Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Miri and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Miri: $805 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Miri
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Miri Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Miri

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$805

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Miri and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $805 in Miri versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Miri $805
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,224 in Miri versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Miri $1,224
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,644 in Miri versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Miri $1,644
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Miri costs roughly 50% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Miri is 41% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.55 MYR 14.40

$10.62 MX$200

-66.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.12 MYR 49.15

$48.35 MX$909

-74.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.42 MYR 17.91

$10.35 MX$194

-57.29%

Cappuccino

$2.26 MYR 9.15

$3.69 MX$69.4

-38.75%

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

$0.80 MYR 3.24

$1.67 MX$31.32

-52.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 MYR 1.22

$1.27 MX$23.78

-76.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.90 MYR 11.77

$3.19 MX$60.0

-9.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 MYR 15.65

$5.31 MX$99.7

-27.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 MYR 5.69

$1.72 MX$32.41

-18.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 MYR 7.29

$3.04 MX$57.1

-40.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 MYR 4.02

$1.94 MX$36.48

-48.97%

Eggs

$3.43 MYR 13.89

$2.89 MX$54.3

18.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.88 MYR 19.80

$9.25 MX$174

-47.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 MYR 60.8

$15.13 MX$284

-0.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MYR 7.95

$1.94 MX$36.48

1.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.57

$1.27 MX$23.82

-69.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 MYR 17.39

$5.30 MX$99.7

-19.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 MYR 79.9

$16.10 MX$303

22.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 MYR 12.15

$1.98 MX$37.27

51.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 MYR 9.46

$4.25 MX$79.9

-45.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 MYR 1.92

$0.31 MX$5.73

51.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.01 MYR 56.8

$19.73 MX$371

-28.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 MYR 5.05

$1.84 MX$34.53

-32.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.59 MYR 2.38

$0.53 MX$10.03

11.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.98 MYR 24.24

$5.30 MX$99.5

12.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 MYR 2.61

$1.51 MX$28.39

-57.62%

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

$49.6K MYR 201.0K

$21.8K MX$408.8K

127.93%

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

$32.5K MYR 131.8K

$24.0K MX$450.8K

35.54%

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

$49.18 MYR 199

$63.0 MX$1,184

-21.91%

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

$9.92 MYR 40.21

$27.39 MX$515

-63.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.44 MYR 136

$35.67 MX$670

-6.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.19 MYR 118

$58.9 MX$1,108

-50.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.25 MYR 25.35

$23.64 MX$444

-73.56%

Cinema Ticket

$4.33 MYR 17.57

$6.40 MX$120

-32.34%

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

$99.5 MYR 403

$432 MX$8,111

-76.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,535 MYR 26.5K

$11.4K MX$214.7K

-42.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.80 MYR 182

$68.2 MX$1,282

-34.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.11 MYR 93.7

$53.1 MX$999

-56.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.3 MYR 224

$108 MX$2,026

-48.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$43.17 MYR 175

$117 MX$2,204

-63.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$348 MYR 1,409

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-68.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$289 MYR 1,173

$710 MX$13.4K

-59.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 MYR 2,388

$2,588 MX$48.6K

-77.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$578 MYR 2,343

$1,406 MX$26.4K

-58.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,201 MYR 4,868

$3,631 MX$68.2K

-66.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$680 MYR 2,756

$2,135 MX$40.1K

-68.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$688 MYR 2,789

$946 MX$17.8K

-27.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

11.35

-63.70%

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

Last update for Miri: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Miri

$289 36%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 145% $421

Groceries & Markets

Miri

$195 * 24.2%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 64.2% $125

Eating Out

Miri

$95 11.9%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 108% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Miri

$93 11.5%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 36.2% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Miri

$75 9.3%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 108% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Miri

$38 4.7%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 89.5% $34

Getting Around

Miri

$20 2.5%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 26.8% $5.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $348 in Miri and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 38% 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: $12 in Miri vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $195 vs $320 per month, with Miri cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Miri

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

19:41 7:41 PM

05:41 5:41 AM

14 h behind Miri

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

248,877

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.05 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 USD). 1 EUR = 4.52 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Miri Mexico City 15,530 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Miri
Mexico City

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

Miri vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $805 in Miri and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Miri is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Miri. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $348 in Miri versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Miri runs roughly 29% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $99 in Miri versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $805 in Miri versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Miri but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Miri 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 Miri gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.