Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Selangor and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Selangor: $1,020 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Selangor
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Selangor Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Selangor

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,020

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,020 in Selangor versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Selangor $1,020
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,469 in Selangor versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Selangor $1,469
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,918 in Selangor versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Selangor $1,918
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Selangor costs roughly 35% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Selangor is 24% below, Mexico City is 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.33 MYR 17.67

$10.75 MX$199

-59.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.20 MYR 78.3

$50.3 MX$929

-61.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.04 MYR 16.46

$11.10 MX$205

-63.60%

Cappuccino

$2.26 MYR 9.23

$3.68 MX$68.1

-38.59%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.18

$1.65 MX$30.42

-52.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.93

$1.30 MX$24.08

-63.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 MYR 18.08

$3.32 MX$61.3

33.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 MYR 20.24

$5.54 MX$102

-10.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 MYR 7.87

$1.77 MX$32.68

9.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MYR 4.30

$3.05 MX$56.4

-65.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.25

$2.01 MX$37.20

-23.88%

Eggs

$1.92 MYR 7.82

$2.77 MX$51.1

-30.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.26 MYR 58.2

$11.91 MX$220

19.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 MYR 17.78

$9.33 MX$172

-53.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 MYR 39.16

$15.02 MX$278

-36.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 MYR 14.04

$3.08 MX$56.8

11.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 MYR 7.52

$1.95 MX$35.97

-5.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 MYR 9.55

$2.03 MX$37.54

15.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 MYR 6.49

$2.21 MX$40.92

-28.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 MYR 5.45

$2.02 MX$37.41

-33.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 MYR 4.21

$1.82 MX$33.67

-43.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 MYR 4.52

$1.52 MX$28.07

-26.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.19

$1.28 MX$23.65

-57.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 MYR 18.35

$5.27 MX$97.4

-14.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.53 MYR 79.7

$16.12 MX$298

21.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.59 MYR 14.64

$1.95 MX$36.05

84.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.86 MYR 19.81

$4.25 MX$78.6

14.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 MYR 4.87

$0.31 MX$5.82

283.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.26 MYR 50.0

$19.85 MX$367

-38.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MYR 5.06

$2.00 MX$36.93

-38.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 MYR 5.10

$0.53 MX$9.86

135.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.34 MYR 17.72

$5.62 MX$104

-22.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.73 MYR 2.99

$1.52 MX$28.07

-51.97%

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

$41.9K MYR 171.0K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

99.24%

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

$35.3K MYR 143.8K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

40.00%

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

$63.4 MYR 258

$62.5 MX$1,155

1.39%

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

$8.50 MYR 34.69

$28.77 MX$532

-70.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.97 MYR 106

$34.45 MX$637

-24.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.09 MYR 168

$57.1 MX$1,055

-28.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.87 MYR 28.04

$24.81 MX$458

-72.31%

Cinema Ticket

$5.05 MYR 20.59

$6.67 MX$123

-24.29%

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

$122 MYR 499

$431 MX$7,964

-71.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,175 MYR 29.3K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

-38.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MYR 289

$70.8 MX$1,308

0.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.40 MYR 169

$51.8 MX$958

-20.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 MYR 315

$109 MX$2,011

-29.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.0 MYR 339

$112 MX$2,076

-26.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 MYR 2,083

$1,051 MX$19.4K

-51.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 MYR 1,413

$665 MX$12.3K

-47.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$880 MYR 3,589

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-62.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$481 MYR 1,963

$1,227 MX$22.7K

-60.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,578 MYR 6,438

$3,554 MX$65.7K

-55.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$705 MYR 2,875

$1,977 MX$36.5K

-64.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,019 MYR 4,157

$975 MX$18.0K

4.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

11.3

-64.96%

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

Last update for Selangor: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Selangor

$346 34%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 92.1% $319

Groceries & Markets

Selangor

$266 26.1%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 21.2% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Selangor

$123 12%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 26.2% $32

Eating Out

Selangor

$111 10.9%

Mexico City

$203 13% 82.8% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Selangor

$98 9.6%

Mexico City

$126 8% 28.5% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Selangor

$51 5%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 37.6% $19

Getting Around

Selangor

$25 2.4%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 5.1% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $511 in Selangor and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Selangor pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $19.00 in Selangor vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $323 per month, with Selangor cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Selangor

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

17:25 5:25 PM

14 h behind Selangor

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

281,717

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Selangor Mexico City 16,640 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Selangor
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

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

Selangor and Mexico City differ by about 54% in total monthly costs ($1,020 vs $1,567 including rent). Selangor is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 5% higher in Selangor, 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: $511 in Selangor versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Selangor runs roughly 62% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $122 in Selangor versus $431 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,020 in Selangor versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Selangor but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Selangor 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, Selangor and Mexico City 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 Selangor gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.