Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sibu and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Sibu: $905 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Sibu
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Sibu Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Sibu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$905

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $905 in Sibu versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Sibu $905
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,406 in Sibu versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Sibu $1,406
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,906 in Sibu versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Sibu $1,906
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Sibu costs roughly 44% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sibu is 34% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 MYR 9.14

$10.62 MX$200

-78.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.22 MYR 77.9

$48.35 MX$909

-60.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.23 MYR 17.14

$10.35 MX$194

-59.13%

Cappuccino

$2.30 MYR 9.31

$3.69 MX$69.4

-37.67%

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

$0.61 MYR 2.48

$1.67 MX$31.32

-63.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 MYR 0.93

$1.27 MX$23.78

-81.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 MYR 11.60

$3.19 MX$60.0

-10.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 MYR 18.08

$5.31 MX$99.7

-16.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 MYR 7.14

$1.72 MX$32.41

2.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 MYR 3.54

$3.04 MX$57.1

-71.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.37

$1.94 MX$36.48

-31.44%

Eggs

$2.18 MYR 8.82

$2.89 MX$54.3

-24.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.35 MYR 54.1

$10.97 MX$206

21.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.90 MYR 19.88

$9.25 MX$174

-47.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.92 MYR 40.23

$15.13 MX$284

-34.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 MYR 11.60

$3.05 MX$57.3

-6.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 MYR 7.35

$1.94 MX$36.48

-6.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 MYR 9.58

$2.03 MX$38.06

16.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 MYR 6.86

$2.31 MX$43.50

-26.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.59

$2.04 MX$38.25

-32.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.40

$1.80 MX$33.83

-26.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 MYR 4.28

$1.48 MX$27.80

-28.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 MYR 2.28

$1.27 MX$23.82

-55.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.48 MYR 18.18

$5.30 MX$99.7

-15.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.27 MYR 78.1

$16.10 MX$303

19.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 MYR 12.23

$1.98 MX$37.27

52.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MYR 18.71

$4.25 MX$79.9

8.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MYR 3.21

$0.31 MX$5.73

154.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.49 MYR 46.59

$19.73 MX$371

-41.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 MYR 4.24

$1.84 MX$34.53

-43.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 MYR 2.48

$0.53 MX$10.03

15.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.27 MYR 29.47

$5.30 MX$99.5

37.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.51

$1.51 MX$28.39

-42.38%

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

$45.5K MYR 184.6K

$21.8K MX$408.8K

109.27%

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

$36.2K MYR 146.6K

$24.0K MX$450.8K

50.72%

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

$48.91 MYR 198

$63.0 MX$1,184

-22.34%

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

$7.37 MYR 29.86

$27.39 MX$515

-73.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.21 MYR 106

$35.67 MX$670

-26.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.13 MYR 110

$58.9 MX$1,108

-53.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.38 MYR 25.88

$23.64 MX$444

-73.01%

Cinema Ticket

$3.72 MYR 15.10

$6.40 MX$120

-41.88%

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

$243 MYR 984

$432 MX$8,111

-43.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,876 MYR 27.9K

$11.4K MX$214.7K

-39.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 MYR 228

$68.2 MX$1,282

-17.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 MYR 148

$53.1 MX$999

-31.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.2 MYR 281

$108 MX$2,026

-35.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 MYR 317

$117 MX$2,204

-33.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$390 MYR 1,579

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-65.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$318 MYR 1,288

$710 MX$13.4K

-55.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$698 MYR 2,828

$2,588 MX$48.6K

-73.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$630 MYR 2,552

$1,406 MX$26.4K

-55.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,136 MYR 8,660

$3,631 MX$68.2K

-41.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,165 MYR 4,723

$2,135 MX$40.1K

-45.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$487 MYR 1,974

$946 MX$17.8K

-48.54%

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 Sibu: 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

Sibu

$318 35.1%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 124% $393

Groceries & Markets

Sibu

$258 28.6%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 23.7% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Sibu

$108 11.9%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 44.4% $48

Eating Out

Sibu

$85 9.4%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 134% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sibu

$82 9.1%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 52.8% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Sibu

$35 3.8%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 108% $37

Getting Around

Sibu

$19 2.1%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 35.6% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $390 in Sibu and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 94% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Sibu vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $320 per month, with Sibu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sibu

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

14:01 2:01 PM

00:01 12:01 AM

14 h behind Sibu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

198,239

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 = 4.53 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 = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sibu Mexico City 15,860 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Sibu
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $905 in Sibu and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Sibu is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 49% lower in Sibu. 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: $390 in Sibu 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 Sibu runs roughly 42% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $243 in Sibu 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. Sibu 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 Sibu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.