Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Bulacan

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulacan: $628 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Bulacan
Learn more

Bulacan Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Bulacan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,674 per month in Mexico City vs $628 in Bulacan, rent included.

Mexico City $1,674
Bulacan $628

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Mexico City vs $904 in Bulacan, rent included.

Mexico City $2,606
Bulacan $904

A family of three spends $3,537 per month in Mexico City vs $1,180 in Bulacan, rent included.

Mexico City $3,537
Bulacan $1,180

Mexico City costs about 166% more than Bulacan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 24% above the global median, while Bulacan is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$2.34 ₱148

352.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$14.45 ₱915

259.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$1.85 ₱117

480.00%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.6

$1.70 ₱108

123.53%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$0.45 ₱28.46

257.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$0.15 ₱9.57

706.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$1.13 ₱71.9

181.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$1.31 ₱82.9

315.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$1.40 ₱88.5

22.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$1.09 ₱69.1

172.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$0.90 ₱57.1

114.44%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$1.53 ₱97.1

81.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$2.36 ₱149

394.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$3.16 ₱200

200.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$6.63 ₱420

131.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$2.18 ₱138

42.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$1.70 ₱107

15.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$2.22 ₱141

-10.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$1.27 ₱80.6

84.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$1.55 ₱98.4

30.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$1.76 ₱111

3.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$0.61 ₱38.70

152.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$0.35 ₱22.20

274.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$3.82 ₱242

40.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$3.48 ₱221

365.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$1.01 ₱64.1

94.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$1.37 ₱86.7

217.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$0.20 ₱12.74

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

$6.73 ₱426

189.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$0.73 ₱46.31

163.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$0.18 ₱11.10

161.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$1.84 ₱117

194.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.20 ₱76.3

23.33%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$20.9K ₱1.3M

2.29%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$19.5K ₱1.2M

21.79%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$115 ₱7,277

-46.03%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$17.51 ₱1,110

62.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$31.15 ₱1,973

9.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$47.30 ₱2,997

23.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$4.82 ₱305

36.72%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$78.2 ₱4,954

455.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$932 ₱59.1K

1405.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$30.99 ₱1,963

120.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$32.20 ₱2,040

70.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$62.4 ₱3,955

77.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,158

$62.6 ₱3,964

85.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$181 ₱11.5K

551.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$116 ₱7,325

566.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$252 ₱15.9K

921.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$155 ₱9,835

814.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

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 Bulacan: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Bulacan

$116 18.4% 85% $655

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Bulacan

$143 22.8% 55.7% $180

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Bulacan

$55 8.8% 72.4% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Bulacan

$85 13.5% 46.2% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Bulacan

$164 26% 31.3% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Bulacan

$57 9.1% 20.4% $15

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Bulacan

$9.1 1.5% 63.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,179 in Mexico City versus $181 in Bulacan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Mexico City versus $14 in Bulacan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $143 – making Bulacan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 Bulacan

🕒 Local time

21:04 9:04 PM

11:04 11:04 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

3,700,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 PHP = 1.58 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 63.36 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71.33 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Mexico City
Bulacan

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 Bulacan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City costs about 166% more than Bulacan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,510 per month in Mexico City and $943 in Bulacan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bulacan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $181 there versus $1,179 in Mexico City.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $628 in Bulacan. That makes Bulacan about 62% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 65% less in Bulacan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Bulacan, where all-in costs run around $628, than in Mexico City at $1,674. In Bulacan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Bulacan is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 62% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.