Which place is cheaper, Mexico City or Kota Kinabalu?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.
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Should you visit Kota Kinabalu or Mexico City?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Should I visit Kota Kinabalu or Mexico City? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city has activities that align with your interests along with knowing which is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the details and the data, which all comes from actual travelers.
Where Should I go: Kota Kinabalu or Mexico City?
Kota Kinabalu
Kota Kinabalu, originally Jesselton, is the capital of Sabah, which is on the northern part of the island of Borneo. Kota Kinabalu is located just between the western side of the island and Tambunan Rafflesia Forest Reserve. Most of Kota Kinabalu's historic buildings were destroyed by bombing during World War II, so the city had to be rebuilt. KK, as it's commonly called, is a compact, but booming town today, with its new shopping centers, seaside condominiums, and bustling marketplaces.
Mexico City
Mexico City is one of the largest and most populated cities in the world. There are an estimated 26 million people living in the greater Mexico City metropolitan area. The area is about 60 kilometers by 40 kilometers and is surrounded by tall mountains and volcanoes on three sides. Mexico City proper has about 8.8 million people and is the capital of the country. More than a third of the country's economy is based here, making it the wealthiest city in all of Latin America.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Luxury Tours to Malaysia, The Best Tours for Seniors to Malaysia, The Best 2-Week Tours in Mexico, and Tours for Outdoor and Nature Lovers in Mexico.
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Kota Kinabalu Prices
Malaysia PricesMexico City Prices
Mexico Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayKota Kinabalu $69Mexico City $225
The average daily cost (per person) in Kota Kinabalu is $69, while the average daily cost in Mexico City is $225. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Kota Kinabalu and Mexico City in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personKota Kinabalu $21Mexico City $41
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomKota Kinabalu $42Mexico City $82
Compare Hotels in Kota Kinabalu and Mexico City
Looking for a hotel in Kota Kinabalu or Mexico City? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.
Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.
Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Kota Kinabalu Hotel Prices and Mexico City Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Kota Kinabalu $26Mexico City $13
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Kota Kinabalu
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Kota Kinabalu:
- Transfer from Kota Kinabalu Airport BKI to Kota Kinabalu Port: $24
- Private Transfer: Kota Kinabalu International Airport to/from Hotel: $30
- Private Transfer- Kota Kinabalu Port to Kota Kinabalu Airport BKI: $24
- Private Transfer- Kota Kinabalu Airport BKI to Kota Kinabalu Port: $24
- Private Transfer from Kota Kinabalu Port to Kota Kinabalu hotels: $24
- Private Transfer from Kota Kinabalu Hotels to Kota Kinabalu Port: $24
- Private Departure Transfer : Kota Kinabalu International Airport: $27
- Private Airport Transfer in Kota Kinabalu: $20
- Monsopiad Cultural Village Visit with Private Transfer from Kota Kinabalu: $50
- Kota Kinabalu（BKI）: Private Transfer to City Center: $14
- Kota Kinabalu Airport (BKI) to Borneo - Arrival Private Transfer: $37
- Kota Kinabalu Airport (BKI) Private Transfer to Kota Kinabalu: $25
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Mexico City
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Mexico City:
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Metro$1.15
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Uber Ride$4.04
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Mexico City
Also for Mexico City, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- MEX Airport Private Transfer to/from City Center: $15
- Private Transfer to Mexico City Airport (MEX): $17
- Transfer Mexico city Airport - Mexico city Downtown hotels: $18
- Private Transfer from Airport to Hotel in Mexico City: $27
- Mexico to Mexico City Airport (MEX) Departure Arrival Transfer: $30
- Mexico City International Airport (MEX) to Mexico City- Private Arrival Transfer: $30
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer service in Mexico APT-HTL (MEX): $36
- Transfer & assistance one-way from/to Mexico City Airport/hotel: $36
- Mexico City Private Airport Transfer: $36
- Private Transfer From Mexico City Airport to Downtown: $40
- Mexico City Airport Transfer to Estadio Azteca and City: $41
- Private One way Transfer from Mexico Airport to Mexico City: $41
Is it cheaper to fly into Kota Kinabalu or Mexico City?
Prices for flights to both Mexico City and Kota Kinabalu change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Food
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Food Meals for one dayKota Kinabalu $30Mexico City $46
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Kota Kinabalu
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Kota Kinabalu.
- Beringgis Mangove Fireflies, Sunset Tour & Dinner: $32
- Sabah Traditional Authentic Cuisine Cooking Class 3 Hours: $45
- Klias River Cruise with Dinner and Fireflies: $55
- Kawa Mangrove Cruise & Fireflies with Dinner: $67
- Kota Kinabalu Klias River Cruise with Dinner and Fireflies Tour: $72
- Traditional Sabah Cooking Class and Taste Local Flavors: $75
- North Borneo Sunset Dinner Cruise: $121
- Kota Kinabalu Night Tour with Dinner & Cultural Dance Show: $142
Typical Food Prices in Mexico City
For Mexico City, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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Lunch for Two$13
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Coffee and Snacks$4.50
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Dinner for 2$26
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Mexico City
For Mexico City, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Mexico City Coyoacan Food Tour & Optional Frida Kahlo Museum: $20
- Cable Car, Cultural Spaces, and Traditional Food Tour: $40
- Veracruz and Boca del Rio Food Tour with Mangroves Boat Trip: $50
- Coyoacan Market Food Tour Urban Eats & Local Legends: $55
- San Juan Market Food Tour Exotic Bites & Flavors: $55
- Tortilla Crawl: Food Tour in Mexico City: $55
- Mexico : Best Street Food Tour With A Local Guide: $58
- CDMX Historic Center Food Tour: $59
- Street Food Tour in Mexico with a Local Guide: $61
- Local Markets & Food Tour in Mexico City: $63
- 3 Hours Food Tour Best Vegan Tacos in Mexico City: $65
- 3h Cooking Class in 8 Recipes & Drinks: $68
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Kota Kinabalu $6.54Mexico City $15
Tours and Activities in Kota Kinabalu
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Kota Kinabalu are as follows:
- Bongawan River Cruise Proboscis Monkey, SkyMirror, Fireflies: $50
- Bongawan: River Safari Cruise, Private or Shared Ticket: $48
- Borneo (Klias) River Cruise & Fireflies Tour: $50
- Borneo Combo Adventure: $200
- Cowboy Town & Fireflies River Cruise: $62
- Day Trip to Kinabalu Park and Poring Hot Spring Guided Tour: $70
- Discover Sailing Experience in Tanjung Aru Beach: $87
- Essential Half-Day Kota Kinabalu City Highlights and Museum Tour: $95
- From Kota Kinabalu : Kiulu White Water Rafting Tour + meal: $66
- Full Day Bongawan River Cruise with Proboscis Monkey Sightseeing: $56
- Indigenous Weaving Experience: $236
- Island Hopping Tour (2 Island) From Kota Kinabalu: $100
Tours and Activities in Mexico City
For Mexico City, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- Mexico City Self-Guided Tour: Historic Center & Beyond: $1.14
- MUCHO Museum of Chocolate Entrance Ticket: $4.65
- Mexico City Coyoacán, Frida Kahlo Exploration Game and Tour: $5.03
- Mexico City (Historic Centre) Scavenger Hunt and Self-Guided Tour: $5.10
- Mexico City (Coyoacan) Scavenger Hunt and Sights Self-Guided Tour: $5.10
- Flavors of the past: A Pre-Hispanic drink tour in Mexico city.: $5.92
- Mexico City Self-Guided Audio Experience: $6.00
- Hidden Gems of Exploration Game and Tour: $6.55
- Puebla Audio Guided Walking Tour 3h and 26 Audio Comments: $6.88
- Mexico City Walking Tour 2h40 and 24 audio reviews: $7.16
- Mexico City Jewish History Smartphone Guided Audio Walking Tour: $7.75
- La Roma's Famous Sights and Local Lore: A Self-Guided Audio Tour: $8.39
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayKota Kinabalu $7.30Mexico City $20
Sample the Local Flavors in Mexico City
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Mexico City:
- CDMX Pub Crawl: Guided Pub Crawl with Party Games: $24
- The Mexico City Pub Crawl: A real chilango night: $33
- THE MEXICO CITY PUB CRAWL: A real chilango night: $35
- Visit a mead distillery in Tlaxcala: $95
- Zona Rosa Pub Crawl Experience: $100
- Mexican Wine Tasting with Food Pairing: $126
- Distillery Tour and Lucha Libre Spirits and Showdown: $127
- Private Cheese and Wine Tour to Queretaro: $511
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Kota Kinabalu and Mexico City, we can see that Mexico City is more expensive. And not only is Kota Kinabalu much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Kota Kinabalu is in Asia and Mexico City is in North America, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Kota Kinabalu would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Kota Kinabalu and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Mexico City would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Mexico City than you might in Kota Kinabalu.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Kota Kinabalu Expensive? and Is Mexico City Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Kota Kinabalu or Mexico City?
Mexico City has a larger population, and is about 20 times larger than the population of Kota Kinabalu. When comparing the sizes of Kota Kinabalu and Mexico City, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.