Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Padang

For one person, living is cheaper in Padang: $620 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Padang
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Padang Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Padang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$620

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $620 in Padang.

Mexico City $1,567
Padang $620

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $996 in Padang.

Mexico City $2,450
Padang $996

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $1,372 in Padang.

Mexico City $3,333
Padang $1,372

Living in Mexico City is roughly 153% more expensive than in Padang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 16% above, Padang is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$1.64 Rp 29.6K

555.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$15.72 Rp 283.0K

219.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$2.92 Rp 52.5K

280.14%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$1.44 Rp 26.0K

155.56%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$0.41 Rp 7,394

302.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$0.22 Rp 3,925

490.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

55.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$3.74 Rp 67.3K

48.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.14 Rp 20.5K

55.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$1.04 Rp 18.7K

193.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$0.96 Rp 17.4K

109.37%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$1.49 Rp 26.8K

85.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$6.82 Rp 122.8K

74.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$2.88 Rp 51.8K

223.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$6.49 Rp 116.9K

131.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$2.51 Rp 45.2K

22.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$1.24 Rp 22.4K

57.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$1.73 Rp 31.2K

17.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$1.24 Rp 22.4K

78.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$1.15 Rp 20.6K

75.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$1.84 Rp 33.2K

-1.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

90.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$0.40 Rp 7,241

220.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$2.72 Rp 48.9K

93.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$21.21 Rp 381.7K

-24.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$1.73 Rp 31.1K

12.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$3.28 Rp 59.1K

29.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$0.29 Rp 5,254

6.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$0.52 Rp 9,417

284.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$0.35 Rp 6,239

51.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$2.77 Rp 49.8K

102.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$0.95 Rp 17.0K

60.00%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$20.4K Rp 366.6M

3.27%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$32.7K Rp 588.6M

-23.01%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$67.6 Rp 1.2M

-7.55%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$4.97 Rp 89.5K

478.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$20.99 Rp 377.8K

64.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$19.55 Rp 351.9K

192.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

$8.88 Rp 159.9K

179.39%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$2.60 Rp 46.7K

156.54%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$80.4 Rp 1.4M

435.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$8,325 Rp 149.8M

41.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$42.73 Rp 769.2K

65.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$26.93 Rp 484.8K

92.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$63.8 Rp 1.1M

70.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$72.4 Rp 1.3M

55.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$206 Rp 3.7M

409.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$154 Rp 2.8M

332.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$494 Rp 8.9M

374.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$391 Rp 7.0M

213.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$1,124 Rp 20.2M

216.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$706 Rp 12.7M

180.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$165 Rp 3.0M

490.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

9.46

19.45%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Padang: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Padang

$154 24.8% 76.9% $511

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Padang

$192 31% 40.5% $131

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Padang

$60 9.7% 70.5% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Padang

$93 14.9% 40.1% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Padang

$94 15.1% 25.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Padang

$25 4% 64.9% $46

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Padang

$3.4 * 0.6% 86.7% $22

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 $1,051 in Mexico City and $206 in Padang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 490% 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: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $16.00 in Padang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $192 per month, with Padang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇩 Padang

🕒 Local time

01:20 1:20 AM

14:20 2:20 PM

13 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,000,096

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Mexico City Padang 17,060 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
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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 Padang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Padang differ by about 153% in total monthly costs ($1,567 vs $620 including rent). Padang is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 490% 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: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $206 in Padang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $431 in Mexico City versus $80.4 in Padang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Padang – a meal for two runs $16.00 versus $50.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $620 in Padang versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Padang but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Padang 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 Padang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 153% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.