Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Malang

For one person, living is cheaper in Malang: $468 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Malang
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Malang Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Malang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$468

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,674 per month in Mexico City vs $468 in Malang, rent included.

Mexico City $1,674
Malang $468

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Mexico City vs $717 in Malang, rent included.

Mexico City $2,606
Malang $717

A family of three spends $3,537 per month in Mexico City vs $966 in Malang, rent included.

Mexico City $3,537
Malang $966

Mexico City costs about 258% more than Malang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 24% above the global median, while Malang is 65% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$1.09 Rp 19.6K

871.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$976

$11.13 Rp 200.9K

366.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$201

$2.78 Rp 50.2K

285.97%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.3

$1.30 Rp 23.5K

192.31%

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

$1.61 MX$30.28

$0.66 Rp 12.0K

143.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.76

$0.21 Rp 3,778

476.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.7

$2.17 Rp 39.1K

46.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$4.03 Rp 72.7K

34.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.26

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

72.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.7

$1.07 Rp 19.3K

177.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.17

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

153.95%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.1

$1.22 Rp 22.0K

127.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$219

$5.84 Rp 105.4K

99.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$2.90 Rp 52.4K

226.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$6.87 Rp 124.0K

123.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.3

$2.03 Rp 36.7K

52.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.82

$1.30 Rp 23.5K

50.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.22

$1.55 Rp 28.0K

27.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.86

$1.39 Rp 25.1K

68.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.00

$1.30 Rp 23.4K

55.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.26

$1.87 Rp 33.7K

-2.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.00

$0.49 Rp 8,858

214.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.64

$0.43 Rp 7,717

204.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$100

$2.71 Rp 48.8K

97.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$304

$12.40 Rp 223.8K

30.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.79

$1.70 Rp 30.8K

15.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.7

$2.94 Rp 53.1K

47.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.72

$0.64 Rp 11.5K

-53.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$366

$5.41 Rp 97.6K

260.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.01

$0.47 Rp 8,422

308.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.88

$0.40 Rp 7,282

17.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$5.60 Rp 101.1K

-3.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.86

$0.77 Rp 14.0K

92.21%

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

$21.4K MX$401.4K

$24.9K Rp 449.2M

-14.13%

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

$23.8K MX$446.1K

$26.9K Rp 485.9M

-11.75%

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

$62.0 MX$1,164

$30.94 Rp 558.4K

100.36%

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

$28.47 MX$535

$2.30 Rp 41.5K

1137.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$641

$19.02 Rp 343.4K

79.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,097

$14.09 Rp 254.3K

314.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$460

$4.59 Rp 82.9K

433.77%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$1.97 Rp 35.5K

234.52%

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

$434 MX$8,155

$30.83 Rp 556.5K

1308.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$263.6K

$4,104 Rp 74.1M

242.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,284

$55.0 Rp 992.9K

24.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,029

$22.34 Rp 403.2K

145.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,082

$50.6 Rp 913.3K

119.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,178

$36.51 Rp 659.0K

217.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.1K

$140 Rp 2.5M

744.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$91.7 Rp 1.7M

740.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.3K

$196 Rp 3.5M

1210.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

$152 Rp 2.7M

832.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.8K

$195 Rp 3.5M

413.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

183.75%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Malang: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Malang

$92 19.6% 88.1% $679

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Malang

$166 35.6% 48.6% $157

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Malang

$55 11.8% 72.5% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Malang

$74 15.8% 53% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Malang

$52 11.2% 58.1% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Malang

$18 3.9% 74.8% $54

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Malang

$10 2.2% 58.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,179 in Mexico City versus $140 in Malang. 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 5.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Mexico City versus $11 in Malang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $166 – making Malang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇩 Malang

🕒 Local time

09:58 9:58 AM

22:58 10:58 PM

13 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

857,891

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.54 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18,049 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.54 USD). 1 EUR = 20,271 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Malang 16,360 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Malang

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 Malang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 258%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,510 per month in Mexico City and $702 in Malang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Malang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $140 there versus $1,179 in Mexico City.

Public transport costs about 72% less in Malang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $434 per month in Mexico City and $31 in Malang. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Malang, where all-in costs run around $468, than in Mexico City at $1,674. In Malang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Malang – 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 Malang. 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.