Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Calbayog

For one person, living is cheaper in Calbayog: $739 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Mexico City, Mexico
Calbayog, Philippines
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
Calbayog
🇵🇭 Philippines
$739
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $739 in Calbayog, rent included.

  • Mexico City $1,608
  • Calbayog $739

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,112 in Calbayog, rent included.

  • Mexico City $2,549
  • Calbayog $1,112

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $1,486 in Calbayog, rent included.

  • Mexico City $3,490
  • Calbayog $1,486

Mexico City costs about 118% more than Calbayog, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Calbayog is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Calbayog
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.62 MX$198
$3.94 ₱252
169.54%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.35 MX$901
$16.45 ₱1,051
193.92%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.35 MX$193
$2.49 ₱159
315.66%
Cappuccino
$3.69 MX$68.8
$2.30 ₱147
60.43%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 MX$31.07
$0.57 ₱36.58
192.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.59
$0.30 ₱19.34
323.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.19 MX$59.5
$1.28 ₱82.0
149.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.31 MX$98.9
$1.78 ₱113
198.31%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Calbayog
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 MX$32.15
$1.50 ₱95.6
14.67%
White Bread (500g)
$3.04 MX$56.7
$1.17 ₱75.1
159.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.19
$0.91 ₱58.4
113.19%
Eggs
$2.89 MX$53.8
$2.08 ₱133
38.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.97 MX$205
$5.21 ₱333
110.56%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.25 MX$172
$3.80 ₱243
143.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.13 MX$282
$6.32 ₱404
139.40%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 MX$56.8
$2.52 ₱161
21.03%
Banana (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.19
$1.46 ₱93.2
32.88%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.75
$2.48 ₱158
-18.15%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 MX$43.15
$1.08 ₱69.1
113.89%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 MX$37.94
$1.86 ₱119
9.68%
Onion (1kg)
$1.80 MX$33.55
$2.13 ₱136
-15.49%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 MX$27.58
$1.13 ₱71.9
30.97%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.63
$0.57 ₱36.52
122.81%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.30 MX$98.9
$2.85 ₱182
85.96%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.10 MX$300
$7.97 ₱509
102.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 MX$36.97
$1.02 ₱65.2
94.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 MX$79.3
$2.05 ₱131
107.32%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Calbayog
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 MX$5.69
$0.26 ₱16.83
19.23%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.73 MX$368
$10.60 ₱677
86.13%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.84 MX$34.25
$0.78 ₱49.99
135.90%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 MX$9.94
$0.24 ₱15.27
120.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.30 MX$98.7
$1.94 ₱124
173.20%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.51 MX$28.16
$1.28 ₱81.6
17.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K MX$405.5K
$18.2K ₱1.2M
19.74%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$447.1K
$16.3K ₱1.0M
47.39%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Calbayog
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$63.0 MX$1,174
$135 ₱8,600
-53.21%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.39 MX$511
$14.04 ₱897
95.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.67 MX$665
$23.69 ₱1,513
50.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Calbayog
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.9 MX$1,099
$30.92 ₱1,976
90.62%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.64 MX$441
$4.83 ₱308
389.44%
Cinema Ticket
$6.40 MX$119
$4.88 ₱312
31.15%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Calbayog
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$432 MX$8,045
$126 ₱8,073
241.58%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.4K MX$212.9K
$7,047 ₱450.2K
62.11%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Calbayog
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.2 MX$1,272
$30.57 ₱1,953
123.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.1 MX$990
$17.67 ₱1,129
200.68%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 MX$2,009
$60.3 ₱3,850
78.83%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 MX$2,186
$57.7 ₱3,688
103.14%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Calbayog
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,113 MX$20.8K
$284 ₱18.2K
291.62%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$710 MX$13.2K
$182 ₱11.6K
290.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,588 MX$48.2K
$523 ₱33.4K
394.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,406 MX$26.2K
$369 ₱23.6K
281.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,631 MX$67.7K
$2,324 ₱148.5K
56.22%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,135 MX$39.8K
$1,159 ₱74.1K
84.16%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Calbayog
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$946 MX$17.6K
$147 ₱9,421
541.62%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.35
6.92
64.02%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Calbayog: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$710
Calbayog
$182 74.4% $529
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$320
Calbayog
$175 45.2% $144
Eating Out
Mexico City
$199
Calbayog
$80 59.7% $119
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$156
Calbayog
$75 52% $81
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$126
Calbayog
$172 36.7% $46
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$72
Calbayog
$41 43.3% $31
Getting Around
Mexico City
$25
Calbayog
$14 46.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $284 in Calbayog. 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 6.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $16 in Calbayog. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $175 – making Calbayog the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇵🇭 Calbayog
🕒 Local time
17:03 5:03 PM
07:03 7:03 AM
14 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
183,851
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Calbayog 14,080 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Calbayog

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 Calbayog: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Calbayog cheaper than Mexico City?
Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 118%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $1,108 in Calbayog. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Calbayog, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $284 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.
How do food prices compare in Mexico City and in Calbayog?
Groceries cost about 82% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is eating out cheaper in Mexico City or in Calbayog?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City and $16 in Calbayog. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Mexico City or in Calbayog?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Calbayog, where all-in costs run around $739, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Calbayog it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Mexico City or Calbayog more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Calbayog – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Calbayog. 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.

Mexico City vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?