Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and South Tangerang

For one person, living is cheaper in South Tangerang: $654 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
31

Cost of Living Index in South Tangerang
Learn more

South Tangerang Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

South Tangerang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$654

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in South Tangerang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $654 in South Tangerang.

Mexico City $1,608
South Tangerang $654

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $997 in South Tangerang.

Mexico City $2,549
South Tangerang $997

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,341 in South Tangerang.

Mexico City $3,490
South Tangerang $1,341

Living in Mexico City is roughly 146% more expensive than in South Tangerang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, South Tangerang is 52% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$1.69 Rp 30.6K

528.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$13.56 Rp 246.0K

256.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$3.38 Rp 61.4K

206.21%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$1.53 Rp 27.7K

141.18%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$0.45 Rp 8,144

271.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$0.24 Rp 4,379

429.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$2.53 Rp 45.9K

26.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$3.10 Rp 56.3K

71.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.17 Rp 21.2K

47.01%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.02 Rp 18.5K

198.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$0.89 Rp 16.1K

117.98%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$1.72 Rp 31.2K

68.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$6.98 Rp 126.6K

57.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$2.99 Rp 54.3K

209.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$8.00 Rp 145.1K

89.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$2.75 Rp 49.8K

10.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.19 Rp 21.7K

63.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$1.93 Rp 35.0K

5.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$1.20 Rp 21.8K

92.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$1.37 Rp 24.9K

48.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$2.03 Rp 36.8K

-11.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$0.85 Rp 15.4K

74.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.47 Rp 8,476

170.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$2.62 Rp 47.6K

102.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$21.04 Rp 381.7K

-23.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$1.88 Rp 34.2K

5.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$3.10 Rp 56.2K

37.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.20 Rp 3,643

55.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$16.31 Rp 295.8K

20.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$0.53 Rp 9,671

247.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$0.32 Rp 5,781

65.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$2.20 Rp 39.8K

140.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$0.91 Rp 16.5K

65.93%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$22.1K Rp 400.1M

-1.38%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$32.3K Rp 586.7M

-25.84%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$52.5 Rp 952.6K

19.92%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$6.19 Rp 112.2K

342.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$19.22 Rp 348.6K

85.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$25.57 Rp 463.9K

130.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$9.08 Rp 164.6K

160.35%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

135.29%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$116 Rp 2.1M

272.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$8,091 Rp 146.8M

41.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$38.89 Rp 705.3K

75.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$28.19 Rp 511.2K

88.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$71.0 Rp 1.3M

51.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$70.6 Rp 1.3M

66.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$208 Rp 3.8M

434.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$166 Rp 3.0M

327.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$373 Rp 6.8M

593.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$307 Rp 5.6M

358.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$1,143 Rp 20.7M

217.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$927 Rp 16.8M

130.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$437 Rp 7.9M

116.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

9.46

19.98%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for South Tangerang: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

South Tangerang

$166 25.4% 76.6% $544

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

South Tangerang

$202 30.8% 36.9% $118

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

South Tangerang

$64 9.7% 68% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

South Tangerang

$94 14.4% 39.8% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

South Tangerang

$78 11.9% 38.2% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

South Tangerang

$31 4.8% 56.8% $41

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

South Tangerang

$19 2.9% 24.4% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $208 in South Tangerang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 2.2 times more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $14 in South Tangerang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $202 per month, with South Tangerang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇩 South Tangerang

🕒 Local time

03:24 3:24 AM

16:24 4:24 PM

13 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,290,322

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,241 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City South Tangerang 16,860 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
South Tangerang

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 South Tangerang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $654 in South Tangerang, so South Tangerang is about 59% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 2.2 times higher, 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 $208 in South Tangerang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in South Tangerang runs roughly 17% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $116 in South Tangerang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $654 in South Tangerang versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in South Tangerang but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes South Tangerang 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 South Tangerang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.