Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calamba and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Calamba: $518 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Calamba
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Calamba Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Calamba

🇵🇭 Philippines

$518

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $518 in Calamba versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Calamba $518
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $764 in Calamba versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Calamba $764
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,010 in Calamba versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Calamba $1,010
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Calamba costs roughly 67% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Calamba is 62% below, Mexico City is 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.92 ₱247

$10.75 MX$199

-63.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.02 ₱757

$50.3 MX$929

-76.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.82 ₱178

$11.10 MX$205

-74.59%

Cappuccino

$1.79 ₱113

$3.68 MX$68.1

-51.36%

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

$0.56 ₱35.44

$1.65 MX$30.42

-66.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.06

$1.30 MX$24.08

-74.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ₱59.5

$3.32 MX$61.3

-71.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ₱97.7

$5.54 MX$102

-72.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₱101

$1.77 MX$32.68

-9.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₱70.1

$3.05 MX$56.4

-63.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ₱61.0

$2.01 MX$37.20

-51.74%

Eggs

$2.00 ₱126

$2.77 MX$51.1

-27.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.20 ₱327

$11.91 MX$220

-56.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ₱214

$9.33 MX$172

-63.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.80 ₱491

$15.02 MX$278

-48.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 ₱145

$3.08 MX$56.8

-25.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.9

$1.95 MX$35.97

-21.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 ₱151

$2.03 MX$37.54

18.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.06 ₱66.9

$2.21 MX$40.92

-52.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 ₱109

$2.02 MX$37.41

-14.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.82 MX$33.67

-2.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ₱38.68

$1.52 MX$28.07

-59.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.10

$1.28 MX$23.65

-61.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.92 ₱184

$5.27 MX$97.4

-44.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.87 ₱558

$16.12 MX$298

-44.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₱60.3

$1.95 MX$36.05

-50.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 ₱132

$4.25 MX$78.6

-50.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 ₱51.9

$2.00 MX$36.93

-59.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.75

$0.53 MX$9.86

-52.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 ₱119

$5.62 MX$104

-66.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 ₱58.7

$1.52 MX$28.07

-38.82%

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

$21.1K ₱1.3M

$21.0K MX$388.7K

0.48%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$25.2K MX$465.3K

-24.50%

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

$139 ₱8,759

$62.5 MX$1,155

122.63%

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

$17.36 ₱1,093

$28.77 MX$532

-39.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.85 ₱1,502

$34.45 MX$637

-30.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$5.04 ₱317

$6.67 MX$123

-24.44%

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

$130 ₱8,193

$431 MX$7,964

-69.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱668.9K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

-9.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.54 ₱1,797

$70.8 MX$1,308

-59.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.73 ₱1,242

$51.8 MX$958

-61.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.0 ₱4,468

$109 MX$2,011

-34.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.3 ₱3,482

$112 MX$2,076

-50.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$260 ₱16.4K

$975 MX$18.0K

-73.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

11.3

-40.27%

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

Last update for Calamba: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calamba

$180 34.8%

Mexico City

$126 8% 30.3% $55

Groceries & Markets

Calamba

$175 33.7%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 84.9% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Calamba

$79 15.2%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 97% $76

Eating Out

Calamba

$73 14%

Mexico City

$203 13% 179% $130

Sport & Entertainment

Calamba

$10 * 1.9%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 599% $60

Getting Around

Calamba

$2.1 * 0.4%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 1139% $24

Accommodation & Living

Calamba

- * 0%

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

Mexico City pays 275% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $12.00 in Calamba vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $175 vs $323 per month, with Calamba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Calamba

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

20:33 8:33 PM

06:33 6:33 AM

14 h behind Calamba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

539,671

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 = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Calamba Mexico City 14,230 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Calamba
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

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

Calamba wins on cost – living expenses run 202% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Calamba the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 275% lower in Mexico City. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Supermarket bills run roughly 85% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $518 per month in Calamba versus $1,567 in Mexico City – a 202% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $518 in Calamba versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Calamba but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Calamba the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Calamba delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $518 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Calamba hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Calamba and Mexico City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Calamba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 202% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.