Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Cauayan City

For one person, living is cheaper in Cauayan City: $708 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Cauayan City
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Cauayan City Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Cauayan City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$708

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,674 per month in Mexico City vs $708 in Cauayan City, rent included.

Mexico City $1,674
Cauayan City $708

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Mexico City vs $1,074 in Cauayan City, rent included.

Mexico City $2,606
Cauayan City $1,074

A family of three spends $3,537 per month in Mexico City vs $1,440 in Cauayan City, rent included.

Mexico City $3,537
Cauayan City $1,440

Mexico City costs about 136% more than Cauayan City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 24% above the global median, while Cauayan City is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$3.97 ₱252

166.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$978

$16.34 ₱1,038

217.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$202

$2.77 ₱176

287.36%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.4

$1.82 ₱116

108.79%

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

$1.61 MX$30.35

$0.55 ₱35.00

192.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.81

$0.33 ₱21.10

266.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.8

$1.00 ₱63.7

218.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$1.55 ₱98.3

250.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.63 ₱104

5.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.8

$1.15 ₱73.0

158.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.24

$0.93 ₱59.3

107.53%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.2

$2.04 ₱129

35.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$220

$4.67 ₱296

149.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$3.34 ₱212

183.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$7.90 ₱502

94.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.4

$2.26 ₱143

37.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.90

$1.55 ₱98.7

26.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.30

$2.38 ₱151

-16.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.95

$1.05 ₱66.7

122.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.08

$1.65 ₱105

22.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.34

$1.69 ₱107

7.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.06

$0.87 ₱55.4

77.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.70

$0.52 ₱33.30

151.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$101

$2.98 ₱189

79.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$305

$8.57 ₱544

88.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.87

$0.90 ₱57.3

117.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.9

$1.95 ₱124

123.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.74

$0.24 ₱15.32

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$367

$12.29 ₱780

58.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.08

$0.76 ₱48.54

152.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.90

$0.22 ₱13.92

113.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$1.94 ₱123

178.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.92

$0.91 ₱57.9

62.64%

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

$21.4K MX$402.2K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

0.85%

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

$23.8K MX$447.1K

$18.6K ₱1.2M

27.69%

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

$62.0 MX$1,167

$136 ₱8,657

-54.54%

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

$28.47 MX$536

$10.33 ₱656

175.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$642

$22.72 ₱1,442

50.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,099

$30.67 ₱1,947

90.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$461

$5.33 ₱338

359.66%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$4.97 ₱316

32.60%

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

$434 MX$8,172

$131 ₱8,285

232.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$264.1K

$10.6K ₱670.7K

32.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,286

$28.11 ₱1,785

143.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,031

$19.23 ₱1,221

184.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,086

$53.9 ₱3,422

105.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,183

$55.8 ₱3,542

107.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.2K

$247 ₱15.7K

377.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$166 ₱10.5K

365.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.4K

$479 ₱30.4K

436.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

$353 ₱22.4K

302.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.5K

$2,605 ₱165.4K

37.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

$1,114 ₱70.7K

85.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.9K

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 Cauayan City: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Cauayan City

$166 23.4% 78.5% $605

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Cauayan City

$173 24.5% 46.5% $150

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Cauayan City

$74 10.4% 63.3% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Cauayan City

$71 10% 55.1% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Cauayan City

$169 23.9% 36% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Cauayan City

$41 5.7% 43.3% $31

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Cauayan City

$15 2.1% 39.5% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,179 in Mexico City versus $247 in Cauayan City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Mexico City versus $16 in Cauayan City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $173 – making Cauayan City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 Cauayan City

🕒 Local time

00:30 12:30 AM

14:30 2:30 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

2,616

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 EUR

100 PHP = 1.58 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 63.49 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Cauayan City 13,990 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Cauayan City

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 Cauayan City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City, $708 in Cauayan City – Cauayan City comes out roughly 58% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,510 per month in Mexico City and $1,062 in Cauayan City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cauayan City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $247 there versus $1,179 in Mexico City.

Kindergarten costs $434 per month in Mexico City and $131 in Cauayan City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 87% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Cauayan City, where all-in costs run around $708, than in Mexico City at $1,674. In Cauayan City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cauayan City – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Cauayan City is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 58% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.