Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Sibu

For one person, living is cheaper in Sibu: $905 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Sibu
Learn more

Sibu Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Sibu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$905

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $905 in Sibu.

Mexico City $1,608
Sibu $905

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,406 in Sibu.

Mexico City $2,549
Sibu $1,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,906 in Sibu.

Mexico City $3,490
Sibu $1,906

Living in Mexico City is roughly 78% more expensive than in Sibu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Sibu is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$2.26 MYR 9.15

369.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$19.22 MYR 78.0

151.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$4.23 MYR 17.15

144.68%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$2.30 MYR 9.31

60.43%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$0.61 MYR 2.48

173.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$0.23 MYR 0.93

452.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$2.86 MYR 11.61

11.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$4.46 MYR 18.10

19.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$1.76 MYR 7.15

-2.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$0.87 MYR 3.54

249.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$1.33 MYR 5.38

45.86%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$2.18 MYR 8.83

32.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$13.35 MYR 54.1

-17.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$4.90 MYR 19.90

88.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$9.92 MYR 40.26

52.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$2.86 MYR 11.61

6.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$1.81 MYR 7.36

7.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$2.36 MYR 9.58

-13.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$1.69 MYR 6.87

36.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$1.38 MYR 5.59

47.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$1.33 MYR 5.41

35.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$1.06 MYR 4.29

39.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$0.56 MYR 2.28

126.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$4.48 MYR 18.19

18.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$19.27 MYR 78.2

-16.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$3.02 MYR 12.24

-34.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$4.61 MYR 18.72

-7.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.79 MYR 3.21

-60.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$11.49 MYR 46.62

71.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$1.04 MYR 4.24

76.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$0.61 MYR 2.48

-13.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$7.27 MYR 29.49

-27.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$0.87 MYR 3.51

73.56%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$45.5K MYR 184.7K

-52.21%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$36.2K MYR 146.7K

-33.65%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$48.91 MYR 198

28.77%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$7.37 MYR 29.89

271.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$26.21 MYR 106

36.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$27.13 MYR 110

117.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$6.38 MYR 25.90

270.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$3.72 MYR 15.11

72.04%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$243 MYR 985

77.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$6,876 MYR 27.9K

66.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$56.1 MYR 228

21.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$36.43 MYR 148

45.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$69.2 MYR 281

55.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$78.2 MYR 317

50.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$390 MYR 1,580

185.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$318 MYR 1,289

123.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$698 MYR 2,830

270.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$630 MYR 2,554

123.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$2,136 MYR 8,667

69.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$1,165 MYR 4,727

83.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$487 MYR 1,975

94.32%

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 Sibu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Sibu

$318 35.1% 55.3% $393

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Sibu

$258 28.6% 19.1% $61

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Sibu

$85 9.4% 57.3% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Sibu

$108 11.9% 30.7% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Sibu

$82 9.1% 34.6% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Sibu

$35 3.8% 51.8% $37

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Sibu

$19 2.1% 26.3% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $390 in Sibu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 94% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

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

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇾 Sibu

🕒 Local time

01:51 1:51 AM

15:51 3:51 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

198,239

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.06 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Sibu 15,860 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Sibu

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 Sibu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $905 in Sibu, so Sibu is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 94% higher in Mexico City, 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 $390 in Sibu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sibu runs roughly 42% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $243 in Sibu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Sibu is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Sibu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.