Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sibolga and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Sibolga: $622 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Sibolga
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Sibolga Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Sibolga

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$622

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $622 in Sibolga versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Sibolga $622
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $990 in Sibolga versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Sibolga $990
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,358 in Sibolga versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Sibolga $1,358
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Sibolga costs roughly 60% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sibolga is 54% below, Mexico City is 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

$11.02 MX$204

-85.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.70 Rp 246.7K

$48.68 MX$900

-71.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.22 Rp 57.9K

$10.90 MX$201

-70.46%

Cappuccino

$1.48 Rp 26.6K

$3.68 MX$68.1

-59.78%

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

$0.44 Rp 7,872

$1.63 MX$30.18

-73.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 Rp 4,506

$1.25 MX$23.07

-80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 Rp 39.8K

$3.25 MX$60.1

-32.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 Rp 61.2K

$5.53 MX$102

-38.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 Rp 21.1K

$1.70 MX$31.50

-31.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 Rp 19.2K

$3.02 MX$55.8

-64.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 Rp 15.6K

$1.92 MX$35.53

-54.69%

Eggs

$1.47 Rp 26.4K

$2.73 MX$50.5

-46.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.11 Rp 128.0K

$11.77 MX$218

-39.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.99 Rp 53.9K

$9.53 MX$176

-68.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.76 Rp 139.7K

$14.41 MX$266

-46.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 Rp 40.6K

$3.02 MX$55.8

-25.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

$1.89 MX$35.01

-32.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 Rp 30.2K

$1.99 MX$36.70

-15.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 Rp 22.2K

$2.19 MX$40.38

-43.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 Rp 23.3K

$1.92 MX$35.43

-32.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 Rp 34.1K

$1.87 MX$34.49

1.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 Rp 14.2K

$1.44 MX$26.62

-45.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 Rp 7,745

$1.27 MX$23.39

-66.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.75 Rp 49.5K

$5.22 MX$96.4

-47.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.83 Rp 374.9K

$16.17 MX$299

28.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

$1.90 MX$35.03

-1.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 Rp 52.8K

$4.22 MX$78.0

-30.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 Rp 5,222

$0.34 MX$6.30

-14.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.52 Rp 9,423

$2.00 MX$36.90

-74.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 Rp 6,798

$0.52 MX$9.67

-26.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.60 Rp 46.8K

$5.34 MX$98.7

-51.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$1.52 MX$28.13

-46.71%

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

$23.7K Rp 426.4M

$22.1K MX$408.0K

7.31%

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

$30.5K Rp 548.3M

$24.5K MX$452.9K

24.29%

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

$65.7 Rp 1.2M

$61.1 MX$1,129

7.52%

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

$4.24 Rp 76.3K

$28.58 MX$528

-85.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.44 Rp 349.9K

$34.47 MX$637

-43.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.82 Rp 356.7K

$56.4 MX$1,042

-64.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.41 Rp 151.4K

$24.88 MX$460

-66.20%

Cinema Ticket

$2.72 Rp 48.9K

$6.66 MX$123

-59.16%

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

$93.2 Rp 1.7M

$427 MX$7,891

-78.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,764 Rp 139.7M

$11.6K MX$215.0K

-33.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.07 Rp 775.2K

$67.8 MX$1,253

-36.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.87 Rp 519.7K

$52.0 MX$960

-44.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 Rp 1.4M

$106 MX$1,959

-28.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.3 Rp 1.3M

$113 MX$2,080

-37.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$231 Rp 4.2M

$1,025 MX$18.9K

-77.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$149 Rp 2.7M

$654 MX$12.1K

-77.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$541 Rp 9.7M

$2,308 MX$42.7K

-76.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 Rp 6.6M

$1,242 MX$22.9K

-70.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,188 Rp 21.4M

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-67.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$785 Rp 14.1M

$1,936 MX$35.8K

-59.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

11.3

-16.28%

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

Last update for Sibolga: October 17, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sibolga

$196 31.5%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 62.3% $122

Accommodation & Living

Sibolga

$149 24%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 339% $505

Clothing & Footwear

Sibolga

$98 15.7%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 55.4% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sibolga

$89 14.4%

Mexico City

$124 8% 38.9% $35

Eating Out

Sibolga

$61 9.8%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 234% $143

Sport & Entertainment

Sibolga

$25 4.1%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 176% $44

Getting Around

Sibolga

$3.6 * 0.6%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 618% $22

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 $231 in Sibolga and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $14.00 in Sibolga vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $196 vs $318 per month, with Sibolga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Sibolga

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

23:12 11:12 PM

10:12 10:12 AM

13 h behind Sibolga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,471

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

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

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sibolga Mexico City 16,950 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Sibolga
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

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

Sibolga and Mexico City differ by about 149% in total monthly costs ($622 vs $1,548 including rent). Sibolga is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $933 in Sibolga and $2,322 in Mexico City 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: $231 in Sibolga versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $93.2 in Sibolga versus $427 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sibolga – a meal for two runs $14.00 versus $49.00 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $622 in Sibolga versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sibolga but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Sibolga 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 Sibolga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 149% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.