Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cotabato City and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotabato City: $738 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Cotabato City
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Cotabato City Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Cotabato City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$738

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $738 in Cotabato City versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Cotabato City $738
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,139 in Cotabato City versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Cotabato City $1,139
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,539 in Cotabato City versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Cotabato City $1,539
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Cotabato City 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: Cotabato City is 46% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.81 ₱308

$10.62 MX$198

-54.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.14 ₱1,033

$48.35 MX$901

-66.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.97 ₱254

$10.35 MX$193

-61.64%

Cappuccino

$2.17 ₱139

$3.69 MX$68.7

-41.19%

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

$1.06 ₱67.7

$1.67 MX$31.05

-36.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₱39.81

$1.27 MX$23.58

-51.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 ₱73.2

$3.19 MX$59.5

-64.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 ₱133

$5.31 MX$98.9

-60.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₱129

$1.72 MX$32.13

16.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 ₱68.9

$3.04 MX$56.6

-64.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 ₱48.27

$1.94 MX$36.17

-61.34%

Eggs

$1.90 ₱121

$2.89 MX$53.8

-34.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.44 ₱412

$10.97 MX$204

-41.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.59 ₱294

$9.25 MX$172

-50.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.44 ₱604

$15.13 MX$282

-37.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 ₱176

$3.05 MX$56.8

-9.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 ₱70.2

$1.94 MX$36.17

-43.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 ₱154

$2.03 MX$37.73

18.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 ₱74.8

$2.31 MX$43.12

-49.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 ₱126

$2.04 MX$37.91

-3.43%

Onion (1kg)

$3.30 ₱211

$1.80 MX$33.53

83.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 ₱79.1

$1.48 MX$27.56

-16.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ₱42.21

$1.27 MX$23.62

-48.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.40 ₱154

$5.30 MX$98.8

-54.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.03 ₱514

$16.10 MX$300

-50.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱81.0

$1.98 MX$36.95

-35.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ₱105

$4.25 MX$79.2

-61.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱14.00

$0.31 MX$5.68

-29.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.32 ₱724

$19.73 MX$368

-42.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 ₱48.37

$1.84 MX$34.23

-58.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.99

$0.53 MX$9.94

-58.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 ₱118

$5.30 MX$98.7

-65.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ₱70.3

$1.51 MX$28.14

-27.15%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$21.8K MX$405.3K

-4.30%

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

$18.8K ₱1.2M

$24.0K MX$446.9K

-21.76%

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

$108 ₱6,886

$63.0 MX$1,173

70.85%

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

$18.43 ₱1,180

$27.39 MX$510

-32.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.97 ₱1,982

$35.67 MX$664

-13.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.96 ₱1,981

$58.9 MX$1,098

-47.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.25 ₱336

$23.64 MX$441

-77.79%

Cinema Ticket

$4.73 ₱302

$6.40 MX$119

-26.09%

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

$105 ₱6,694

$432 MX$8,041

-75.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,282 ₱466.0K

$11.4K MX$212.8K

-36.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.48 ₱2,078

$68.2 MX$1,271

-52.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.49 ₱1,247

$53.1 MX$990

-63.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.5 ₱4,445

$108 MX$2,008

-35.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.5 ₱3,868

$117 MX$2,185

-48.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$224 ₱14.3K

$1,113 MX$20.7K

-79.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$153 ₱9,769

$710 MX$13.2K

-78.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$447 ₱28.6K

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-82.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 ₱21.3K

$1,406 MX$26.2K

-76.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,692 ₱172.2K

$3,631 MX$67.6K

-25.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,003 ₱64.2K

$2,135 MX$39.8K

-53.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

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 Cotabato City: 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

Cotabato City

$199 26.9%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 60.7% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cotabato City

$157 21.3%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 19.7% $31

Accommodation & Living

Cotabato City

$153 20.7%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 365% $558

Eating Out

Cotabato City

$93 12.6%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 113% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Cotabato City

$82 11.1%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 90.4% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Cotabato City

$40 5.5%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 77.5% $31

Getting Around

Cotabato City

$14 1.9%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 81.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $224 in Cotabato City and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $16 in Cotabato City vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $199 vs $320 per month, with Cotabato City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cotabato City

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

09:22 9:22 AM

19:22 7:22 PM

14 h behind Cotabato City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

325,079

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 = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 63.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.56 USD). 1 EUR = 71.24 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cotabato City Mexico City 14,420 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Cotabato City
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

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

Cotabato City 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 Cotabato City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,107 in Cotabato City 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $224 in Cotabato City versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $738 per month in Cotabato City versus $1,608 in Mexico City – Cotabato City is about 54% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Cotabato City runs roughly 43% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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 Cotabato City 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.