Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,353 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. The total is higher in Mexico City despite lower rent and utilities.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Ubud, Bali

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali.

Mexico City $1,548
Ubud, Bali $1,353

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $2,297 in Ubud, Bali.

Mexico City $2,436
Ubud, Bali $2,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $3,241 in Ubud, Bali.

Mexico City $3,323
Ubud, Bali $3,241

Living in Mexico City is roughly 14% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 14% above, Ubud, Bali 0% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

241.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

39.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

91.23%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

40.46%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

-5.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

54.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

22.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

26.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

8.28%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

37.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

62.71%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

26.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

-33.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

152.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

20.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

-16.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

18.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

-13.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

14.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

7.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

-19.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

44.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.53 Rp 9,509

139.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

127.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

-26.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

-19.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

41.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$0.23 Rp 4,112

47.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

120.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$0.47 Rp 8,466

325.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$0.43 Rp 7,737

20.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

-2.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

83.13%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

-7.54%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

-25.24%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

-23.65%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

335.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

85.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

4.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

36.11%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

56.71%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$493 Rp 8.9M

-13.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

107.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

48.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

48.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

36.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

43.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

-9.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$673 Rp 12.1M

-2.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

-36.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

-27.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

32.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

-13.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$166 Rp 3.0M

479.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

13.78

-18.00%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7% 2.9% $19

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2% 9.7% $31

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9% 47.8% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9% 30% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8% 15.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6% 10.1% $7.1

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9% 51.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 479% 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: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $287 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

09:40 9:40 AM

23:40 11:40 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

74,800

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Ubud, Bali 16,120 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Ubud, Bali

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 Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Ubud, Bali differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $1,353 including rent). Ubud, Bali is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 479% 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: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 121% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $493 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,353 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali 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.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Ubud, Bali are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.