Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Samarinda

For one person, living is cheaper in Samarinda: $652 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Samarinda
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Samarinda Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Samarinda

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$652

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $652 in Samarinda.

Mexico City $1,608
Samarinda $652

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,055 in Samarinda.

Mexico City $2,549
Samarinda $1,055

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,457 in Samarinda.

Mexico City $3,490
Samarinda $1,457

Living in Mexico City is roughly 147% more expensive than in Samarinda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Samarinda is 52% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$1.63 Rp 29.6K

551.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$13.90 Rp 252.0K

247.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$3.33 Rp 60.4K

210.81%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$1.45 Rp 26.3K

154.48%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$0.45 Rp 8,244

271.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$0.24 Rp 4,368

429.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$2.17 Rp 39.4K

47.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$3.50 Rp 63.5K

51.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.06 Rp 19.2K

62.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$0.86 Rp 15.6K

253.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$0.64 Rp 11.7K

203.12%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$1.37 Rp 24.8K

110.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$7.12 Rp 129.1K

54.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$3.54 Rp 64.2K

161.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$10.03 Rp 181.9K

50.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$4.99 Rp 90.5K

-38.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.09 Rp 19.8K

77.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$1.07 Rp 19.5K

89.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$1.41 Rp 25.6K

63.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$1.29 Rp 23.4K

58.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$1.81 Rp 32.8K

-0.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

82.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.51 Rp 9,225

149.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$2.07 Rp 37.5K

156.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$21.12 Rp 383.0K

-23.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$1.96 Rp 35.5K

1.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$2.92 Rp 53.0K

45.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.21 Rp 3,781

47.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$11.71 Rp 212.4K

68.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$0.50 Rp 9,006

268.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$0.33 Rp 6,003

60.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$2.80 Rp 50.9K

89.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

86.42%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$22.3K Rp 404.4M

-2.44%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$31.5K Rp 571.7M

-23.90%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$63.1 Rp 1.1M

-0.14%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$3.84 Rp 69.7K

613.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$18.56 Rp 336.6K

92.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$18.49 Rp 335.4K

218.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$7.04 Rp 127.7K

235.80%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$2.73 Rp 49.6K

134.43%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$98.6 Rp 1.8M

337.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$8,897 Rp 161.4M

28.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$40.26 Rp 730.3K

69.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$27.22 Rp 493.8K

95.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$70.8 Rp 1.3M

52.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$64.6 Rp 1.2M

81.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$210 Rp 3.8M

431.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$161 Rp 2.9M

340.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$527 Rp 9.6M

390.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$420 Rp 7.6M

234.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$1,231 Rp 22.3M

194.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$819 Rp 14.9M

160.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$327 Rp 5.9M

189.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

9.46

19.98%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Samarinda: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Samarinda

$161 24.8% 77.3% $549

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Samarinda

$214 32.8% 33.1% $106

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Samarinda

$61 9.4% 69.2% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Samarinda

$91 14% 41.4% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Samarinda

$85 13.1% 32.2% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Samarinda

$24 3.7% 66.6% $48

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Samarinda

$15 2.3% 42.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $210 in Samarinda. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $14 in Samarinda for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $214 per month, with Samarinda cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇩 Samarinda

🕒 Local time

03:04 3:04 AM

17:04 5:04 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

726,223

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,241 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Samarinda 15,540 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Samarinda

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 Samarinda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $652 in Samarinda, so Samarinda is about 59% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 2.9 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $210 in Samarinda. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Samarinda runs roughly 41% 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 Samarinda. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $652 in Samarinda versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Samarinda but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Samarinda 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 Samarinda gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.