Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Butuan and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Butuan: $569 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Butuan
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Butuan Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

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Butuan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$569

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $569 in Butuan versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Butuan $569
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $899 in Butuan versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Butuan $899
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,229 in Butuan versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Butuan $1,229
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Butuan costs roughly 65% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Butuan is 58% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 ₱298

$10.62 MX$199

-56.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.45 ₱1,693

$48.35 MX$904

-45.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.32 ₱149

$10.35 MX$193

-77.58%

Cappuccino

$2.04 ₱131

$3.69 MX$69.0

-44.72%

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

$0.30 ₱19.17

$1.67 MX$31.14

-82.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 ₱15.36

$1.27 MX$23.65

-81.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 ₱101

$3.19 MX$59.7

-50.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₱152

$5.31 MX$99.2

-55.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱123

$1.72 MX$32.23

11.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₱71.1

$3.04 MX$56.8

-63.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 ₱57.3

$1.94 MX$36.27

-53.61%

Eggs

$1.83 ₱117

$2.89 MX$54.0

-36.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.42 ₱411

$10.97 MX$205

-41.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.75 ₱304

$9.25 MX$173

-48.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.41 ₱602

$15.13 MX$283

-37.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 ₱170

$3.05 MX$57.0

-13.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 ₱69.8

$1.94 MX$36.27

-43.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 ₱153

$2.03 MX$37.85

18.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 ₱74.7

$2.31 MX$43.25

-49.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 ₱126

$2.04 MX$38.03

-3.43%

Onion (1kg)

$3.40 ₱218

$1.80 MX$33.63

88.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ₱75.5

$1.48 MX$27.64

-20.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ₱44.76

$1.27 MX$23.69

-44.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.42 ₱155

$5.30 MX$99.1

-54.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 ₱491

$16.10 MX$301

-52.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱81.5

$1.98 MX$37.06

-35.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₱103

$4.25 MX$79.5

-62.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.70

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$369

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.8

$1.84 MX$34.34

-55.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.40

$0.53 MX$9.97

-54.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ₱124

$5.30 MX$99.0

-63.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ₱68.1

$1.51 MX$28.23

-29.80%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$21.8K MX$406.5K

-4.46%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$24.0K MX$448.2K

-20.26%

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

$106 ₱6,765

$63.0 MX$1,177

67.86%

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

$18.42 ₱1,179

$27.39 MX$512

-32.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.63 ₱1,960

$35.67 MX$666

-14.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.59 ₱1,509

$58.9 MX$1,101

-59.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$442

Cinema Ticket

$4.18 ₱267

$6.40 MX$120

-34.69%

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

$106 ₱6,779

$432 MX$8,065

-75.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,473 ₱478.2K

$11.4K MX$213.5K

-34.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.6 ₱3,811

$68.2 MX$1,275

-12.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.15 ₱1,929

$53.1 MX$993

-43.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.0 ₱4,417

$108 MX$2,014

-35.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.7 ₱3,884

$117 MX$2,191

-48.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.31

11.35

-26.78%

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

Last update for Butuan: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Butuan

$198 34.9%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 61% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Butuan

$155 27.2%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 18.6% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Butuan

$99 17.3%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 57.9% $57

Eating Out

Butuan

$84 14.7%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 138% $115

Sport & Entertainment

Butuan

$32 5.6%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 125% $40

Getting Around

Butuan

$2 * 0.4%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 1167% $23

Accommodation & Living

Butuan

- * 0%

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $26 in Butuan vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $320 per month, with Butuan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Butuan

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

12:53 12:53 PM

22:53 10:53 PM

14 h behind Butuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

337,063

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.56 USD). 1 EUR = 71.34 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Butuan Mexico City 14,190 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Butuan
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

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

Butuan wins on cost – living expenses run 65% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Butuan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $854 in Butuan and $2,412 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.

Childcare runs $106 in Butuan versus $432 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 Butuan – a meal for two runs $26 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $569 in Butuan versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $800 budget is realistic in Butuan but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Butuan 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.