Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mambajao and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mambajao: $508 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Mambajao
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Mambajao Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Mambajao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$508

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $508 per month in Mambajao vs $1,567 in Mexico City, rent included.

Mambajao $508
Mexico City $1,567

A couple spends around $817 per month in Mambajao vs $2,450 in Mexico City, rent included.

Mambajao $817
Mexico City $2,450

A family of three spends $1,126 per month in Mambajao vs $3,333 in Mexico City, rent included.

Mambajao $1,126
Mexico City $3,333

Mambajao is about 68% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mambajao sits 62% below the global median, while Mexico City is 16% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.36 ₱85.9

$10.75 MX$199

-87.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.83 ₱997

$50.3 MX$929

-68.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.40 ₱214

$11.10 MX$205

-69.37%

Cappuccino

$2.28 ₱144

$3.68 MX$68.1

-38.04%

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

$0.38 ₱24.02

$1.65 MX$30.42

-76.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ₱16.81

$1.30 MX$24.08

-79.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₱64.6

$3.32 MX$61.3

-68.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 ₱70.6

$5.54 MX$102

-79.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 ₱56.8

$1.77 MX$32.68

-49.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 ₱39.56

$3.05 MX$56.4

-79.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 ₱41.56

$2.01 MX$37.20

-67.16%

Eggs

$1.26 ₱79.5

$2.77 MX$51.1

-54.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.90 ₱372

$11.91 MX$220

-50.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.29 ₱270

$9.33 MX$172

-54.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.50 ₱346

$15.02 MX$278

-63.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 ₱160

$3.08 MX$56.8

-17.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 ₱103

$1.95 MX$35.97

-16.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 ₱141

$2.03 MX$37.54

10.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 ₱71.3

$2.21 MX$40.92

-48.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ₱81.3

$2.02 MX$37.41

-36.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 ₱130

$1.82 MX$33.67

13.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 ₱56.8

$1.52 MX$28.07

-40.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₱34.37

$1.28 MX$23.65

-57.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.51 ₱158

$5.27 MX$97.4

-52.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 ₱467

$16.12 MX$298

-53.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₱62.0

$1.95 MX$36.05

-49.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 ₱70.9

$4.25 MX$78.6

-73.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₱12.47

$0.31 MX$5.82

-35.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.71 ₱675

$19.85 MX$367

-46.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.69 ₱43.54

$2.00 MX$36.93

-65.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱12.97

$0.53 MX$9.86

-60.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.70 ₱107

$5.62 MX$104

-69.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ₱80.3

$1.52 MX$28.07

-15.79%

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

$21.9K ₱1.4M

$21.0K MX$388.7K

4.36%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$25.2K MX$465.3K

-13.59%

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

$64.9 ₱4,083

$62.5 MX$1,155

3.78%

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

$16.36 ₱1,030

$28.77 MX$532

-43.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.10 ₱1,266

$34.45 MX$637

-41.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.72 ₱1,745

$57.1 MX$1,055

-51.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.68 ₱295

$24.81 MX$458

-81.14%

Cinema Ticket

$4.95 ₱312

$6.67 MX$123

-25.79%

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

$127 ₱7,995

$431 MX$7,964

-70.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,993 ₱566.2K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

-23.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.83 ₱1,941

$70.8 MX$1,308

-56.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.01 ₱1,386

$51.8 MX$958

-57.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 ₱4,553

$109 MX$2,011

-33.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.1 ₱3,975

$112 MX$2,076

-43.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$101 ₱6,360

$1,051 MX$19.4K

-90.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$56.3 ₱3,542

$665 MX$12.3K

-91.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$237 ₱14.9K

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-89.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 ₱9,973

$1,227 MX$22.7K

-87.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,172 ₱136.7K

$3,554 MX$65.7K

-38.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$990 ₱62.3K

$1,977 MX$36.5K

-49.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$153 ₱9,616

$975 MX$18.0K

-84.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.3

-39.91%

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

Last update for Mambajao: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mambajao

$156 30.7%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 107% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mambajao

$101 20%

Mexico City

$126 8% 24.1% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Mambajao

$85 16.7%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 82.6% $70

Eating Out

Mambajao

$59 11.5%

Mexico City

$203 13% 247% $144

Accommodation & Living

Mambajao

$56 11.1%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 1082% $609

Sport & Entertainment

Mambajao

$38 7.4%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 87.2% $33

Getting Around

Mambajao

$13 2.6%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 94.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $101 in Mambajao versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 538% higher in Mexico City, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16.00 in Mambajao versus $50.0 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $156 vs $323 – making Mambajao the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Mambajao

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

01:49 1:49 AM

11:49 11:49 AM

14 h behind Mambajao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,094

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

Mambajao Mexico City 14,250 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mambajao
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

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

Mexico City costs about 209% more than Mambajao, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $761 per month in Mambajao and $2,351 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mambajao, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $508 in Mambajao and $1,567 in Mexico City. That's a gap of about 209%.

Public transport costs about 85% less in Mambajao. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mambajao, where all-in costs run around $508, than in Mexico City at $1,567. In Mambajao it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mambajao costs $508 versus $1,567 in Mexico City. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Mambajao. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mexico City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.