Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Miri

For one person, living is cheaper in Miri: $805 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Miri
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Miri Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Miri

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$805

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $805 in Miri.

Mexico City $1,608
Miri $805

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,224 in Miri.

Mexico City $2,549
Miri $1,224

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,644 in Miri.

Mexico City $3,490
Miri $1,644

Living in Mexico City is roughly 100% more expensive than in Miri, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Miri is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$3.55 MYR 14.46

199.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$906

$12.12 MYR 49.35

298.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$4.42 MYR 17.98

134.16%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.2

$2.26 MYR 9.19

63.27%

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

$1.67 MX$31.23

$0.80 MYR 3.25

108.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.71

$0.30 MYR 1.22

323.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.8

$2.90 MYR 11.82

10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.5

$3.86 MYR 15.71

37.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.40 MYR 5.71

22.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.0

$1.80 MYR 7.32

68.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$0.99 MYR 4.04

95.96%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.1

$3.43 MYR 13.95

-15.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$4.88 MYR 19.88

89.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$14.99 MYR 61.0

0.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.1

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$1.96 MYR 7.99

-1.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.95

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.38

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.14

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.73

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.72

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.75

$0.39 MYR 1.58

225.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$4.29 MYR 17.46

23.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$19.71 MYR 80.2

-18.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.16

$3.00 MYR 12.20

-34.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.7

$2.33 MYR 9.50

82.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.72

$0.47 MYR 1.92

-34.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$370

$14.01 MYR 57.0

40.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.44

$1.25 MYR 5.07

47.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.00

$0.59 MYR 2.39

-10.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.2

$5.98 MYR 24.34

-11.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.31

$0.64 MYR 2.62

135.94%

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

$21.8K MX$407.7K

$49.6K MYR 201.8K

-56.13%

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

$24.0K MX$449.5K

$32.5K MYR 132.3K

-26.22%

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

$63.0 MX$1,180

$49.18 MYR 200

28.06%

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

$27.39 MX$513

$9.92 MYR 40.37

176.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$668

$33.44 MYR 136

6.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,105

$29.19 MYR 119

101.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

$6.25 MYR 25.45

278.24%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$4.33 MYR 17.64

47.81%

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

$432 MX$8,088

$99.5 MYR 405

333.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.1K

$6,535 MYR 26.6K

74.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,278

$44.80 MYR 182

52.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$996

$23.11 MYR 94.1

129.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,020

$55.3 MYR 225

95.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,198

$43.17 MYR 176

171.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$348 MYR 1,415

220.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$289 MYR 1,178

145.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.5K

$589 MYR 2,397

339.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

$578 MYR 2,353

143.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.0K

$1,201 MYR 4,888

202.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.0K

$680 MYR 2,767

214.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

$688 MYR 2,801

37.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

4.12

175.49%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Miri: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Miri

$289 36% 59.3% $421

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Miri

$195 * 24.2% 39.1% $125

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Miri

$95 11.9% 52% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Miri

$75 9.3% 52% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Miri

$93 11.5% 26.6% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Miri

$38 4.7% 47.2% $34

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Miri

$20 2.5% 21.1% $5.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $348 in Miri. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 38% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $12 in Miri for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $195 per month, with Miri cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇾 Miri

🕒 Local time

07:51 7:51 AM

21:51 9:51 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

248,877

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Miri 15,530 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Miri

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 Miri: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $805 in Miri, so Miri is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 38% higher in Mexico City, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $348 in Miri. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Miri runs roughly 29% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $99 in Miri. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $805 in Miri versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Miri but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Miri the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Miri gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.