Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Dasmarinas

For one person, living is cheaper in Dasmarinas: $496 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Dasmarinas
Learn more

Dasmarinas Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Dasmarinas

🇵🇭 Philippines

$496

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $496 in Dasmarinas.

Mexico City $1,548
Dasmarinas $496

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $738 in Dasmarinas.

Mexico City $2,436
Dasmarinas $738

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $980 in Dasmarinas.

Mexico City $3,323
Dasmarinas $980

Living in Mexico City is roughly 212% more expensive than in Dasmarinas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Dasmarinas is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$4.08 ₱257

170.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$16.95 ₱1,067

187.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$2.71 ₱171

302.21%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$1.75 ₱110

110.29%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$0.57 ₱35.76

185.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.31 ₱19.30

303.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$0.96 ₱60.1

238.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$1.58 ₱99.4

250.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.39 ₱87.5

22.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.10 ₱69.5

174.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$0.66 ₱41.36

190.91%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$1.79 ₱113

52.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$4.94 ₱311

138.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$3.49 ₱219

173.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$4.72 ₱297

205.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.26 ₱143

33.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.61 ₱102

17.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$2.38 ₱150

-16.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.07 ₱67.3

104.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.75 ₱110

9.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.72 ₱108

8.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.61 ₱38.39

136.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.52 ₱32.54

144.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$2.88 ₱181

81.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$8.59 ₱541

88.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$0.93 ₱58.5

104.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$1.99 ₱125

112.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$0.78 ₱48.96

156.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$0.25 ₱15.76

108.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$1.85 ₱117

188.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.11 ₱70.1

36.94%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$21.4K ₱1.3M

3.21%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$18.9K ₱1.2M

29.64%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$48.45 ₱3,050

26.05%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$17.55 ₱1,105

62.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$23.72 ₱1,494

45.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$33.43 ₱2,105

68.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$5.30 ₱334

25.66%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$134 ₱8,415

219.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$10.7K ₱674.0K

8.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$28.53 ₱1,796

137.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$19.55 ₱1,231

165.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$72.5 ₱4,561

46.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$56.4 ₱3,552

99.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$46.95 ₱2,956

1293.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$353 ₱22.2K

173.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.4

76.56%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Dasmarinas: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Dasmarinas

$47 9.5% 92.8% $607

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Dasmarinas

$160 32.3% 49.7% $158

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Dasmarinas

$73 14.8% 64.1% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Dasmarinas

$80 16.1% 47.7% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Dasmarinas

$90 18.1% 27.7% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Dasmarinas

$44 8.9% 36.8% $26

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Dasmarinas

$2 * 0.4% 92.1% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

Mexico City pays 173% 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: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $17.00 in Dasmarinas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $160 per month, with Dasmarinas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 Dasmarinas

🕒 Local time

16:20 4:20 PM

06:20 6:20 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

659,019

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Dasmarinas 14,240 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Dasmarinas

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 Dasmarinas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Dasmarinas differ by about 212% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $496 including rent). Dasmarinas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 173% 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.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $134 in Dasmarinas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Dasmarinas – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $49.00 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $496 in Dasmarinas versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dasmarinas but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Dasmarinas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Dasmarinas 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 Dasmarinas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 212% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.