Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Bacolod

For one person, living is cheaper in Bacolod: $598 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Bacolod

🇵🇭 Philippines

$598

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Bacolod actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $598 in Bacolod, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Bacolod $598

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $867 in Bacolod, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Bacolod $867

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $1,135 in Bacolod, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Bacolod $1,135

Mexico City costs about 169% more than Bacolod, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Bacolod is 56% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$197

$2.36 ₱150

350.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$898

$12.74 ₱808

279.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$192

$3.90 ₱247

165.38%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.5

$2.30 ₱146

60.43%

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

$1.67 MX$30.95

$0.67 ₱42.59

149.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.50

$0.36 ₱23.09

252.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.3

$1.31 ₱83.1

143.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.6

$1.84 ₱117

188.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.03

$1.50 ₱95.1

14.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.5

$1.09 ₱69.3

178.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.05

$0.95 ₱60.4

104.21%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.6

$1.58 ₱100

82.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$8.64 ₱548

26.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$6.47 ₱410

42.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$281

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.6

$3.45 ₱219

-11.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.05

$2.39 ₱152

-18.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.61

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.99

$0.56 ₱35.64

312.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.79

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.43

$1.97 ₱125

-8.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.47

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.54

$1.00 ₱63.6

27.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.5

$2.73 ₱173

94.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$299

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.83

$0.88 ₱55.5

125.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.67

$0.17 ₱10.58

82.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.13

$0.65 ₱41.09

183.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.91

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.3

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.05

$1.25 ₱79.1

20.80%

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

$21.8K MX$404.0K

$21.3K ₱1.3M

2.28%

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

$24.0K MX$445.4K

$22.9K ₱1.4M

4.85%

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

$63.0 MX$1,170

$137 ₱8,713

-54.19%

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

$27.39 MX$509

$7.72 ₱489

254.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$662

$27.18 ₱1,723

31.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,095

$15.83 ₱1,003

272.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$439

$2.33 ₱148

914.59%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$4.44 ₱282

44.14%

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

$432 MX$8,015

$31.16 ₱1,975

1285.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,267

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$987

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,002

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,178

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$257 ₱16.3K

333.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$178 ₱11.3K

298.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.1K

$466 ₱29.5K

455.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.1K

$339 ₱21.5K

314.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$202 ₱12.8K

368.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bacolod: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Bacolod

–

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Bacolod

–

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Bacolod

–

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Bacolod

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Bacolod

–

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Bacolod

–

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Bacolod

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $257 in Bacolod. 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 4.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $13 in Bacolod. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $149 – making Bacolod the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 Bacolod

🕒 Local time

23:14 11:14 PM

13:14 1:14 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

561,875

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

100 PHP = 1.58 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.38 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71.04 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Bacolod 14,320 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Bacolod

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 Bacolod: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City, $598 in Bacolod – Bacolod comes out roughly 63% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $898 in Bacolod. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bacolod, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $257 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City and $13 in Bacolod. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 114% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Bacolod, where all-in costs run around $598, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Bacolod 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. Bacolod costs $598 versus $1,608 in Mexico City. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Bacolod. 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.