Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Albay and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Albay: $826 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Albay
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Albay Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Albay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$826

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $826 in Albay versus $1,674 in Mexico City.

Albay $826
Mexico City $1,674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,250 in Albay versus $2,606 in Mexico City.

Albay $1,250
Mexico City $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,674 in Albay versus $3,537 in Mexico City.

Albay $1,674
Mexico City $3,537

Living in Albay costs roughly 51% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Albay is 39% below, Mexico City is 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.96 ₱249

$10.59 MX$199

-62.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.21 ₱1,146

$52.0 MX$976

-64.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.50 ₱221

$10.73 MX$201

-67.38%

Cappuccino

$1.91 ₱120

$3.80 MX$71.3

-49.74%

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

$0.66 ₱41.31

$1.61 MX$30.28

-59.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ₱22.77

$1.21 MX$22.76

-70.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 ₱78.0

$3.18 MX$59.7

-61.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₱121

$5.44 MX$102

-64.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₱120

$1.72 MX$32.26

10.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₱68.5

$2.97 MX$55.7

-63.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ₱54.8

$1.93 MX$36.17

-54.92%

Eggs

$1.69 ₱107

$2.77 MX$52.1

-38.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.76 ₱299

$11.67 MX$219

-59.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.88 ₱244

$9.48 MX$178

-59.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.99 ₱440

$15.37 MX$289

-54.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 ₱142

$3.10 MX$58.3

-27.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.96 MX$36.82

-9.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 ₱154

$1.98 MX$37.22

23.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.92 ₱57.6

$2.34 MX$43.86

-60.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 ₱81.6

$2.02 MX$38.00

-35.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ₱85.4

$1.82 MX$34.26

-25.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$1.54 MX$29.00

-34.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₱33.80

$1.31 MX$24.64

-58.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.51 ₱158

$5.35 MX$100

-53.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.02 ₱442

$16.19 MX$304

-56.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ₱63.2

$1.96 MX$36.79

-48.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ₱112

$4.35 MX$81.7

-59.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.75

$0.30 MX$5.72

-16.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.93 ₱814

$19.49 MX$366

-33.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.90 ₱56.7

$1.92 MX$36.01

-53.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.17

$0.47 MX$8.88

-51.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 ₱125

$5.41 MX$102

-63.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ₱80.1

$1.48 MX$27.86

-14.19%

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

$22.3K ₱1.4M

$21.4K MX$401.4K

4.45%

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

$20.4K ₱1.3M

$23.8K MX$446.1K

-14.13%

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

$117 ₱7,345

$62.0 MX$1,164

88.18%

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

$16.83 ₱1,060

$28.47 MX$535

-40.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.30 ₱1,719

$34.11 MX$641

-19.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.40 ₱1,851

$58.4 MX$1,097

-49.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$4.72 ₱297

$6.59 MX$124

-28.38%

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

$243 ₱15.3K

$434 MX$8,155

-44.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,991 ₱566.1K

$14.0K MX$263.6K

-35.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₱3,323

$68.4 MX$1,284

-22.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.77 ₱1,874

$54.8 MX$1,029

-45.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.0 ₱3,970

$111 MX$2,082

-43.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.8 ₱3,762

$116 MX$2,178

-48.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 ₱23.3K

$1,179 MX$22.1K

-68.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$268 ₱16.9K

$771 MX$14.5K

-65.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$883 ₱55.6K

$2,570 MX$48.3K

-65.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$533 ₱33.6K

$1,420 MX$26.7K

-62.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,931 ₱247.5K

$3,586 MX$67.3K

9.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,668 ₱168.0K

$2,064 MX$38.8K

29.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

-38.33%

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

Last update for Albay: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Albay

$268 32.4%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 188% $503

Groceries & Markets

Albay

$171 20.7%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 89.5% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Albay

$161 19.5%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 22.5% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Albay

$92 11.2%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 70.5% $65

Eating Out

Albay

$79 9.6%

Mexico City

$201 12% 153% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Albay

$39 4.7%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 84.2% $33

Getting Around

Albay

$16 1.9%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 56.6% $9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $370 in Albay and $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $18 in Albay vs $52 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $171 vs $324 per month, with Albay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Albay

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

14:15 2:15 PM

00:15 12:15 AM

14 h behind Albay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

179,481

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 62.97 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.68 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.08 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

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Between locations

Albay Mexico City 14,090 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Albay
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $826 in Albay and $1,674 in Mexico City, so Albay is about 51% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,239 in Albay and $2,510 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: $370 in Albay versus $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 89% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Albay – a meal for two runs $18 versus $52 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $826 in Albay versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Albay but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Albay 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 Albay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.