Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Salatiga

For one person, living is cheaper in Salatiga: $450 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 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 Salatiga
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Salatiga Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Salatiga

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$450

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $450 in Salatiga.

Mexico City $1,674
Salatiga $450

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $667 in Salatiga.

Mexico City $2,606
Salatiga $667

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $884 in Salatiga.

Mexico City $3,537
Salatiga $884

Living in Mexico City is roughly 272% more expensive than in Salatiga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Salatiga is 67% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$0.87 Rp 15.8K

1117.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$978

$8.84 Rp 160.5K

487.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$202

$2.79 Rp 50.6K

284.59%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.4

$1.34 Rp 24.4K

183.58%

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

$1.61 MX$30.35

$0.34 Rp 6,089

373.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.81

$0.21 Rp 3,830

476.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.8

$1.92 Rp 34.8K

65.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$4.04 Rp 73.4K

34.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.20 Rp 21.8K

43.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.8

$1.26 Rp 22.9K

135.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.24

$0.80 Rp 14.5K

141.25%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.2

$1.18 Rp 21.3K

134.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$220

$7.72 Rp 140.1K

51.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$3.06 Rp 55.5K

209.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$7.47 Rp 135.5K

105.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.4

$2.08 Rp 37.7K

49.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.90

$1.24 Rp 22.5K

58.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.30

$1.88 Rp 34.1K

5.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.95

$1.54 Rp 28.0K

51.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.08

$1.29 Rp 23.3K

56.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.34

$1.99 Rp 36.0K

-8.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.06

$0.34 Rp 6,187

352.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.70

$0.37 Rp 6,747

254.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$101

$1.88 Rp 34.1K

184.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$305

$24.47 Rp 444.1K

-33.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.87

$1.66 Rp 30.2K

18.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.9

$2.99 Rp 54.2K

45.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.74

$0.19 Rp 3,406

57.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.08

$0.46 Rp 8,316

317.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.90

$0.46 Rp 8,353

2.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$2.64 Rp 47.9K

104.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.92

$0.72 Rp 13.1K

105.56%

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

$21.4K MX$402.2K

$24.7K Rp 448.8M

-13.58%

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

$23.8K MX$447.1K

$31.7K Rp 574.7M

-24.98%

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

$62.0 MX$1,167

$85.1 Rp 1.5M

-27.12%

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

$28.47 MX$536

$4.72 Rp 85.6K

503.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$642

$19.14 Rp 347.4K

78.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,099

$11.18 Rp 202.8K

422.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$461

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$1.90 Rp 34.4K

246.84%

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

$434 MX$8,172

$272 Rp 4.9M

59.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$264.1K

$4,100 Rp 74.4M

242.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,286

$22.30 Rp 404.6K

206.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,031

$10.92 Rp 198.1K

401.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,086

$43.38 Rp 787.2K

155.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,183

$74.3 Rp 1.3M

56.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.2K

$163 Rp 3.0M

624.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.9K

$149 Rp 2.7M

574.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

7.5

51.33%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Salatiga: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Salatiga

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Salatiga

$203 45.2% 37.2% $120

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Salatiga

$51 11.4% 74.4% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Salatiga

$68 15.1% 56.9% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Salatiga

$109 24.2% 12.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Salatiga

$15 3.3% 79.1% $57

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Salatiga

$3.5 * 0.8% 86% $21

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 $1,179 in Mexico City and $163 in Salatiga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 6.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $9 in Salatiga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $203 per month, with Salatiga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇩 Salatiga

🕒 Local time

23:10 11:10 PM

12:10 12:10 PM

13 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

190,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18,148 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,295 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Salatiga 16,550 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Salatiga

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 Salatiga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $450 in Salatiga, so Salatiga is about 73% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 6.7 times higher, 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: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $163 in Salatiga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $272 in Salatiga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Salatiga – a meal for two runs $9 versus $52 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $450 in Salatiga versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $800 budget is realistic in Salatiga but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Salatiga 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.

It comes down to priorities – Salatiga wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.