Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Timika

For one person, living is cheaper in Timika: $623 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 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 Timika
Learn more

Timika Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Timika

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$623

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Timika

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $623 in Timika.

Mexico City $1,608
Timika $623

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,011 in Timika.

Mexico City $2,549
Timika $1,011

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,398 in Timika.

Mexico City $3,490
Timika $1,398

Living in Mexico City is roughly 158% more expensive than in Timika, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Timika is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$1.60 Rp 29.1K

563.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$13.94 Rp 253.3K

246.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$3.00 Rp 54.5K

245.00%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

147.65%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$0.43 Rp 7,890

288.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$0.26 Rp 4,689

388.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$2.18 Rp 39.7K

46.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$3.14 Rp 57.1K

69.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.29 Rp 23.5K

33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$1.16 Rp 21.0K

162.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$0.88 Rp 16.0K

120.45%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.42 Rp 25.9K

103.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$7.02 Rp 127.6K

56.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$2.61 Rp 47.5K

254.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$7.41 Rp 134.6K

104.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.49 Rp 45.3K

22.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.10 Rp 20.0K

76.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$1.54 Rp 28.0K

31.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$1.35 Rp 24.6K

71.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$1.32 Rp 24.0K

54.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$2.06 Rp 37.5K

-12.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$0.86 Rp 15.6K

72.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.40 Rp 7,272

217.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

94.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$18.19 Rp 330.6K

-11.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$1.66 Rp 30.1K

19.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$2.94 Rp 53.4K

44.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$0.24 Rp 4,446

29.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$10.84 Rp 197.1K

82.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$0.47 Rp 8,629

291.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.30 Rp 5,366

76.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$2.55 Rp 46.4K

107.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$0.80 Rp 14.6K

88.75%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$25.5K Rp 462.6M

-14.52%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$35.6K Rp 646.4M

-32.56%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$60.6 Rp 1.1M

3.93%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$3.93 Rp 71.4K

596.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$16.61 Rp 301.9K

114.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$18.97 Rp 344.8K

210.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$8.64 Rp 157.0K

173.61%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$2.68 Rp 48.8K

138.81%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$91.9 Rp 1.7M

369.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$8,848 Rp 160.8M

29.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$44.34 Rp 805.8K

53.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$25.46 Rp 462.7K

108.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$76.4 Rp 1.4M

41.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$78.1 Rp 1.4M

50.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$237 Rp 4.3M

369.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$155 Rp 2.8M

359.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$609 Rp 11.1M

324.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$403 Rp 7.3M

249.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$1,199 Rp 21.8M

202.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$784 Rp 14.2M

172.45%

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 Timika: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Timika

$155 24.8% 78.2% $556

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Timika

$189 30.3% 40.9% $131

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Timika

$60 9.6% 69.9% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Timika

$101 16.2% 35.2% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Timika

$81 13% 35.6% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Timika

$24 3.9% 66.1% $47

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Timika

$14 2.2% 45.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $237 in Timika. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $14 in Timika for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $189 per month, with Timika cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇩 Timika

🕒 Local time

14:36 2:36 PM

05:36 5:36 AM

15 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

142,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.5 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Timika 13,730 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Timika

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 Timika: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $623 in Timika, so Timika is about 61% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $935 in Timika 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 $237 in Timika. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Timika runs roughly 45% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $92 in Timika. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $623 in Timika versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Timika but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Timika 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 Timika gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.