Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Baguio

For one person, living is cheaper in Baguio: $737 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Baguio
Learn more

Baguio Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$737

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $737 in Baguio.

Mexico City $1,608
Baguio $737

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,148 in Baguio.

Mexico City $2,549
Baguio $1,148

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,558 in Baguio.

Mexico City $3,490
Baguio $1,558

Living in Mexico City is roughly 118% more expensive than in Baguio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Baguio is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$3.92 ₱250

170.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$16.66 ₱1,061

190.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$2.73 ₱174

279.12%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$1.80 ₱114

105.00%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$0.55 ₱35.10

203.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$0.33 ₱21.21

284.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$0.99 ₱63.4

222.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$1.54 ₱97.9

244.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.59 ₱101

8.18%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.14 ₱72.9

166.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$0.97 ₱61.5

100.00%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$1.99 ₱127

45.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$5.11 ₱325

114.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$3.27 ₱208

182.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$7.63 ₱486

98.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$2.19 ₱139

39.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.55 ₱99.0

25.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$2.26 ₱144

-10.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$1.02 ₱64.9

126.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$1.73 ₱110

17.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$1.69 ₱108

6.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$0.65 ₱41.11

127.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.51 ₱32.64

149.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$2.94 ₱187

80.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$8.50 ₱541

89.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$0.95 ₱60.3

108.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$2.05 ₱131

107.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.22 ₱14.01

40.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$12.90 ₱822

52.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$0.81 ₱51.7

127.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$0.24 ₱15.35

120.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$1.90 ₱121

178.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$1.19 ₱76.0

26.89%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$21.3K ₱1.4M

2.33%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$18.8K ₱1.2M

27.69%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$136 ₱8,657

-53.66%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$17.08 ₱1,088

60.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$23.01 ₱1,465

55.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$20.76 ₱1,322

183.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$5.23 ₱333

352.01%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$5.03 ₱321

27.24%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$132 ₱8,438

225.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$10.6K ₱672.0K

8.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$28.91 ₱1,841

135.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$19.53 ₱1,244

172.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$71.5 ₱4,554

50.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$54.9 ₱3,496

113.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$393 ₱25.1K

183.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$192 ₱12.2K

269.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$819 ₱52.2K

215.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$463 ₱29.5K

203.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$3,156 ₱201.0K

15.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$1,526 ₱97.2K

39.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$179 ₱11.4K

428.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

6.75

68.15%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Baguio: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Baguio

$192 26.1% 72.9% $518

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Baguio

$171 23.2% 46.4% $148

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Baguio

$73 9.9% 63.4% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Baguio

$79 10.7% 49.5% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Baguio

$176 23.9% 39.6% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Baguio

$31 4.2% 57% $41

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Baguio

$16 2.1% 37.9% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $393 in Baguio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 5.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $17 in Baguio for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $171 per month, with Baguio cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 Baguio

🕒 Local time

20:36 8:36 PM

10:36 10:36 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

366,358

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.69 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.12 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Baguio 14,120 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Baguio

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 Baguio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baguio wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Baguio the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 5.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $393 in Baguio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $737 in Baguio – Baguio is about 54% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Baguio runs roughly 35% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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 Baguio gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.