Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Kota Kinabalu Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Kota Kinabalu

😐 Solo nomad: Mexico City is 9.8% more expensive than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 73.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Mexico City is 47.6% more expensive than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 72.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Kota Kinabalu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.29 MX$229
$3.52 MYR 13.92
277.56%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$53.8 MX$928
$19.10 MYR 75.5
181.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.29 MX$161
$4.79 MYR 18.93
93.95%
Cappuccino
$3.61 MX$62.3
$2.67 MYR 10.53
35.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.56 MX$26.89
$0.68 MYR 2.69
129.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.12 MX$19.36
$0.39 MYR 1.56
187.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.13 MX$54.0
$2.33 MYR 9.22
34.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.71 MX$81.3
$3.47 MYR 13.72
35.73%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Kota Kinabalu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.70 MX$29.39
$1.68 MYR 6.63
1.19%
White Bread (500g)
$2.77 MX$47.78
$1.25 MYR 4.94
121.60%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.96 MX$33.88
$1.68 MYR 6.62
16.67%
Eggs
$2.60 MX$44.98
$2.91 MYR 11.50
-10.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.94 MX$172
$25.95 MYR 102
-61.70%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.10 MX$140
$3.64 MYR 14.36
122.53%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.50 MX$199
$7.09 MYR 28.01
62.20%
Apples (1kg)
$2.87 MX$49.58
$2.66 MYR 10.52
7.89%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 MX$29.91
$1.13 MYR 4.47
53.10%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.00 MX$34.55
$3.24 MYR 12.82
-38.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.04 MX$35.20
$1.97 MYR 7.78
3.55%
Potato (1kg)
$2.08 MX$35.95
$1.52 MYR 5.99
36.84%
Onion (1kg)
$2.20 MX$37.92
$1.71 MYR 6.74
28.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 MX$25.11
$1.13 MYR 4.45
28.32%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.54
$0.47 MYR 1.85
127.66%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$73.8
$4.02 MYR 15.88
6.22%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.32 MX$247
$27.13 MYR 107
-47.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 MX$30.47
$1.91 MYR 7.55
-7.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.70 MX$63.9
$1.63 MYR 6.44
126.99%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Kota Kinabalu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.35 MX$6.09
$1.51 MYR 5.97
-76.82%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.19 MX$331
$40.65 MYR 161
-52.79%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.34 MX$23.06
$1.87 MYR 7.37
-28.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.28 MX$4.81
$0.44 MYR 1.72
-36.36%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.33 MX$92.1
$6.00 MYR 23.69
-11.17%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.34 MX$23.15
$0.46 MYR 1.83
191.30%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.1K MX$330.3K
$29.6K MYR 117.0K
-35.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.9K MX$412.4K
$28.1K MYR 110.8K
-14.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Kota Kinabalu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$39.86 MX$688
$51.2 MYR 202
-22.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.78 MX$463
$9.14 MYR 36.11
193.00%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.36 MX$507
$32.66 MYR 129
-10.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Kota Kinabalu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.4 MX$923
$43.05 MYR 170
24.11%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.09 MX$451
$2.87 MYR 11.33
809.06%
Cinema Ticket
$6.40 MX$111
$4.76 MYR 18.80
34.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Kota Kinabalu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$440 MX$7,607
$133 MYR 524
231.74%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.8K MX$185.7K
$4,434 MYR 17.5K
142.49%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Kota Kinabalu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.6 MX$995
$59.0 MYR 233
-2.26%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.02 MX$777
$22.78 MYR 90.0
97.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 MX$1,792
$71.1 MYR 281
45.83%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 MX$1,864
$94.6 MYR 374
14.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Kota Kinabalu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,013 MX$17.5K
$378 MYR 1,492
168.14%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$630 MX$10.9K
$162 MYR 641
288.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,162 MX$37.3K
$645 MYR 2,548
235.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,222 MX$21.1K
$369 MYR 1,456
231.36%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,793 MX$65.5K
$1,893 MYR 7,478
100.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,332 MX$40.3K
$1,130 MYR 4,463
106.41%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Kota Kinabalu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,075 MX$18.6K
$612 MYR 2,417
75.69%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.34
3.8
198.42%

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

Last update for Mexico City: April 11, 2026

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: April 13, 2026

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

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