Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Kuantan

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuantan: $839 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Kuantan
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Kuantan Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Kuantan

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,567 per month in Mexico City vs $839 in Kuantan, rent included.

Mexico City $1,567
Kuantan $839

A couple spends around $2,450 per month in Mexico City vs $1,219 in Kuantan, rent included.

Mexico City $2,450
Kuantan $1,219

A family of three spends $3,333 per month in Mexico City vs $1,599 in Kuantan, rent included.

Mexico City $3,333
Kuantan $1,599

Mexico City costs about 87% more than Kuantan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 16% above the global median, while Kuantan is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$2.49 MYR 10.18

331.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$12.00 MYR 48.96

318.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$3.63 MYR 14.83

205.79%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.88 MYR 11.73

27.78%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$0.71 MYR 2.89

132.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$0.45 MYR 1.82

188.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$2.80 MYR 11.43

18.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$5.73 MYR 23.37

-3.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.60 MYR 6.52

10.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$0.82 MYR 3.35

271.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$1.47 MYR 5.98

36.73%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$1.31 MYR 5.34

111.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$9.51 MYR 38.79

25.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$3.28 MYR 13.36

184.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$4.42 MYR 18.04

239.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$3.03 MYR 12.35

1.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$1.93 MYR 7.87

1.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$2.73 MYR 11.12

-25.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$1.75 MYR 7.14

26.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$1.72 MYR 7.03

17.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$1.94 MYR 7.93

-6.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$0.76 MYR 3.12

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$0.56 MYR 2.28

128.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$4.38 MYR 17.85

20.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$19.95 MYR 81.4

-19.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$1.99 MYR 8.13

-2.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$1.92 MYR 7.81

121.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$0.51 MYR 2.07

-39.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$12.15 MYR 49.55

63.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$1.13 MYR 4.61

76.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$0.35 MYR 1.45

51.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$9.05 MYR 36.92

-37.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$0.52 MYR 2.13

192.31%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$34.1K MYR 139.1K

-38.33%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$33.1K MYR 134.9K

-23.88%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$49.82 MYR 203

25.43%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$8.06 MYR 32.86

256.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$24.16 MYR 98.6

42.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$39.79 MYR 162

43.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

$6.83 MYR 27.87

263.25%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$4.65 MYR 18.98

43.44%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$280 MYR 1,142

53.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$10.2K MYR 41.8K

14.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$52.4 MYR 214

34.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$30.29 MYR 124

71.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$49.62 MYR 202

119.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$48.89 MYR 199

129.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$411 MYR 1,675

156.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$302 MYR 1,232

120.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$692 MYR 2,822

239.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$476 MYR 1,943

157.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$2,015 MYR 8,220

76.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$1,090 MYR 4,448

81.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$975 MYR 3,976

-0.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

4.15

172.29%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kuantan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Kuantan

$302 36% 54.6% $363

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Kuantan

$212 25.3% 34.2% $110

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Kuantan

$95 11.4% 53% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Kuantan

$82 9.7% 47.3% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Kuantan

$82 9.8% 34.7% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Kuantan

$49 5.9% 30.3% $21

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Kuantan

$17 2% 33.8% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,051 in Mexico City versus $411 in Kuantan. 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 0% higher in Kuantan, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Mexico City versus $12.00 in Kuantan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $323 vs $212 – making Kuantan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇾 Kuantan

🕒 Local time

18:16 6:16 PM

08:16 8:16 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

548,014

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Kuantan 16,450 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Kuantan

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 Kuantan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 87%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,351 per month in Mexico City and $1,259 in Kuantan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kuantan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $431 per month in Mexico City and $280 in Kuantan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% more in Mexico City, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kuantan, where all-in costs run around $839, than in Mexico City at $1,567. In Kuantan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Kuantan. 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.