Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Calamba

For one person, living is cheaper in Calamba: $518 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Calamba
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Calamba Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Calamba

🇵🇭 Philippines

$518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $518 in Calamba.

Mexico City $1,567
Calamba $518

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $764 in Calamba.

Mexico City $2,450
Calamba $764

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $1,010 in Calamba.

Mexico City $3,333
Calamba $1,010

Living in Mexico City is roughly 202% more expensive than in Calamba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 16% above, Calamba is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$3.92 ₱247

174.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$12.02 ₱757

318.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$2.82 ₱178

293.62%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$1.79 ₱113

105.59%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$0.56 ₱35.44

194.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$0.33 ₱21.06

293.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$0.94 ₱59.5

253.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$1.55 ₱97.7

257.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.60 ₱101

10.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$1.11 ₱70.1

174.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$0.97 ₱61.0

107.22%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$2.00 ₱126

38.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$5.20 ₱327

129.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$3.40 ₱214

174.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$7.80 ₱491

92.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$2.31 ₱145

33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$1.54 ₱96.9

26.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$2.40 ₱151

-15.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$1.06 ₱66.9

108.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$1.73 ₱109

16.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$1.78 ₱112

2.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$0.61 ₱38.68

149.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$0.49 ₱31.10

161.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$2.92 ₱184

80.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$8.87 ₱558

81.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$0.96 ₱60.3

103.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$2.10 ₱132

102.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$0.82 ₱51.9

143.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$0.25 ₱15.75

112.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$1.88 ₱119

198.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$0.93 ₱58.7

63.44%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$21.1K ₱1.3M

-0.48%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

32.44%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$139 ₱8,759

-55.08%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$17.36 ₱1,093

65.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$23.85 ₱1,502

44.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$5.04 ₱317

32.34%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$130 ₱8,193

231.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$10.6K ₱668.9K

10.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$28.54 ₱1,797

148.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$19.73 ₱1,242

162.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$71.0 ₱4,468

53.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$55.3 ₱3,482

103.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$260 ₱16.4K

275.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.75

67.41%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Calamba: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Calamba

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Calamba

$175 33.7% 45.9% $148

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Calamba

$73 14% 64.2% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Calamba

$79 15.2% 49.2% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Calamba

$180 34.8% 43.5% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Calamba

$10 * 1.9% 85.7% $60

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Calamba

$2.1 * 0.4% 91.9% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

Mexico City pays 275% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $12.00 in Calamba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $175 per month, with Calamba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 Calamba

🕒 Local time

08:04 8:04 AM

22:04 10:04 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

539,671

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Calamba 14,230 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Calamba

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 Calamba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calamba wins on cost – living expenses run 202% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Calamba the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 275% higher in Mexico City, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 85% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,567 per month in Mexico City versus $518 in Calamba – a 202% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $518 in Calamba versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Calamba but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Calamba the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Calamba delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $518 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Calamba hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Calamba are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Calamba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 202% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.