Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Putrajaya and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Putrajaya: $813 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Putrajaya
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Putrajaya Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Putrajaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$813

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Putrajaya 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 Putrajaya and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $813 in Putrajaya versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Putrajaya $813
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,227 in Putrajaya versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Putrajaya $1,227
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,640 in Putrajaya versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Putrajaya $1,640
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Putrajaya costs roughly 49% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Putrajaya is 40% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.58 MYR 14.52

$10.62 MX$199

-66.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.03 MYR 73.2

$48.35 MX$908

-62.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.48 MYR 18.18

$10.35 MX$194

-56.71%

Cappuccino

$2.89 MYR 11.71

$3.69 MX$69.3

-21.68%

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

$0.82 MYR 3.34

$1.67 MX$31.29

-50.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.59

$1.27 MX$23.76

-69.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 MYR 14.97

$3.19 MX$59.9

15.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 MYR 19.19

$5.31 MX$99.6

-10.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 MYR 7.09

$1.72 MX$32.38

1.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 MYR 4.44

$3.04 MX$57.1

-64.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 MYR 5.81

$1.94 MX$36.44

-26.29%

Eggs

$1.71 MYR 6.94

$2.89 MX$54.2

-40.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.72 MYR 31.33

$10.97 MX$206

-29.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.70 MYR 19.08

$9.25 MX$174

-49.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.58 MYR 38.86

$15.13 MX$284

-36.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 MYR 10.00

$3.05 MX$57.2

-19.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 MYR 6.04

$1.94 MX$36.45

-23.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 MYR 9.00

$2.03 MX$38.02

9.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 MYR 6.62

$2.31 MX$43.46

-29.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 MYR 5.64

$2.04 MX$38.21

-31.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 MYR 5.81

$1.80 MX$33.79

-20.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 MYR 5.55

$1.48 MX$27.77

-7.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.10

$1.27 MX$23.80

-59.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MYR 17.43

$5.30 MX$99.6

-18.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 MYR 54.2

$16.10 MX$302

-17.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 MYR 12.10

$1.98 MX$37.23

50.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 MYR 12.19

$4.25 MX$79.8

-29.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 MYR 2.82

$0.31 MX$5.73

122.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.13 MYR 49.19

$19.73 MX$371

-38.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 MYR 3.81

$1.84 MX$34.50

-48.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MYR 1.93

$0.53 MX$10.02

-11.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.75 MYR 39.55

$5.30 MX$99.4

83.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 MYR 2.80

$1.51 MX$28.36

-54.30%

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

$42.8K MYR 173.6K

$21.8K MX$408.4K

96.66%

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

$34.4K MYR 139.4K

$24.0K MX$450.3K

43.24%

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

$52.5 MYR 213

$63.0 MX$1,182

-16.66%

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

$11.02 MYR 44.72

$27.39 MX$514

-59.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.68 MYR 92.0

$35.67 MX$670

-36.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.81 MYR 145

$58.9 MX$1,107

-39.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.28 MYR 37.64

$23.64 MX$444

-60.74%

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 MYR 20.40

$6.40 MX$120

-21.41%

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

$243 MYR 984

$432 MX$8,103

-43.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,555 MYR 18.5K

$11.4K MX$214.5K

-60.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.4 MYR 221

$68.2 MX$1,281

-20.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.78 MYR 68.1

$53.1 MX$997

-68.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.2 MYR 325

$108 MX$2,023

-25.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.0 MYR 353

$117 MX$2,202

-25.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$345 MYR 1,398

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-69.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$225 MYR 914

$710 MX$13.3K

-68.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$633 MYR 2,570

$2,588 MX$48.6K

-75.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 MYR 1,501

$1,406 MX$26.4K

-73.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,682 MYR 10.9K

$3,631 MX$68.2K

-26.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,783 MYR 7,235

$2,135 MX$40.1K

-16.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 MYR 4,176

$946 MX$17.8K

8.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

11.35

-64.23%

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

Last update for Putrajaya: 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

Putrajaya

$225 27.7%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 215% $485

Groceries & Markets

Putrajaya

$221 27.2%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 44.6% $99

Eating Out

Putrajaya

$109 13.5%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 81.4% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Putrajaya

$107 13.2%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 45.3% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Putrajaya

$86 10.6%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 46.2% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Putrajaya

$46 5.6%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 56.4% $26

Getting Around

Putrajaya

$18 2.2%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 39.7% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $345 in Putrajaya and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Putrajaya pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $18 in Putrajaya vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $221 vs $320 per month, with Putrajaya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Putrajaya

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

15:33 3:33 PM

01:33 1:33 AM

14 h behind Putrajaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

109,202

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4.06 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Putrajaya Mexico City 16,650 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Putrajaya
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $813 in Putrajaya and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Putrajaya is about 49% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 9% higher in Putrajaya, 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: $345 in Putrajaya 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 Putrajaya runs roughly 39% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $243 in Putrajaya versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Putrajaya is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Putrajaya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.