Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baguio and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Baguio: $737 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Baguio, Philippines
Mexico City, Mexico
Baguio
🇵🇭 Philippines
$737
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $737 in Baguio versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

  • Baguio $737
  • Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,148 in Baguio versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

  • Baguio $1,148
  • Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,558 in Baguio versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

  • Baguio $1,558
  • Mexico City $3,490

Living in Baguio costs roughly 54% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Baguio is 46% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Baguio
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.92 ₱250
$10.62 MX$199
-63.09%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$16.66 ₱1,062
$48.35 MX$908
-65.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$2.73 ₱174
$10.35 MX$194
-73.62%
Cappuccino
$1.80 ₱115
$3.69 MX$69.3
-51.22%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.55 ₱35.11
$1.67 MX$31.29
-67.07%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 ₱21.22
$1.27 MX$23.76
-74.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.99 ₱63.4
$3.19 MX$59.9
-68.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 ₱97.9
$5.31 MX$99.6
-71.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Baguio
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.59 ₱101
$1.72 MX$32.38
-7.56%
White Bread (500g)
$1.14 ₱72.9
$3.04 MX$57.1
-62.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.97 ₱61.5
$1.94 MX$36.44
-50.00%
Eggs
$1.99 ₱127
$2.89 MX$54.2
-31.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.11 ₱326
$10.97 MX$206
-53.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.27 ₱209
$9.25 MX$174
-64.65%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.63 ₱486
$15.13 MX$284
-49.57%
Apples (1kg)
$2.19 ₱140
$3.05 MX$57.2
-28.20%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 ₱99.1
$1.94 MX$36.45
-20.10%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.26 ₱144
$2.03 MX$38.02
11.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.02 ₱64.9
$2.31 MX$43.46
-55.84%
Potato (1kg)
$1.73 ₱110
$2.04 MX$38.21
-15.20%
Onion (1kg)
$1.69 ₱108
$1.80 MX$33.79
-6.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.65 ₱41.13
$1.48 MX$27.77
-56.08%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ₱32.66
$1.27 MX$23.80
-59.84%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.94 ₱187
$5.30 MX$99.6
-44.53%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.50 ₱542
$16.10 MX$302
-47.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.95 ₱60.3
$1.98 MX$37.23
-52.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 ₱131
$4.25 MX$79.8
-51.76%
🚌 Getting Around
Baguio
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.22 ₱14.02
$0.31 MX$5.73
-29.03%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.90 ₱822
$19.73 MX$371
-34.62%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.81 ₱51.7
$1.84 MX$34.50
-55.98%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.24 ₱15.35
$0.53 MX$10.02
-54.72%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.90 ₱121
$5.30 MX$99.4
-64.15%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.19 ₱76.0
$1.51 MX$28.36
-21.19%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.3K ₱1.4M
$21.8K MX$408.4K
-2.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.8K ₱1.2M
$24.0K MX$450.3K
-21.69%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Baguio
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$136 ₱8,660
$63.0 MX$1,182
115.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.08 ₱1,088
$27.39 MX$514
-37.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.01 ₱1,466
$35.67 MX$670
-35.49%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Baguio
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$20.76 ₱1,323
$58.9 MX$1,107
-64.78%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.23 ₱333
$23.64 MX$444
-77.88%
Cinema Ticket
$5.03 ₱321
$6.40 MX$120
-21.41%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Baguio
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$132 ₱8,442
$432 MX$8,103
-69.30%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.6K ₱672.3K
$11.4K MX$214.5K
-7.64%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Baguio
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$28.91 ₱1,842
$68.2 MX$1,281
-57.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.53 ₱1,244
$53.1 MX$997
-63.24%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.5 ₱4,556
$108 MX$2,023
-33.66%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$54.9 ₱3,497
$117 MX$2,202
-53.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Baguio
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$393 ₱25.1K
$1,113 MX$20.9K
-64.67%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$192 ₱12.2K
$710 MX$13.3K
-72.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$819 ₱52.2K
$2,588 MX$48.6K
-68.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$463 ₱29.5K
$1,406 MX$26.4K
-67.09%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,156 ₱201.1K
$3,631 MX$68.2K
-13.09%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,526 ₱97.2K
$2,135 MX$40.1K
-28.54%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Baguio
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$179 ₱11.4K
$946 MX$17.8K
-81.07%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.75
11.35
-40.53%

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

Last update for Baguio: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Baguio
$192
Mexico City
$710 270% $518
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Baguio
$176
Mexico City
$126 28.4% $50
Groceries & Markets
Baguio
$171
Mexico City
$320 86.6% $148
Clothing & Footwear
Baguio
$79
Mexico City
$156 98.1% $77
Eating Out
Baguio
$73
Mexico City
$199 173% $126
Sport & Entertainment
Baguio
$31
Mexico City
$72 133% $41
Getting Around
Baguio
$16
Mexico City
$25 61.1% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $393 in Baguio and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 5.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $17 in Baguio vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $171 vs $320 per month, with Baguio cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Baguio
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🕒 Local time
04:21 4:21 AM
14:21 2:21 PM
14 h behind Baguio
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
366,358
9,209,944 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 63.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.15 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Baguio Mexico City 14,120 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Baguio
  • 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
Baguio vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Baguio or Mexico City?
Baguio wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Baguio the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Baguio or in Mexico City?
On paper, salaries run 81% lower in Baguio. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Baguio compared to Mexico City?
Rent for a central apartment: $393 in Baguio versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Baguio compared to Mexico City?
All in, you’ll spend $737 per month in Baguio versus $1,608 in Mexico City – Baguio is about 54% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How expensive is transport in Baguio compared to Mexico City?
A monthly transit pass in Baguio runs roughly 35% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Baguio or Mexico City?
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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Baguio 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.

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