Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Magelang

For one person, living is cheaper in Magelang: $522 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Magelang
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Magelang Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Magelang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $522 in Magelang, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Magelang $522

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $829 in Magelang, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Magelang $829

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $1,136 in Magelang, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Magelang $1,136

Mexico City costs about 208% more than Magelang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Magelang is 62% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$1.41 Rp 25.5K

653.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$8.48 Rp 153.7K

470.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$2.54 Rp 46.1K

307.48%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$0.74 Rp 13.3K

398.65%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$0.32 Rp 5,741

421.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$0.17 Rp 3,094

647.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$1.30 Rp 23.6K

145.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$2.65 Rp 48.0K

100.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$1.03 Rp 18.7K

66.99%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.13 Rp 20.5K

169.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$0.75 Rp 13.5K

158.67%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$1.18 Rp 21.3K

144.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$6.45 Rp 116.9K

70.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$2.26 Rp 40.9K

309.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$6.95 Rp 125.9K

117.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$2.03 Rp 36.7K

50.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$1.11 Rp 20.2K

74.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$1.24 Rp 22.5K

63.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$0.86 Rp 15.6K

168.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$1.00 Rp 18.2K

104.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$1.34 Rp 24.2K

34.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

85.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$0.36 Rp 6,469

252.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$1.92 Rp 34.8K

176.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$16.50 Rp 299.0K

-2.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$1.53 Rp 27.7K

29.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$2.12 Rp 38.4K

100.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.29 Rp 5,317

6.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$11.28 Rp 204.5K

74.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$0.43 Rp 7,744

327.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$0.32 Rp 5,779

65.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$2.18 Rp 39.5K

143.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

106.85%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$25.4K Rp 459.9M

-14.28%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$28.0K Rp 507.0M

-14.27%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$46.08 Rp 834.9K

36.68%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$3.96 Rp 71.8K

591.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$19.56 Rp 354.4K

82.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$13.49 Rp 244.4K

336.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$3.64 Rp 65.9K

549.45%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$2.54 Rp 46.1K

151.97%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$43.82 Rp 794.0K

884.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$3,925 Rp 71.1M

191.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$19.01 Rp 344.5K

258.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$19.05 Rp 345.2K

178.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$57.2 Rp 1.0M

88.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$51.7 Rp 936.0K

127.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$226 Rp 4.1M

392.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$146 Rp 2.7M

385.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$561 Rp 10.2M

361.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$361 Rp 6.5M

289.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$1,159 Rp 21.0M

213.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$800 Rp 14.5M

166.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$170 Rp 3.1M

456.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

7.5

51.33%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Magelang: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Magelang

$146 28.1% 79.4% $564

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Magelang

$165 31.6% 48.4% $155

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Magelang

$41 8% 79.1% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Magelang

$66 12.7% 57.6% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Magelang

$70 13.3% 44.8% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Magelang

$19 3.6% 74.1% $53

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Magelang

$14 2.8% 43.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $226 in Magelang. 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 5.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $8 in Magelang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $165 – making Magelang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇩 Magelang

🕒 Local time

00:16 12:16 AM

13:16 1:16 PM

13 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

118,227

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,120 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,232 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Magelang 16,580 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Magelang

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 Magelang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City, $522 in Magelang – Magelang comes out roughly 68% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $782 in Magelang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Magelang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $226 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Groceries cost about 94% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City and $8 in Magelang. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Magelang, where all-in costs run around $522, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Magelang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Magelang – 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 Magelang. 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.