Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Skudai

For one person, living is cheaper in Skudai: $900 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Skudai
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Skudai Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Skudai

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$900

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $900 in Skudai.

Mexico City $1,608
Skudai $900

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,370 in Skudai.

Mexico City $2,549
Skudai $1,370

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,840 in Skudai.

Mexico City $3,490
Skudai $1,840

Living in Mexico City is roughly 79% more expensive than in Skudai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$3.63 MYR 14.77

192.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$906

$18.25 MYR 74.3

164.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$4.90 MYR 19.96

111.22%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.2

$2.87 MYR 11.68

28.57%

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

$1.67 MX$31.23

$0.83 MYR 3.38

101.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.71

$0.45 MYR 1.82

182.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.8

$3.33 MYR 13.56

-4.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.5

$5.62 MYR 22.87

-5.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.74 MYR 7.08

-1.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.0

$1.02 MYR 4.17

198.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$1.48 MYR 6.04

31.08%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.1

$1.66 MYR 6.75

74.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$9.64 MYR 39.26

13.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$3.20 MYR 13.03

189.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$9.61 MYR 39.11

57.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.1

$3.42 MYR 13.91

-10.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$1.70 MYR 6.91

14.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.95

$2.61 MYR 10.64

-22.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.38

$1.64 MYR 6.66

40.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.14

$1.41 MYR 5.72

44.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.73

$1.73 MYR 7.05

4.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.72

$1.37 MYR 5.57

8.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.75

$0.51 MYR 2.09

149.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$4.28 MYR 17.42

23.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$13.83 MYR 56.3

16.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.16

$2.74 MYR 11.14

-27.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.7

$2.99 MYR 12.16

42.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.72

$0.83 MYR 3.39

-62.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$370

$10.95 MYR 44.58

80.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.44

$1.01 MYR 4.11

82.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.00

$0.36 MYR 1.45

47.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.2

$9.03 MYR 36.76

-41.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.31

$0.86 MYR 3.49

75.58%

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

$21.8K MX$407.7K

$44.3K MYR 180.2K

-50.86%

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

$24.0K MX$449.5K

$36.0K MYR 146.6K

-33.38%

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

$63.0 MX$1,180

$48.79 MYR 199

29.08%

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

$27.39 MX$513

$8.16 MYR 33.23

235.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$668

$26.88 MYR 109

32.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,105

$36.95 MYR 150

59.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

$7.55 MYR 30.73

213.11%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$4.93 MYR 20.09

29.82%

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

$432 MX$8,088

$235 MYR 958

83.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.1K

$4,393 MYR 17.9K

160.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,278

$50.5 MYR 206

35.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$996

$16.62 MYR 67.7

219.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,020

$77.2 MYR 314

39.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,198

$85.4 MYR 348

37.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$357 MYR 1,455

211.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$311 MYR 1,265

128.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.5K

$650 MYR 2,647

297.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

$565 MYR 2,300

148.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.0K

$1,956 MYR 7,962

85.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.0K

$1,161 MYR 4,725

83.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

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 Skudai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Skudai

$311 34.5% 56.3% $400

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Skudai

$226 25.2% 29.1% $93

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Skudai

$111 12.4% 44% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Skudai

$103 11.5% 33.7% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Skudai

$84 9.3% 33.5% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Skudai

$47 5.2% 34.7% $25

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Skudai

$17 1.9% 33% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $357 in Skudai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $18 in Skudai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $226 per month, with Skudai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇾 Skudai

🕒 Local time

15:04 3:04 PM

05:04 5:04 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

159,733

💱 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 Skudai 16,600 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Skudai

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 Skudai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $900 in Skudai, so Skudai is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $1,349 in Skudai 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $357 in Skudai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Skudai runs roughly 45% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $235 in Skudai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $900 in Skudai versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Skudai but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Skudai 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 Skudai 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.