Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Tanjung Pinang

For one person, living is cheaper in Tanjung Pinang: $622 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mexico City, Mexico
Tanjung Pinang, Indonesia
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,674
/mo nomad
Tanjung Pinang
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$622
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $622 in Tanjung Pinang.

  • Mexico City $1,674
  • Tanjung Pinang $622

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $984 in Tanjung Pinang.

  • Mexico City $2,606
  • Tanjung Pinang $984

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $1,346 in Tanjung Pinang.

  • Mexico City $3,537
  • Tanjung Pinang $1,346

Living in Mexico City is roughly 169% more expensive than in Tanjung Pinang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Tanjung Pinang is 54% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Tanjung Pinang
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.59 MX$197
$3.30 Rp 59.8K
220.91%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$52.0 MX$967
$14.72 Rp 267.0K
252.99%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.73 MX$200
$3.29 Rp 59.6K
226.14%
Cappuccino
$3.80 MX$70.6
$1.50 Rp 27.3K
153.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.61 MX$30.01
$0.46 Rp 8,337
250.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.21 MX$22.55
$0.22 Rp 3,978
450.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 MX$59.1
$1.88 Rp 34.2K
69.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.44 MX$101
$3.03 Rp 55.0K
79.54%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Tanjung Pinang
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 MX$31.96
$1.11 Rp 20.1K
54.95%
White Bread (500g)
$2.97 MX$55.2
$1.05 Rp 19.0K
182.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.93 MX$35.84
$0.77 Rp 14.1K
150.65%
Eggs
$2.77 MX$51.6
$1.45 Rp 26.2K
91.03%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.67 MX$217
$6.23 Rp 113.0K
87.32%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.48 MX$176
$2.84 Rp 51.6K
233.80%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.37 MX$286
$6.87 Rp 124.6K
123.73%
Apples (1kg)
$3.10 MX$57.8
$2.45 Rp 44.4K
26.53%
Banana (1kg)
$1.96 MX$36.49
$1.38 Rp 25.0K
42.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.98 MX$36.88
$1.43 Rp 25.9K
38.46%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.34 MX$43.46
$1.39 Rp 25.2K
68.35%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.66
$1.10 Rp 19.9K
83.64%
Onion (1kg)
$1.82 MX$33.95
$1.85 Rp 33.5K
-1.62%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.54 MX$28.74
$0.92 Rp 16.6K
67.39%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.31 MX$24.42
$0.42 Rp 7,606
211.90%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.35 MX$99.6
$2.59 Rp 47.0K
106.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.19 MX$301
$21.36 Rp 387.5K
-24.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.96 MX$36.46
$1.65 Rp 29.9K
18.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.35 MX$81.0
$2.88 Rp 52.2K
51.04%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Tanjung Pinang
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.30 MX$5.67
$0.27 Rp 4,843
11.11%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.49 MX$363
$11.89 Rp 215.7K
63.92%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.92 MX$35.68
$0.52 Rp 9,493
269.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.47 MX$8.80
$0.32 Rp 5,778
46.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.41 MX$101
$3.19 Rp 57.9K
69.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.48 MX$27.61
$0.65 Rp 11.7K
127.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.4K MX$397.7K
$22.1K Rp 400.1M
-3.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$442.1K
$35.8K Rp 649.4M
-33.65%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Tanjung Pinang
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.0 MX$1,154
$67.5 Rp 1.2M
-8.16%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.47 MX$530
$4.51 Rp 81.8K
531.26%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.11 MX$635
$18.62 Rp 337.7K
83.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Tanjung Pinang
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.4 MX$1,087
$16.88 Rp 306.2K
245.91%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.50 MX$456
$8.94 Rp 162.1K
174.05%
Cinema Ticket
$6.59 MX$123
$2.83 Rp 51.3K
132.86%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Tanjung Pinang
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$434 MX$8,081
$79.8 Rp 1.4M
444.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.0K MX$261.2K
$12.0K Rp 218.2M
16.69%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Tanjung Pinang
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.4 MX$1,272
$45.74 Rp 829.7K
49.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.8 MX$1,020
$29.73 Rp 539.4K
84.33%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 MX$2,063
$64.2 Rp 1.2M
72.56%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$116 MX$2,158
$77.2 Rp 1.4M
50.25%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Tanjung Pinang
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,179 MX$21.9K
$236 Rp 4.3M
399.06%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$771 MX$14.3K
$134 Rp 2.4M
474.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,570 MX$47.8K
$607 Rp 11.0M
323.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,420 MX$26.4K
$319 Rp 5.8M
344.45%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,586 MX$66.7K
$1,290 Rp 23.4M
177.99%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,064 MX$38.4K
$710 Rp 12.9M
190.68%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Tanjung Pinang
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,003 MX$18.7K
$193 Rp 3.5M
418.70%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.35
9.45
20.11%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Tanjung Pinang: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$771
Tanjung Pinang
$134 82.6% $637
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$324
Tanjung Pinang
$189 41.4% $134
Eating Out
Mexico City
$201
Tanjung Pinang
$72 63.9% $128
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$158
Tanjung Pinang
$98 38% $60
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$125
Tanjung Pinang
$91 27.3% $34
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$72
Tanjung Pinang
$23 68.5% $49
Getting Around
Mexico City
$25
Tanjung Pinang
$15 39.7% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $236 in Tanjung Pinang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 5.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $15 in Tanjung Pinang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $189 per month, with Tanjung Pinang cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇮🇩 Tanjung Pinang
🕒 Local time
14:56 2:56 PM
03:56 3:56 AM
13 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
239,854
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18,140 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,286 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Tanjung Pinang 16,590 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Tanjung Pinang

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 Pinang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Mexico City and in Tanjung Pinang?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $622 in Tanjung Pinang, so Tanjung Pinang is about 63% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Mexico City or Tanjung Pinang?
Average pay in Mexico City is about 5.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Mexico City and in Tanjung Pinang?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $236 in Tanjung Pinang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in Mexico City and in Tanjung Pinang?
A monthly transit pass in Tanjung Pinang runs roughly 39% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Mexico City and Tanjung Pinang?
Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $80 in Tanjung Pinang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city is more doable on $800 per month?
At $622 in Tanjung Pinang versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $800 budget is realistic in Tanjung Pinang but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Tanjung Pinang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Mexico City and Tanjung Pinang?
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.
Where should expats move: Mexico City or Tanjung Pinang?
Expats usually find Tanjung Pinang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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