Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Manado

For one person, living is cheaper in Manado: $562 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mexico City, Mexico
Manado, Indonesia
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
Manado
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$562
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $562 in Manado, rent included.

  • Mexico City $1,608
  • Manado $562

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $888 in Manado, rent included.

  • Mexico City $2,549
  • Manado $888

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $1,214 in Manado, rent included.

  • Mexico City $3,490
  • Manado $1,214

Mexico City costs about 186% more than Manado, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Manado is 59% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Manado
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.62 MX$197
$1.42 Rp 25.8K
647.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.35 MX$898
$16.22 Rp 294.5K
198.09%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.35 MX$192
$2.80 Rp 50.9K
269.64%
Cappuccino
$3.69 MX$68.5
$1.70 Rp 30.8K
117.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 MX$30.95
$0.61 Rp 11.0K
173.77%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.50
$0.25 Rp 4,573
408.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.19 MX$59.3
$3.36 Rp 61.0K
-5.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.31 MX$98.6
$2.68 Rp 48.7K
98.13%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Manado
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 MX$32.03
$1.36 Rp 24.7K
26.47%
White Bread (500g)
$3.04 MX$56.5
$1.04 Rp 18.8K
192.31%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.05
$0.71 Rp 12.9K
173.24%
Eggs
$2.89 MX$53.6
$1.86 Rp 33.8K
55.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.97 MX$204
$16.53 Rp 300.2K
-33.64%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.25 MX$172
$2.68 Rp 48.7K
245.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.13 MX$281
$6.38 Rp 116.0K
137.15%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 MX$56.6
$2.25 Rp 40.9K
35.56%
Banana (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.05
$1.44 Rp 26.2K
34.72%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.61
$1.26 Rp 22.9K
61.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 MX$42.99
$0.95 Rp 17.3K
143.16%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 MX$37.79
$0.83 Rp 15.1K
145.78%
Onion (1kg)
$1.80 MX$33.43
$2.77 Rp 50.3K
-35.02%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 MX$27.47
$0.90 Rp 16.4K
64.44%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.54
$0.43 Rp 7,781
195.35%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.30 MX$98.5
$2.36 Rp 42.9K
124.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.10 MX$299
$20.63 Rp 374.6K
-21.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 MX$36.83
$1.82 Rp 33.0K
8.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 MX$79.0
$2.93 Rp 53.2K
45.05%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Manado
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 MX$5.67
$0.31 Rp 5,635
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.73 MX$367
$12.15 Rp 220.6K
62.39%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.84 MX$34.13
$0.53 Rp 9,616
247.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 MX$9.91
$0.31 Rp 5,703
70.97%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.30 MX$98.3
$2.61 Rp 47.4K
103.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.51 MX$28.05
$0.59 Rp 10.8K
155.93%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K MX$404.0K
$25.2K Rp 456.8M
-13.51%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$445.4K
$31.3K Rp 569.3M
-23.49%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Manado
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$63.0 MX$1,170
$53.0 Rp 962.0K
18.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.39 MX$509
$4.44 Rp 80.6K
516.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.67 MX$662
$13.98 Rp 254.0K
155.15%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Manado
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.9 MX$1,095
$12.65 Rp 229.8K
365.93%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.64 MX$439
$8.42 Rp 152.9K
180.76%
Cinema Ticket
$6.40 MX$119
$2.44 Rp 44.3K
162.30%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Manado
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$432 MX$8,015
$124 Rp 2.3M
247.19%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.4K MX$212.1K
$4,574 Rp 83.1M
149.75%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Manado
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.2 MX$1,267
$54.9 Rp 996.8K
24.28%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.1 MX$987
$19.80 Rp 359.5K
168.33%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 MX$2,002
$67.8 Rp 1.2M
59.06%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 MX$2,178
$61.3 Rp 1.1M
91.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Manado
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,113 MX$20.7K
$244 Rp 4.4M
356.07%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$710 MX$13.2K
$81.3 Rp 1.5M
773.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,588 MX$48.1K
$299 Rp 5.4M
764.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,406 MX$26.1K
$171 Rp 3.1M
723.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,631 MX$67.4K
$1,138 Rp 20.7M
219.21%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,135 MX$39.6K
$787 Rp 14.3M
171.44%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Manado
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$946 MX$17.6K
$212 Rp 3.9M
345.85%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.35
10
13.50%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Manado: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$710
Manado
$81 88.6% $629
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$320
Manado
$219 31.4% $100
Eating Out
Mexico City
$199
Manado
$66 66.9% $133
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$156
Manado
$92 41.2% $64
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$126
Manado
$71 43.4% $55
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$72
Manado
$18 75.6% $54
Getting Around
Mexico City
$25
Manado
$15 39.2% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $244 in Manado. 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 4.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $16 in Manado. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $219 – making Manado the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇮🇩 Manado
🕒 Local time
23:27 11:27 PM
13:27 1:27 PM
14 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
423,257
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18,161 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,355 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Manado 14,680 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Manado

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 Manado: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Manado cheaper than Mexico City?
Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 186%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $843 in Manado. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Manado, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $244 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 38% less in Manado. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $432 per month in Mexico City and $124 in Manado. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Mexico City or in Manado?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Manado, where all-in costs run around $562, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Manado it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Mexico City or Manado more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Manado – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Manado. 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.

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