Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Tanjung Pandan

For one person, living is cheaper in Tanjung Pandan: $617 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Tanjung Pandan
Learn more

Tanjung Pandan Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Tanjung Pandan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$617

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Tanjung Pandan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $617 in Tanjung Pandan.

Mexico City $1,608
Tanjung Pandan $617

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,000 in Tanjung Pandan.

Mexico City $2,549
Tanjung Pandan $1,000

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,383 in Tanjung Pandan.

Mexico City $3,490
Tanjung Pandan $1,383

Living in Mexico City is roughly 160% more expensive than in Tanjung Pandan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$1.59 Rp 28.9K

567.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$900

$15.06 Rp 273.3K

221.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$3.59 Rp 65.2K

188.30%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$1.50 Rp 27.3K

146.00%

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

$1.67 MX$31.03

$0.42 Rp 7,687

297.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.56

$0.22 Rp 3,943

477.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.4

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

56.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.8

$3.33 Rp 60.4K

59.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.11

$1.06 Rp 19.2K

62.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$1.00 Rp 18.1K

204.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.14

$0.94 Rp 17.1K

106.38%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.25 Rp 22.7K

131.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$6.37 Rp 115.5K

72.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$3.26 Rp 59.2K

183.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$8.49 Rp 154.1K

78.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$1.93 Rp 35.0K

58.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.14

$1.13 Rp 20.5K

71.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.70

$1.76 Rp 31.9K

15.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.09

$1.24 Rp 22.5K

86.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.88

$1.08 Rp 19.7K

88.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.51

$1.90 Rp 34.5K

-5.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.54

$0.78 Rp 14.1K

89.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.60

$0.40 Rp 7,297

217.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$2.51 Rp 45.6K

111.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$23.14 Rp 419.9K

-30.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.92

$1.82 Rp 33.0K

8.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$3.38 Rp 61.3K

25.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

$0.25 Rp 4,557

24.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$367

$10.41 Rp 188.8K

89.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.21

$0.47 Rp 8,524

291.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.93

$0.36 Rp 6,501

47.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.6

$2.47 Rp 44.9K

114.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.12

$0.88 Rp 16.1K

71.59%

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

$21.8K MX$405.0K

$20.2K Rp 366.3M

7.75%

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

$24.0K MX$446.5K

$30.6K Rp 555.6M

-21.67%

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

$63.0 MX$1,172

$60.5 Rp 1.1M

4.06%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$4.22 Rp 76.5K

549.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$20.00 Rp 362.9K

78.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,097

$19.60 Rp 355.7K

200.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$440

$8.42 Rp 152.8K

180.76%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$3.08 Rp 55.9K

107.79%

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

$432 MX$8,035

$88.3 Rp 1.6M

389.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.7K

$7,394 Rp 134.2M

54.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,270

$40.55 Rp 735.7K

68.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$989

$27.32 Rp 495.8K

94.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,006

$81.0 Rp 1.5M

33.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,183

$60.3 Rp 1.1M

94.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$204 Rp 3.7M

446.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$141 Rp 2.6M

403.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$533 Rp 9.7M

386.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$379 Rp 6.9M

271.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

$1,263 Rp 22.9M

187.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.7K

$883 Rp 16.0M

141.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

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 Pandan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Tanjung Pandan

$141 22.9% 80.1% $569

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Tanjung Pandan

$197 31.9% 38.4% $123

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Tanjung Pandan

$61 9.9% 69.3% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Tanjung Pandan

$94 15.3% 39.6% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Tanjung Pandan

$85 13.7% 32.8% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Tanjung Pandan

$26 4.2% 64.1% $46

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Tanjung Pandan

$14 2.2% 46.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $204 in Tanjung Pandan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $15 in Tanjung Pandan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $197 per month, with Tanjung Pandan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇩 Tanjung Pandan

🕒 Local time

09:15 9:15 AM

22:15 10:15 PM

13 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

103,062

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 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 October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 18.62 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,281 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Tanjung Pandan 16,560 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Tanjung Pandan

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 Pandan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Tanjung Pandan differ by about 160% in total monthly costs ($1,608 vs $617 including rent). Tanjung Pandan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $926 in Tanjung Pandan 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 $204 in Tanjung Pandan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Tanjung Pandan runs roughly 47% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $88 in Tanjung Pandan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $617 in Tanjung Pandan versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Tanjung Pandan but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Tanjung Pandan 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 Pandan 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.