Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Caloocan

For one person, living is cheaper in Caloocan: $504 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half 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 Caloocan
Learn more

Caloocan Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Caloocan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,567 per month in Mexico City vs $504 in Caloocan, rent included.

Mexico City $1,567
Caloocan $504

A couple spends around $2,450 per month in Mexico City vs $674 in Caloocan, rent included.

Mexico City $2,450
Caloocan $674

A family of three spends $3,333 per month in Mexico City vs $845 in Caloocan, rent included.

Mexico City $3,333
Caloocan $845

Mexico City costs about 211% more than Caloocan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 16% above the global median, while Caloocan is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$2.74 ₱173

292.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$16.50 ₱1,039

204.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$2.22 ₱140

400.00%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$0.91 ₱57.3

304.40%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$0.40 ₱25.00

312.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$0.33 ₱21.07

293.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$1.01 ₱63.8

228.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$1.61 ₱101

244.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.62 ₱102

9.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$1.11 ₱69.7

174.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$1.00 ₱63.0

101.00%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$1.81 ₱114

53.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$5.19 ₱327

129.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$3.44 ₱216

171.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$7.94 ₱500

89.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$2.21 ₱139

39.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$0.92 ₱57.7

111.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$2.38 ₱150

-14.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$1.04 ₱65.5

112.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$1.12 ₱70.7

80.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$1.70 ₱107

7.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$0.65 ₱41.16

133.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$0.49 ₱31.11

161.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$3.00 ₱189

75.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$4.68 ₱295

244.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$0.91 ₱57.2

114.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$1.99 ₱126

113.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$0.22 ₱13.86

40.91%

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 ₱15.82

112.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$1.90 ₱119

195.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.09 ₱68.5

39.45%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$21.4K ₱1.3M

-1.50%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$19.3K ₱1.2M

30.64%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$53.2 ₱3,351

17.42%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$9.80 ₱617

193.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$23.23 ₱1,463

48.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$4.76 ₱300

1099.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$5.04 ₱318

32.34%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$134 ₱8,411

222.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$10.9K ₱688.2K

7.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$29.00 ₱1,826

144.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$19.90 ₱1,253

160.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$55.3 ₱3,479

97.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$47.92 ₱3,017

134.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$205 ₱12.9K

413.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$121 ₱7,620

449.48%

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

$320 ₱20.1K

204.67%

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 Caloocan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Caloocan

$121 24% 81.8% $544

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Caloocan

$160 31.7% 50.5% $163

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Caloocan

$51 10.1% 75% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Caloocan

$68 13.6% 55.8% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Caloocan

$86 17.1% 31.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Caloocan

$15 3% 78.9% $56

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Caloocan

$3 * 0.6% 88.5% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,051 in Mexico City versus $205 in Caloocan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 205% higher in Mexico City, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Mexico City versus $16.00 in Caloocan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $323 vs $160 – making Caloocan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 Caloocan

🕒 Local time

13:28 1:28 PM

03:28 3:28 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,661,584

💱 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Caloocan 14,220 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Caloocan

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 Caloocan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City costs about 211% more than Caloocan, 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 $2,351 per month in Mexico City and $756 in Caloocan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Caloocan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Mexico City and $16.00 in Caloocan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 102% more in Mexico City, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Caloocan, where all-in costs run around $504, than in Mexico City at $1,567. In Caloocan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Caloocan costs $504 versus $1,567 in Mexico City. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Caloocan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mexico City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.