Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Davao

For one person, living is cheaper in Davao: $839 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Davao
Learn more

Davao Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Davao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $839 in Davao.

Mexico City $1,608
Davao $839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,275 in Davao.

Mexico City $2,549
Davao $1,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,712 in Davao.

Mexico City $3,490
Davao $1,712

Living in Mexico City is roughly 92% more expensive than in Davao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Davao is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$4.71 ₱299

125.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$906

$26.33 ₱1,672

83.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$3.83 ₱243

170.23%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.2

$2.53 ₱161

45.85%

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

$1.67 MX$31.23

$1.06 ₱67.3

57.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.71

$0.62 ₱39.64

104.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.8

$1.53 ₱97.0

108.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.5

$2.38 ₱151

123.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.96 ₱125

-12.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.0

$1.07 ₱68.0

184.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$0.91 ₱57.9

113.19%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.1

$1.84 ₱117

57.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$6.41 ₱407

71.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$4.59 ₱292

101.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$8.97 ₱570

68.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.1

$2.68 ₱170

13.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$1.06 ₱67.3

83.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.95

$2.43 ₱154

-16.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.38

$1.14 ₱72.3

102.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.14

$1.99 ₱126

2.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.73

$3.35 ₱213

-46.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.72

$1.24 ₱78.6

19.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.75

$0.71 ₱45.03

78.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$2.46 ₱156

115.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$7.99 ₱507

101.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.16

$1.27 ₱80.5

55.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.7

$1.58 ₱100

168.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.72

$0.21 ₱13.33

47.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$370

$13.16 ₱836

49.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.44

$0.81 ₱51.4

127.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.00

$0.24 ₱15.32

120.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.2

$1.83 ₱116

189.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.31

$1.22 ₱77.2

23.77%

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

$21.8K MX$407.7K

$21.3K ₱1.4M

1.95%

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

$24.0K MX$449.5K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

25.94%

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

$63.0 MX$1,180

$105 ₱6,661

-39.96%

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

$27.39 MX$513

$19.14 ₱1,215

43.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$668

$30.17 ₱1,916

18.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,105

$34.37 ₱2,183

71.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

$3.44 ₱218

587.21%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$4.75 ₱302

34.74%

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

$432 MX$8,088

$104 ₱6,623

313.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.1K

$7,536 ₱478.6K

51.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,278

$61.0 ₱3,877

11.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$996

$30.74 ₱1,952

72.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,020

$69.7 ₱4,425

54.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,198

$60.1 ₱3,816

95.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$350 ₱22.2K

218.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$229 ₱14.6K

210.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.5K

$723 ₱45.9K

258.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

$404 ₱25.6K

248.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.0K

$1,584 ₱100.6K

129.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.0K

$1,364 ₱86.6K

56.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

$207 ₱13.1K

356.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

8.31

36.58%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Davao: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Davao

$229 27.3% 67.8% $481

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Davao

$197 23.5% 38.3% $122

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Davao

$99 11.8% 50.4% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Davao

$100 11.9% 36% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Davao

$154 18.4% 22.3% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Davao

$44 5.2% 38.8% $28

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Davao

$16 1.9% 37.1% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $350 in Davao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 4.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $26 in Davao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $197 per month, with Davao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 Davao

🕒 Local time

11:33 11:33 AM

01:33 1:33 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,632,991

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.51 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 70.87 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Davao 14,300 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Davao

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 Davao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Davao is about 48% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 4.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $350 in Davao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Davao – a meal for two runs $26 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $839 in Davao – Davao is about 48% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $839 in Davao versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Davao but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Davao the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Davao is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Mexico City, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Davao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.