Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Butuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Butuan: $569 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Butuan
Learn more

Butuan Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Butuan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$569

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $569 in Butuan.

Mexico City $1,608
Butuan $569

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $899 in Butuan.

Mexico City $2,549
Butuan $899

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,229 in Butuan.

Mexico City $3,490
Butuan $1,229

Living in Mexico City is roughly 182% more expensive than in Butuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Butuan is 58% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$4.66 ₱298

127.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$26.45 ₱1,690

82.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$2.32 ₱149

346.12%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$2.04 ₱131

80.88%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$0.30 ₱19.14

456.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$0.24 ₱15.34

429.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$1.58 ₱101

101.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$2.37 ₱151

124.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.92 ₱123

-10.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$1.11 ₱71.0

173.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$0.90 ₱57.2

115.56%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.83 ₱117

57.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$6.42 ₱410

70.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$4.75 ₱303

94.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$9.41 ₱601

60.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.65 ₱170

15.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.09 ₱69.7

77.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$2.40 ₱153

-15.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$1.17 ₱74.6

97.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$1.97 ₱126

3.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$3.40 ₱218

-47.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$1.18 ₱75.3

25.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.70 ₱44.69

81.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$2.42 ₱155

119.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$7.68 ₱491

109.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$1.27 ₱81.3

55.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$1.60 ₱103

165.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$0.81 ₱51.7

127.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.24 ₱15.38

120.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$1.93 ₱124

174.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.06 ₱68.0

42.45%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$20.8K ₱1.3M

4.67%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

25.40%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$106 ₱6,755

-40.43%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$18.42 ₱1,177

48.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$30.63 ₱1,957

16.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$23.59 ₱1,507

149.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$4.18 ₱267

53.11%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$106 ₱6,768

307.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$7,473 ₱477.5K

52.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$59.6 ₱3,805

14.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$30.15 ₱1,926

76.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$69.0 ₱4,410

56.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$60.7 ₱3,878

93.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

8.31

36.58%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Butuan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Butuan

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Butuan

$198 34.9% 37.9% $121

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Butuan

$84 14.7% 57.9% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Butuan

$99 17.3% 36.7% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Butuan

$155 27.2% 22.8% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Butuan

$32 5.6% 55.5% $40

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Butuan

$2 * 0.4% 92.1% $23

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $26 in Butuan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $198 per month, with Butuan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 Butuan

🕒 Local time

12:06 12:06 PM

02:06 2:06 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

337,063

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Butuan 14,190 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Butuan

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 Butuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Butuan wins on cost – living expenses run 65% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Butuan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $854 in Butuan 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.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $106 in Butuan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Butuan – a meal for two runs $26 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $569 in Butuan versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $800 budget is realistic in Butuan but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Butuan 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.