Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Malindi

For one person, living is cheaper in Malindi: $517 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most 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 Malindi
Learn more

Malindi Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Malindi

🇰🇪 Kenya

$517

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $517 in Malindi, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Malindi $517

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $803 in Malindi, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Malindi $803

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $1,090 in Malindi, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Malindi $1,090

Mexico City costs about 211% more than Malindi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$2.14 KES 277

396.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$25.30 KES 3,284

91.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$10.44 KES 1,355

-0.86%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$2.70 KES 351

36.67%

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

$1.67 MX$31.05

$0.68 KES 88.5

145.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.58

$0.52 KES 67.1

144.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$2.29 KES 298

39.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$3.23 KES 419

64.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$0.90 KES 117

91.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$0.50 KES 64.3

508.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.25 KES 162

55.20%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.83 KES 237

57.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$11.40 KES 1,480

-3.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$4.98 KES 647

85.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$4.89 KES 635

209.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.07 KES 269

47.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$0.78 KES 101

148.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.73

$1.76 KES 228

15.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.12

$0.71 KES 91.7

225.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.91

$0.72 KES 93.7

183.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.53

$0.65 KES 84.0

176.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.56

$0.59 KES 77.1

150.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.62

$0.45 KES 58.8

182.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.8

$4.16 KES 540

27.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$9.83 KES 1,276

63.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.95

$2.01 KES 261

-1.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$2.96 KES 384

43.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$3.14 KES 408

-41.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$1.78 KES 231

-70.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$4.59 KES 596

15.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.14

$1.37 KES 178

10.22%

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

$21.8K MX$405.3K

$12.0K KES 1.6M

80.55%

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

$24.0K MX$446.9K

$12.0K KES 1.6M

99.81%

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

$63.0 MX$1,173

$76.0 KES 9,870

-17.18%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$8.99 KES 1,166

204.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$30.23 KES 3,924

18.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

$38.62 KES 5,013

52.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$15.42 KES 2,002

-58.50%

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

$432 MX$8,041

$85.5 KES 11.1K

404.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.8K

$5,381 KES 698.4K

112.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,271

$13.28 KES 1,723

413.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$13.38 KES 1,737

297.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,008

$23.49 KES 3,049

358.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,185

$46.81 KES 6,076

150.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$379 KES 49.2K

583.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

-12.69%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Malindi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Malindi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Malindi

$173 33.4% 46% $147

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Malindi

$104 20.1% 47.9% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Malindi

$44 8.5% 72% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Malindi

$115 22.3% 8.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Malindi

$69 13.5% 3.2% $2.3

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Malindi

$12 * 2.3% 52.7% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $25 in Malindi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $173 – making Malindi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇰🇪 Malindi

🕒 Local time

02:59 2:59 AM

11:59 11:59 AM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

117,735

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.9 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Malindi 15,240 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Malindi

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 Malindi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City costs about 211% more than Malindi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $775 in Malindi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City and $25 in Malindi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 85% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Malindi, where all-in costs run around $517, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Malindi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $517 in Malindi to $1,608 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.