Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Serdang

For one person, living is cheaper in Serdang: $950 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Serdang
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Serdang Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Serdang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$950

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $950 in Serdang.

Mexico City $1,608
Serdang $950

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,475 in Serdang.

Mexico City $2,549
Serdang $1,475

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,001 in Serdang.

Mexico City $3,490
Serdang $2,001

Living in Mexico City is roughly 69% more expensive than in Serdang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Serdang is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$2.38 MYR 9.70

346.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$906

$16.91 MYR 68.8

185.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$3.69 MYR 15.03

180.49%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.2

$1.90 MYR 7.74

94.21%

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

$1.67 MX$31.23

$0.76 MYR 3.10

119.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.71

$0.42 MYR 1.72

202.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.8

$4.40 MYR 17.89

-27.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.5

$6.08 MYR 24.74

-12.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$2.15 MYR 8.75

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.0

$1.12 MYR 4.56

171.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$1.88 MYR 7.64

3.19%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.1

$2.44 MYR 9.92

18.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$13.88 MYR 56.5

-20.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$4.40 MYR 17.90

110.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$10.07 MYR 40.99

50.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.1

$3.39 MYR 13.79

-10.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$1.86 MYR 7.58

4.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.95

$2.29 MYR 9.33

-11.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.38

$1.52 MYR 6.17

51.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.14

$1.27 MYR 5.17

60.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.73

$1.31 MYR 5.32

37.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.72

$1.12 MYR 4.55

32.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.75

$0.67 MYR 2.74

89.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$4.47 MYR 18.19

18.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$19.33 MYR 78.7

-16.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.16

$3.38 MYR 13.75

-41.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.7

$4.99 MYR 20.30

-14.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.72

$0.64 MYR 2.61

-51.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$370

$10.99 MYR 44.74

79.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.44

$1.21 MYR 4.92

52.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.00

$1.25 MYR 5.10

-57.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.2

$4.86 MYR 19.80

9.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.31

$0.87 MYR 3.53

73.56%

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

$21.8K MX$407.7K

$44.4K MYR 180.7K

-51.00%

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

$24.0K MX$449.5K

$34.6K MYR 140.8K

-30.64%

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

$63.0 MX$1,180

$63.0 MYR 257

-0.06%

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

$27.39 MX$513

$8.79 MYR 35.80

211.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$668

$26.63 MYR 108

33.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,105

$37.26 MYR 152

58.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

$5.77 MYR 23.48

309.71%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$5.01 MYR 20.38

27.74%

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

$432 MX$8,088

$236 MYR 962

82.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.1K

$13.4K MYR 54.5K

-14.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,278

$70.5 MYR 287

-3.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$996

$42.51 MYR 173

24.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,020

$85.7 MYR 349

25.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,198

$95.9 MYR 390

22.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$449 MYR 1,828

147.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$285 MYR 1,161

149.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.5K

$700 MYR 2,850

269.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

$592 MYR 2,410

137.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.0K

$1,757 MYR 7,152

106.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.0K

$1,303 MYR 5,303

63.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

$995 MYR 4,049

-4.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

4.17

172.18%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Serdang: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Serdang

$285 30% 59.8% $425

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Serdang

$273 28.8% 14.5% $46

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Serdang

$92 9.7% 53.8% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Serdang

$133 14% 14.9% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Serdang

$98 10.4% 21.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Serdang

$47 5% 34.1% $24

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Serdang

$21 2.2% 17.4% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $449 in Serdang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Serdang pays 5% 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 $17 in Serdang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $273 per month, with Serdang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇾 Serdang

🕒 Local time

14:08 2:08 PM

04:08 4:08 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

130,252

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 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 = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.56 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Serdang 16,630 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Serdang

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 Serdang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $950 in Serdang, so Serdang is about 41% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 5% 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 $449 in Serdang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Serdang runs roughly 44% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $236 in Serdang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $950 in Serdang versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Serdang but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Serdang 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 Serdang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.