Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marikina and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Marikina: $689 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Marikina
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Marikina Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Marikina

🇵🇭 Philippines

$689

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $689 per month in Marikina vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

Marikina $689
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $1,068 per month in Marikina vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

Marikina $1,068
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $1,447 per month in Marikina vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

Marikina $1,447
Mexico City $3,490

Marikina is about 57% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Marikina sits 49% below the global median, while Mexico City is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.94 ₱251

$10.62 MX$199

-62.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.68 ₱2,019

$48.35 MX$908

-34.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.21 ₱205

$10.35 MX$194

-68.99%

Cappuccino

$2.18 ₱139

$3.69 MX$69.3

-40.92%

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

$0.59 ₱37.91

$1.67 MX$31.29

-64.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₱19.59

$1.27 MX$23.76

-75.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₱65.4

$3.19 MX$59.9

-67.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₱154

$5.31 MX$99.6

-54.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ₱115

$1.72 MX$32.38

4.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 ₱80.0

$3.04 MX$57.1

-58.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₱63.6

$1.94 MX$36.44

-48.45%

Eggs

$2.00 ₱127

$2.89 MX$54.2

-30.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.91 ₱440

$10.97 MX$206

-37.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.15 ₱264

$9.25 MX$174

-55.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.74 ₱429

$15.13 MX$284

-55.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₱148

$3.05 MX$57.2

-23.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 ₱127

$1.94 MX$36.45

3.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ₱152

$2.03 MX$38.02

17.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.30 ₱147

$2.31 MX$43.46

-0.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 ₱152

$2.04 MX$38.21

16.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.53 ₱225

$1.80 MX$33.79

96.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ₱67.3

$1.48 MX$27.77

-28.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱43.09

$1.27 MX$23.80

-46.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.83 ₱180

$5.30 MX$99.6

-46.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.56 ₱545

$16.10 MX$302

-46.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ₱60.7

$1.98 MX$37.23

-52.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 ₱125

$4.25 MX$79.8

-53.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 ₱30.69

$0.31 MX$5.73

54.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 ₱43.44

$1.84 MX$34.50

-63.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.35

$0.53 MX$10.02

-60.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ₱121

$5.30 MX$99.4

-64.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ₱75.5

$1.51 MX$28.36

-21.85%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$21.8K MX$408.4K

-4.50%

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

$18.7K ₱1.2M

$24.0K MX$450.3K

-21.87%

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

$135 ₱8,620

$63.0 MX$1,182

114.78%

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

$15.48 ₱987

$27.39 MX$514

-43.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.51 ₱1,753

$35.67 MX$670

-22.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.07 ₱2,298

$58.9 MX$1,107

-38.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$6.83 ₱435

$6.40 MX$120

6.72%

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

$131 ₱8,367

$432 MX$8,103

-69.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,188 ₱458.0K

$11.4K MX$214.5K

-37.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 ₱3,713

$68.2 MX$1,281

-14.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.72 ₱1,766

$53.1 MX$997

-47.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.3 ₱4,672

$108 MX$2,023

-31.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.3 ₱3,524

$117 MX$2,202

-52.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$177 ₱11.3K

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-84.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$78.7 ₱5,017

$710 MX$13.3K

-88.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$318 ₱20.2K

$2,588 MX$48.6K

-87.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 ₱8,793

$1,406 MX$26.4K

-90.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,099 ₱70.0K

$3,631 MX$68.2K

-69.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$467 ₱29.8K

$2,135 MX$40.1K

-78.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$384 ₱24.4K

$946 MX$17.8K

-59.45%

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 Marikina: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Marikina

$201 29.2%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 58.8% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marikina

$178 25.9%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 29.3% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Marikina

$97 14%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 61.4% $59

Eating Out

Marikina

$81 11.7%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 146% $118

Accommodation & Living

Marikina

$79 11.4%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 802% $632

Sport & Entertainment

Marikina

$50 7.2%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 44.3% $22

Getting Around

Marikina

$3.7 * 0.5%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 596% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $177 in Marikina versus $1,113 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 in Mexico City are about 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Marikina versus $48 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $201 vs $320 – making Marikina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Marikina

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

02:01 2:01 AM

12:01 12:01 PM

14 h behind Marikina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

456,059

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 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).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Marikina Mexico City 14,210 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Marikina
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $689 in Marikina, $1,608 in Mexico City – Marikina comes out roughly 57% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,034 per month in Marikina and $2,412 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Marikina, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $177 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $689 in Marikina and $1,608 in Mexico City. That makes Marikina about 57% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $131 per month in Marikina and $432 in Mexico City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Marikina, where all-in costs run around $689, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Marikina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Marikina – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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