Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Sandakan, Sabah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sandakan, Sabah: $968 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Sandakan, Sabah
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Sandakan, Sabah Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Sandakan, Sabah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$968

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Sandakan, Sabah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $968 in Sandakan, Sabah.

Mexico City $1,608
Sandakan, Sabah $968

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,470 in Sandakan, Sabah.

Mexico City $2,549
Sandakan, Sabah $1,470

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,971 in Sandakan, Sabah.

Mexico City $3,490
Sandakan, Sabah $1,971

Living in Mexico City is roughly 66% more expensive than in Sandakan, Sabah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Sandakan, Sabah is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$3.65 MYR 14.86

190.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$19.26 MYR 78.5

151.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$4.56 MYR 18.57

126.97%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$3.07 MYR 12.53

20.20%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$0.73 MYR 2.97

128.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$0.43 MYR 1.75

195.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$4.24 MYR 17.29

-24.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$3.93 MYR 16.01

35.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.99 MYR 8.11

-13.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$1.18 MYR 4.80

157.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.49 MYR 6.08

30.20%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$2.24 MYR 9.13

29.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$11.79 MYR 48.06

-6.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$4.00 MYR 16.31

131.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$9.55 MYR 38.90

58.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.84 MYR 11.55

7.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.63 MYR 6.63

19.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$2.53 MYR 10.30

-19.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$1.56 MYR 6.37

48.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$1.39 MYR 5.66

46.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$1.38 MYR 5.63

30.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$1.27 MYR 5.15

16.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.48 MYR 1.94

164.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$4.04 MYR 16.47

31.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$21.89 MYR 89.2

-26.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$3.12 MYR 12.73

-36.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$4.29 MYR 17.46

-0.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$0.79 MYR 3.21

-60.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$10.67 MYR 43.47

84.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$1.32 MYR 5.39

39.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.63 MYR 2.58

-15.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$8.09 MYR 32.98

-34.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$0.82 MYR 3.32

84.15%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$46.8K MYR 190.5K

-53.47%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$39.7K MYR 161.6K

-39.54%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$48.86 MYR 199

28.90%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$10.09 MYR 41.11

171.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$28.65 MYR 117

24.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$36.98 MYR 151

59.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$7.38 MYR 30.07

220.33%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$5.08 MYR 20.70

25.98%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$242 MYR 987

78.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$7,062 MYR 28.8K

61.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$63.1 MYR 257

8.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$30.35 MYR 124

75.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$91.5 MYR 373

17.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$77.2 MYR 315

51.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$379 MYR 1,545

193.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$326 MYR 1,327

118.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$631 MYR 2,569

310.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$589 MYR 2,399

138.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$2,010 MYR 8,190

80.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$1,149 MYR 4,682

85.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$1,210 MYR 4,931

-21.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

4.06

179.56%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sandakan, Sabah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Sandakan, Sabah

$326 33.6% 54.2% $385

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Sandakan, Sabah

$258 26.7% 19.2% $61

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Sandakan, Sabah

$113 11.7% 42.9% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Sandakan, Sabah

$118 12.2% 24.3% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Sandakan, Sabah

$88 9.1% 30.5% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Sandakan, Sabah

$47 4.9% 34.3% $25

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Sandakan, Sabah

$18 1.9% 28.1% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $379 in Sandakan, Sabah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sandakan, Sabah pays 28% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $19 in Sandakan, Sabah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $258 per month, with Sandakan, Sabah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇾 Sandakan, Sabah

🕒 Local time

07:06 7:06 AM

21:06 9:06 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

439,050

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Sandakan, Sabah 15,060 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Sandakan, Sabah

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 Sandakan, Sabah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Sandakan, Sabah differ by about 66% in total monthly costs ($1,608 vs $968 including rent). Sandakan, Sabah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 22% lower in Mexico City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $379 in Sandakan, Sabah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sandakan, Sabah runs roughly 46% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $242 in Sandakan, Sabah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $968 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Sandakan, Sabah but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Sandakan, Sabah 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 Sandakan, Sabah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.