Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Albay

For one person, living is cheaper in Albay: $826 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Albay
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Albay Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Albay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$826

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Albay

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mexico City and in Albay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $826 in Albay.

Mexico City $1,674
Albay $826

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,250 in Albay.

Mexico City $2,606
Albay $1,250

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $1,674 in Albay.

Mexico City $3,537
Albay $1,674

Living in Mexico City is roughly 103% more expensive than in Albay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Albay is 39% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$3.96 ₱249

167.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$976

$18.21 ₱1,146

185.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$201

$3.50 ₱221

206.57%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.3

$1.91 ₱120

98.95%

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

$1.61 MX$30.28

$0.66 ₱41.31

143.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.76

$0.36 ₱22.77

236.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.7

$1.24 ₱78.0

156.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$1.92 ₱121

183.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.26

$1.90 ₱120

-9.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.7

$1.09 ₱68.5

172.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.17

$0.87 ₱54.8

121.84%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.1

$1.69 ₱107

63.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$219

$4.76 ₱299

145.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$3.88 ₱244

144.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$6.99 ₱440

119.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.3

$2.26 ₱142

37.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.82

$1.78 ₱112

10.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.22

$2.44 ₱154

-18.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.86

$0.92 ₱57.6

154.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.00

$1.30 ₱81.6

55.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.26

$1.36 ₱85.4

33.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.00

$1.01 ₱63.5

52.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.64

$0.54 ₱33.80

142.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$100

$2.51 ₱158

113.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$304

$7.02 ₱442

130.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.79

$1.00 ₱63.2

96.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.7

$1.78 ₱112

144.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.72

$0.25 ₱15.75

20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$366

$12.93 ₱814

50.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.01

$0.90 ₱56.7

113.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.88

$0.23 ₱14.17

104.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$1.98 ₱125

173.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.86

$1.27 ₱80.1

16.54%

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

$21.4K MX$401.4K

$22.3K ₱1.4M

-4.26%

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

$23.8K MX$446.1K

$20.4K ₱1.3M

16.45%

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

$62.0 MX$1,164

$117 ₱7,345

-46.86%

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

$28.47 MX$535

$16.83 ₱1,060

69.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$641

$27.30 ₱1,719

24.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,097

$29.40 ₱1,851

98.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$4.72 ₱297

39.62%

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

$434 MX$8,155

$243 ₱15.3K

78.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$263.6K

$8,991 ₱566.1K

56.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,284

$52.8 ₱3,323

29.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,029

$29.77 ₱1,874

84.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,082

$63.0 ₱3,970

75.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,178

$59.8 ₱3,762

94.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.1K

$370 ₱23.3K

218.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$268 ₱16.9K

187.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.3K

$883 ₱55.6K

191.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

$533 ₱33.6K

166.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.3K

$3,931 ₱247.5K

-8.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

$2,668 ₱168.0K

-22.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

62.14%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Albay: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Albay

$268 32.4% 65.2% $503

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Albay

$171 20.7% 47.2% $153

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Albay

$79 9.6% 60.5% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Albay

$92 11.2% 41.3% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Albay

$161 19.5% 29.1% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Albay

$39 4.7% 45.7% $33

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Albay

$16 1.9% 36.1% $9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $370 in Albay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $18 in Albay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $171 per month, with Albay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 Albay

🕒 Local time

11:04 11:04 AM

01:04 1:04 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

179,481

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 62.97 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Albay 14,090 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Albay

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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $826 in Albay, so Albay is about 51% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,510 in Mexico City and $1,239 in Albay 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: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $370 in Albay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 89% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Albay – a meal for two runs $18 versus $52 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $826 in Albay versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Albay but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Albay 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.

Expats usually find Albay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.