Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Bago

For one person, living is cheaper in Bago: $688 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.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Bago
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Bago Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Bago

🇵🇭 Philippines

$688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $688 in Bago.

Mexico City $1,608
Bago $688

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,080 in Bago.

Mexico City $2,549
Bago $1,080

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,472 in Bago.

Mexico City $3,490
Bago $1,472

Living in Mexico City is roughly 134% more expensive than in Bago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Bago is 49% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$4.40 ₱281

141.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$907

$15.67 ₱1,000

208.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$2.86 ₱182

261.89%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.2

$2.35 ₱150

57.02%

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

$1.67 MX$31.25

$0.69 ₱43.74

142.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.73

$0.32 ₱20.49

296.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$1.26 ₱80.4

153.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.5

$1.80 ₱115

195.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.34

$1.59 ₱101

8.18%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.0

$1.24 ₱79.0

145.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.40

$0.92 ₱58.9

110.87%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.1

$1.72 ₱109

68.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$6.11 ₱390

79.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$4.56 ₱291

102.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$7.00 ₱447

116.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$2.70 ₱172

12.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.40

$1.38 ₱88.2

40.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.98

$2.18 ₱139

-6.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.40

$1.12 ₱71.5

106.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.16

$1.79 ₱114

13.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.75

$2.05 ₱131

-12.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.74

$1.14 ₱72.6

29.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.77

$0.52 ₱33.00

144.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$2.69 ₱172

97.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$6.84 ₱436

135.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.19

$1.01 ₱64.7

96.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.7

$1.68 ₱107

152.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.72

$0.20 ₱12.66

55.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$370

$12.19 ₱778

61.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.45

$0.80 ₱50.8

130.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.00

$0.24 ₱15.42

120.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.3

$1.79 ₱115

196.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.32

$1.34 ₱85.6

12.69%

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

$21.8K MX$407.9K

$18.2K ₱1.2M

19.84%

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

$24.0K MX$449.7K

$17.3K ₱1.1M

38.88%

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

$63.0 MX$1,181

$113 ₱7,188

-44.09%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$14.33 ₱914

91.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$669

$22.00 ₱1,404

62.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,105

$28.03 ₱1,789

110.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

$4.61 ₱294

412.80%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$5.27 ₱336

21.44%

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

$432 MX$8,092

$112 ₱7,161

284.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.2K

$8,644 ₱551.5K

32.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,279

$30.74 ₱1,962

121.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$996

$17.38 ₱1,109

205.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,021

$61.6 ₱3,933

74.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,199

$58.9 ₱3,760

99.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$286 ₱18.3K

288.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$144 ₱9,177

394.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.5K

$553 ₱35.3K

368.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$357 ₱22.8K

293.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.1K

$2,770 ₱176.8K

31.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.0K

$968 ₱61.8K

120.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

6.92

64.02%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bago: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Bago

$144 20.9% 79.8% $567

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Bago

$179 26.1% 43.8% $140

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Bago

$86 12.5% 56.8% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Bago

$76 11% 51.3% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Bago

$149 21.7% 18.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Bago

$39 5.6% 46.2% $33

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Bago

$15 2.2% 41.1% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $286 in Bago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $16 in Bago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $179 per month, with Bago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 Bago

🕒 Local time

20:20 8:20 PM

10:20 10:20 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

191,210

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 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 October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 18.75 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 63.81 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.11 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Bago 14,340 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Bago

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 Bago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bago is about 57% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $1,031 in Bago 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $286 in Bago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $112 in Bago. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 78% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $688 in Bago versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bago but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Bago 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 Bago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.