Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Sibolga

For one person, living is cheaper in Sibolga: $622 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

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

Cost of Living Index in Sibolga
Learn more

Sibolga Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Sibolga

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$622

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $622 in Sibolga.

Mexico City $1,548
Sibolga $622

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $990 in Sibolga.

Mexico City $2,436
Sibolga $990

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $1,358 in Sibolga.

Mexico City $3,323
Sibolga $1,358

Living in Mexico City is roughly 149% more expensive than in Sibolga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Sibolga is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

571.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$13.70 Rp 246.7K

255.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$3.22 Rp 57.9K

238.51%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$1.48 Rp 26.6K

148.65%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$0.44 Rp 7,872

270.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.25 Rp 4,506

400.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$2.21 Rp 39.8K

47.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$3.40 Rp 61.2K

62.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.17 Rp 21.1K

45.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.07 Rp 19.2K

182.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$0.87 Rp 15.6K

120.69%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$1.47 Rp 26.4K

85.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$7.11 Rp 128.0K

65.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$2.99 Rp 53.9K

218.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$7.76 Rp 139.7K

85.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.26 Rp 40.6K

33.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

48.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$1.68 Rp 30.2K

18.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.23 Rp 22.2K

78.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.29 Rp 23.3K

48.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.90 Rp 34.1K

-1.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.79 Rp 14.2K

82.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.43 Rp 7,745

195.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$2.75 Rp 49.5K

89.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$20.83 Rp 374.9K

-22.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

1.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.93 Rp 52.8K

44.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$0.29 Rp 5,222

17.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$0.52 Rp 9,423

284.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$0.38 Rp 6,798

36.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$2.60 Rp 46.8K

105.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

87.65%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$23.7K Rp 426.4M

-6.81%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$30.5K Rp 548.3M

-19.54%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$65.7 Rp 1.2M

-6.99%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$4.24 Rp 76.3K

574.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$19.44 Rp 349.9K

77.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$19.82 Rp 356.7K

184.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$8.41 Rp 151.4K

195.84%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$2.72 Rp 48.9K

144.85%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$93.2 Rp 1.7M

358.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$7,764 Rp 139.7M

49.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$43.07 Rp 775.2K

57.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$28.87 Rp 519.7K

79.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$75.4 Rp 1.4M

40.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$70.3 Rp 1.3M

60.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$231 Rp 4.2M

343.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$149 Rp 2.7M

339.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$541 Rp 9.7M

326.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$367 Rp 6.6M

238.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$1,188 Rp 21.4M

204.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$785 Rp 14.1M

146.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

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 20, 2026

Last update for Sibolga: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Sibolga

$149 24% 77.2% $505

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Sibolga

$196 31.5% 38.4% $122

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Sibolga

$61 9.8% 70% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Sibolga

$98 15.7% 35.7% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Sibolga

$89 14.4% 28% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Sibolga

$25 4.1% 63.8% $44

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Sibolga

$3.6 * 0.6% 86.1% $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 $1,025 in Mexico City and $231 in Sibolga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $14.00 in Sibolga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $196 per month, with Sibolga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇩 Sibolga

🕒 Local time

11:03 11:03 AM

00:03 12:03 AM

13 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

95,471

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Sibolga 16,950 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Sibolga

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 Sibolga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Sibolga differ by about 149% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $622 including rent). Sibolga is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,322 in Mexico City and $933 in Sibolga to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $231 in Sibolga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $93.2 in Sibolga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sibolga – a meal for two runs $14.00 versus $49.00 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $622 in Sibolga versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sibolga but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Sibolga 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 Sibolga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 149% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.