Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Tanjung Balai Karimun

For one person, living is cheaper in Tanjung Balai Karimun: $610 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Tanjung Balai Karimun
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Tanjung Balai Karimun Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Tanjung Balai Karimun

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$610

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Tanjung Balai Karimun

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 Tanjung Balai Karimun actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $610 in Tanjung Balai Karimun.

Mexico City $1,608
Tanjung Balai Karimun $610

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,014 in Tanjung Balai Karimun.

Mexico City $2,549
Tanjung Balai Karimun $1,014

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,417 in Tanjung Balai Karimun.

Mexico City $3,490
Tanjung Balai Karimun $1,417

Living in Mexico City is roughly 163% more expensive than in Tanjung Balai Karimun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Tanjung Balai Karimun is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$1.60 Rp 29.0K

563.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$13.72 Rp 248.5K

252.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$3.27 Rp 59.3K

216.51%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

152.74%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$0.46 Rp 8,267

263.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$0.24 Rp 4,369

429.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$2.16 Rp 39.1K

47.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$3.63 Rp 65.8K

46.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$1.03 Rp 18.6K

66.99%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.09 Rp 19.8K

178.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$0.73 Rp 13.3K

165.75%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$1.62 Rp 29.4K

78.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$7.40 Rp 134.2K

48.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$2.90 Rp 52.5K

218.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$8.49 Rp 153.8K

78.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$2.36 Rp 42.7K

29.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$1.20 Rp 21.8K

61.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$1.47 Rp 26.6K

38.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$1.29 Rp 23.3K

79.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$1.08 Rp 19.5K

88.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$2.03 Rp 36.7K

-11.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$0.78 Rp 14.1K

89.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$0.42 Rp 7,670

202.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$2.58 Rp 46.8K

105.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$20.80 Rp 376.9K

-22.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$1.77 Rp 32.0K

11.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$3.32 Rp 60.1K

28.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.22 Rp 3,993

40.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$9.92 Rp 179.8K

98.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$0.49 Rp 8,930

275.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$0.35 Rp 6,356

51.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$2.91 Rp 52.8K

82.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$0.72 Rp 13.0K

109.72%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$25.6K Rp 463.6M

-14.97%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$34.6K Rp 626.7M

-30.65%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$68.4 Rp 1.2M

-7.90%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$4.25 Rp 77.1K

544.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$20.80 Rp 376.8K

71.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$18.27 Rp 331.1K

222.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$8.18 Rp 148.3K

189.00%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$2.96 Rp 53.7K

116.22%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$90.4 Rp 1.6M

377.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$7,256 Rp 131.5M

57.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$46.89 Rp 849.6K

45.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$31.72 Rp 574.8K

67.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$70.4 Rp 1.3M

53.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$60.6 Rp 1.1M

93.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$196 Rp 3.5M

469.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$128 Rp 2.3M

456.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$529 Rp 9.6M

389.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$411 Rp 7.4M

242.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$1,280 Rp 23.2M

183.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$742 Rp 13.5M

187.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

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 Tanjung Balai Karimun: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$128 20.9% 82% $583

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$197 32.2% 38.5% $123

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$61 10% 69.3% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$94 15.5% 39.5% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$93 15.3% 25.9% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$24 4% 66.3% $48

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$13 2.1% 48.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $196 in Tanjung Balai Karimun. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $14 in Tanjung Balai Karimun for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $197 per month, with Tanjung Balai Karimun cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇩 Tanjung Balai Karimun

🕒 Local time

12:38 12:38 PM

01:38 1:38 AM

13 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

48,953

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.52 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18,120 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,232 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Tanjung Balai Karimun 16,670 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Tanjung Balai Karimun

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 Tanjung Balai Karimun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $610 in Tanjung Balai Karimun, so Tanjung Balai Karimun is about 62% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $915 in Tanjung Balai Karimun 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 $196 in Tanjung Balai Karimun. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Tanjung Balai Karimun runs roughly 50% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $90 in Tanjung Balai Karimun. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $610 in Tanjung Balai Karimun versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tanjung Balai Karimun but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Tanjung Balai Karimun 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 Tanjung Balai Karimun gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.