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,275

$53.7 MYR 219

27.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$993

$16.57 MYR 67.7

220.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,014

$80.3 MYR 328

34.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,191

$96.2 MYR 393

21.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$436 MYR 1,783

155.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$300 MYR 1,227

136.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.4K

$693 MYR 2,834

273.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

$500 MYR 2,044

181.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.8K

$1,968 MYR 8,041

84.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.9K

$1,177 MYR 4,809

81.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

$853 MYR 3,488

10.87%

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 Kota Damansara: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Kota Damansara

$300 31.9% 57.7% $410

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Kota Damansara

$250 26.5% 21.8% $70

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Kota Damansara

$130 13.8% 34.8% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Kota Damansara

$111 11.8% 28.8% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Kota Damansara

$87 9.2% 31% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Kota Damansara

$46 4.9% 36.4% $26

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Kota Damansara

$19 2% 26.3% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $436 in Kota Damansara. 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 11% higher in Mexico City, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $19 in Kota Damansara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $250 – making Kota Damansara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇾 Kota Damansara

🕒 Local time

10:09 10:09 AM

00:09 12:09 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

500,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.55 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Kota Damansara 16,630 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Kota Damansara

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 Damansara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City costs about 71% more than Kota Damansara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $1,413 in Kota Damansara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kota Damansara, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $436 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Public transport costs about 43% less in Kota Damansara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $432 per month in Mexico City and $238 in Kota Damansara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,608 in Mexico City and $942 in Kota Damansara. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Kota Damansara – 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 Damansara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mexico City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.