Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Cabanatuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Cabanatuan: $601 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mexico City, Mexico
Cabanatuan, Philippines
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,674
/mo nomad
Cabanatuan
🇵🇭 Philippines
$601
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,674 per month in Mexico City vs $601 in Cabanatuan, rent included.

  • Mexico City $1,674
  • Cabanatuan $601

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Mexico City vs $954 in Cabanatuan, rent included.

  • Mexico City $2,606
  • Cabanatuan $954

A family of three spends $3,537 per month in Mexico City vs $1,308 in Cabanatuan, rent included.

  • Mexico City $3,537
  • Cabanatuan $1,308

Mexico City costs about 179% more than Cabanatuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 24% above the global median, while Cabanatuan is 56% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Cabanatuan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.59 MX$197
$3.87 ₱245
173.64%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$52.0 MX$967
$16.59 ₱1,051
213.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.73 MX$200
$2.71 ₱172
295.94%
Cappuccino
$3.80 MX$70.6
$1.74 ₱110
118.39%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.61 MX$30.01
$0.60 ₱37.87
168.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.21 MX$22.55
$0.33 ₱21.13
266.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 MX$59.1
$0.94 ₱59.4
238.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.44 MX$101
$1.60 ₱102
240.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Cabanatuan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 MX$31.96
$1.64 ₱104
4.88%
White Bread (500g)
$2.97 MX$55.2
$1.11 ₱70.2
167.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.93 MX$35.84
$0.88 ₱55.5
119.32%
Eggs
$2.77 MX$51.6
$2.04 ₱129
35.78%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.67 MX$217
$4.87 ₱308
139.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.48 MX$176
$3.29 ₱209
188.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.37 MX$286
$7.57 ₱479
103.04%
Apples (1kg)
$3.10 MX$57.8
$2.26 ₱143
37.17%
Banana (1kg)
$1.96 MX$36.49
$1.04 ₱65.7
88.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.98 MX$36.88
$2.39 ₱151
-17.15%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.34 MX$43.46
$0.81 ₱51.3
188.89%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.66
$1.64 ₱104
23.17%
Onion (1kg)
$1.82 MX$33.95
$1.71 ₱108
6.43%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.54 MX$28.74
$0.88 ₱56.1
75.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.31 MX$24.42
$0.52 ₱32.85
151.92%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.35 MX$99.6
$2.93 ₱186
82.59%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.19 MX$301
$8.71 ₱552
85.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.96 MX$36.46
$0.88 ₱55.5
122.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.35 MX$81.0
$2.06 ₱130
111.17%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Cabanatuan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.30 MX$5.67
$0.24 ₱15.23
25.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.49 MX$363
$12.40 ₱786
57.18%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.92 MX$35.68
$0.81 ₱51.1
137.04%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.47 MX$8.80
$0.20 ₱12.70
135.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.41 MX$101
$1.86 ₱118
190.86%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.48 MX$27.61
$0.95 ₱60.3
55.79%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.4K MX$397.7K
$21.3K ₱1.4M
0.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$442.1K
$19.3K ₱1.2M
23.16%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Cabanatuan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.0 MX$1,154
$52.5 ₱3,323
18.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.47 MX$530
$17.00 ₱1,077
67.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.11 MX$635
$21.22 ₱1,344
60.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Cabanatuan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.4 MX$1,087
$10.94 ₱693
433.73%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.50 MX$456
$5.15 ₱326
375.73%
Cinema Ticket
$6.59 MX$123
$5.05 ₱320
30.50%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Cabanatuan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$434 MX$8,081
$132 ₱8,336
230.07%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.0K MX$261.2K
$10.7K ₱679.8K
30.82%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Cabanatuan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.4 MX$1,272
$23.07 ₱1,462
196.27%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.8 MX$1,020
$19.29 ₱1,222
184.09%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 MX$2,063
$57.8 ₱3,662
91.82%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$116 MX$2,158
$55.8 ₱3,537
107.79%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Cabanatuan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,179 MX$21.9K
$250 ₱15.8K
372.38%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$771 MX$14.3K
$164 ₱10.4K
369.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,570 MX$47.8K
$485 ₱30.7K
429.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,420 MX$26.4K
$349 ₱22.1K
307.30%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,586 MX$66.7K
$2,631 ₱166.7K
36.29%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,064 MX$38.4K
$1,099 ₱69.7K
87.76%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Cabanatuan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,003 MX$18.7K
$159 ₱10.1K
531.77%
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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cabanatuan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$771
Cabanatuan
$164 78.7% $607
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$324
Cabanatuan
$168 48.1% $156
Eating Out
Mexico City
$201
Cabanatuan
$72 64.3% $129
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$158
Cabanatuan
$70 55.4% $87
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$125
Cabanatuan
$91 27.2% $34
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$72
Cabanatuan
$21 70.6% $51
Getting Around
Mexico City
$25
Cabanatuan
$15 39.3% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,179 in Mexico City versus $250 in Cabanatuan. 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 6.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Mexico City versus $17 in Cabanatuan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $168 – making Cabanatuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇵🇭 Cabanatuan
🕒 Local time
23:40 11:40 PM
13:40 1:40 PM
14 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
302,231
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Cabanatuan 14,160 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Cabanatuan

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 Cabanatuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Mexico City and in Cabanatuan compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City, $601 in Cabanatuan – Cabanatuan comes out roughly 64% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Mexico City compared to Cabanatuan?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,510 per month in Mexico City and $901 in Cabanatuan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Mexico City and Cabanatuan?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Cabanatuan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $250 there versus $1,179 in Mexico City.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Mexico City and $17 in Cabanatuan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Mexico City or Cabanatuan?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $601 in Cabanatuan. That makes Cabanatuan about 64% cheaper.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Cabanatuan, where all-in costs run around $601, than in Mexico City at $1,674. In Cabanatuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Mexico City or Cabanatuan?
Families tend to lean toward Cabanatuan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How do I decide between Mexico City and Cabanatuan?
If budget matters most, go with Cabanatuan. 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.

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