Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Kuala Belait

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,726 in Kuala Belait, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Belait
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Kuala Belait Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Kuala Belait

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Kuala Belait

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $1,726 in Kuala Belait, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Kuala Belait $1,726

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $2,561 in Kuala Belait, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Kuala Belait $2,561

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $3,397 in Kuala Belait, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Kuala Belait $3,397

Mexico City is about 7% cheaper than Kuala Belait, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Mexico City and Kuala Belait sit above the global median – Mexico City by 18%, Kuala Belait by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$7.77 BND 9.92

36.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$47.28 BND 60.4

2.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$7.74 BND 9.89

33.72%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 BND 2.42

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 BND 3.06

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$4.46 BND 5.70

-17.26%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$0.88 BND 1.13

89.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$0.50 BND 0.64

154.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.82 BND 2.32

-5.49%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$2.51 BND 3.21

21.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$2.30 BND 2.94

-15.65%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$2.70 BND 3.45

7.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$19.08 BND 24.38

-42.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$9.44 BND 12.06

-2.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$24.33 BND 31.10

-37.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$4.83 BND 6.17

-36.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$2.17 BND 2.77

-10.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$5.01 BND 6.40

-59.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$2.49 BND 3.18

-7.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$1.73 BND 2.21

17.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$2.91 BND 3.72

-38.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$5.51 BND 7.05

-73.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.86 BND 1.10

47.67%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$11.81 BND 15.09

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.91 BND 7.55

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$7.89 BND 10.08

-32.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$4.01 BND 5.12

-54.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$3.27 BND 4.18

-83.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$11.49 BND 14.68

-53.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$0.35 BND 0.45

331.43%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$31.8K BND 40.7K

-31.64%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$26.9K BND 34.3K

-10.74%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$39.60 BND 50.6

59.04%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$21.64 BND 27.65

26.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$65.2 BND 83.3

-45.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$99.3 BND 127

-40.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$27.87 BND 35.61

-15.18%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$5.49 BND 7.02

16.58%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$217 BND 278

98.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$9,343 BND 11.9K

22.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$76.2 BND 97.4

-10.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$101 BND 129

-47.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$155 BND 198

-30.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$71.1 BND 90.8

64.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$730 BND 933

52.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$789 BND 1,009

-9.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$1,167 BND 1,491

121.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$1,169 BND 1,493

20.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$3,379 BND 4,318

-72.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

3.88

192.53%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kuala Belait: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Kuala Belait

$789 45.7% 11.1% $79

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Kuala Belait

$354 20.5% 10.7% $34

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Kuala Belait

$144 8.4% 27.3% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Kuala Belait

$181 10.5% 16.2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Kuala Belait

$126 7.3% 0.3% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Kuala Belait

$110 6.4% 53.8% $39

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Kuala Belait

$20 * 1.2% 20% $5.1

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $730 in Kuala Belait. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kuala Belait are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $47 in Kuala Belait. Groceries tell a different story – $320 in Mexico City vs $354 in Kuala Belait – so Mexico City wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇳 Kuala Belait

🕒 Local time

03:21 3:21 AM

17:21 5:21 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

31,178

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brunei Dollar BND $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 BND = 0.783 USD

1 BND = 0.701 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BND, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.783 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 BND (1 BND = 0.701 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Kuala Belait 15,500 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Kuala Belait

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 Kuala Belait: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City, $1,726 in Kuala Belait – Mexico City comes out roughly 7% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $2,589 in Kuala Belait. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kuala Belait, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $730 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Kindergarten costs $432 per month in Mexico City and $217 in Kuala Belait. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,726 in Kuala Belait. That makes Mexico City about 7% cheaper.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,726 in Kuala Belait, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,608 in Mexico City to $1,726 in Kuala Belait. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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