Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Sungai Petani

For one person, living is cheaper in Sungai Petani: $804 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Sungai Petani
Learn more

Sungai Petani Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Sungai Petani

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Sungai Petani

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $804 in Sungai Petani.

Mexico City $1,608
Sungai Petani $804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,203 in Sungai Petani.

Mexico City $2,549
Sungai Petani $1,203

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,602 in Sungai Petani.

Mexico City $3,490
Sungai Petani $1,602

Living in Mexico City is roughly 100% more expensive than in Sungai Petani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Sungai Petani is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$2.51 MYR 10.19

323.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$17.12 MYR 69.5

182.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$4.49 MYR 18.23

130.51%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$2.47 MYR 10.03

49.39%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$0.75 MYR 3.06

122.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$0.39 MYR 1.56

225.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$3.53 MYR 14.30

-9.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$4.44 MYR 18.03

19.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$1.79 MYR 7.28

-3.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.10 MYR 4.47

176.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$1.69 MYR 6.85

14.79%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$2.26 MYR 9.18

27.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$9.98 MYR 40.49

9.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$4.52 MYR 18.34

104.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$8.89 MYR 36.06

70.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$3.02 MYR 12.24

0.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$1.62 MYR 6.56

19.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$2.71 MYR 11.01

-25.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$1.40 MYR 5.68

65.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$1.09 MYR 4.44

87.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$1.07 MYR 4.35

68.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$1.13 MYR 4.60

30.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$0.59 MYR 2.38

115.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$4.31 MYR 17.48

22.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$19.25 MYR 78.1

-16.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$2.86 MYR 11.61

-30.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$5.15 MYR 20.90

-17.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.70 MYR 2.84

-55.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$12.26 MYR 49.74

60.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$1.75 MYR 7.08

5.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$0.38 MYR 1.53

39.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$7.49 MYR 30.38

-29.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$0.48 MYR 1.97

214.58%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$44.6K MYR 181.1K

-51.26%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$35.0K MYR 141.9K

-31.43%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$36.69 MYR 149

71.65%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$9.93 MYR 40.28

175.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$19.96 MYR 81.0

78.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$24.41 MYR 99.0

141.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$14.42 MYR 58.5

63.94%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$2.86 MYR 11.62

123.78%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$397 MYR 1,609

8.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$10.6K MYR 42.8K

8.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$59.4 MYR 241

14.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$34.60 MYR 140

53.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$74.4 MYR 302

44.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$69.8 MYR 283

67.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$180 MYR 731

517.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$241 MYR 976

195.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$480 MYR 1,947

439.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$365 MYR 1,481

285.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$1,202 MYR 4,877

202.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$480 MYR 1,948

344.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$490 MYR 1,986

93.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

4.04

180.94%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sungai Petani: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Sungai Petani

$241 29.9% 66.1% $470

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Sungai Petani

$247 30.7% 22.8% $73

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Sungai Petani

$94 11.7% 52.5% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Sungai Petani

$107 13.3% 31.2% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Sungai Petani

$67 8.3% 47.2% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Sungai Petani

$30 3.8% 58% $42

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Sungai Petani

$19 2.3% 26.6% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $180 in Sungai Petani. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 93% 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 $17 in Sungai Petani for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $247 per month, with Sungai Petani cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇾 Sungai Petani

🕒 Local time

12:25 12:25 PM

02:25 2:25 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

545,053

💱 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 1, 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

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Between locations

Mexico City Sungai Petani 16,500 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Sungai Petani

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 Sungai Petani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $804 in Sungai Petani, so Sungai Petani is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 93% 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 $180 in Sungai Petani. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sungai Petani runs roughly 38% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $397 in Sungai Petani. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $804 in Sungai Petani versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Sungai Petani but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Sungai Petani 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 Sungai Petani gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.