Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Dipolog

For one person, living is cheaper in Dipolog: $776 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Dipolog
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Dipolog Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Dipolog

🇵🇭 Philippines

$776

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,674 per month in Mexico City vs $776 in Dipolog, rent included.

Mexico City $1,674
Dipolog $776

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Mexico City vs $1,132 in Dipolog, rent included.

Mexico City $2,606
Dipolog $1,132

A family of three spends $3,537 per month in Mexico City vs $1,488 in Dipolog, rent included.

Mexico City $3,537
Dipolog $1,488

Mexico City costs about 116% more than Dipolog, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 24% above the global median, while Dipolog is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$1.53 ₱97.3

592.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$978

$19.22 ₱1,221

170.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$202

$3.07 ₱195

249.51%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.4

$1.55 ₱98.6

145.16%

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

$1.61 MX$30.35

$0.37 ₱23.78

335.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.81

$0.23 ₱14.59

426.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.8

$1.09 ₱69.3

191.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$1.56 ₱99.2

248.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.54 ₱97.8

11.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.8

$0.81 ₱51.7

266.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.24

$0.81 ₱51.1

138.27%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.2

$1.95 ₱124

42.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$220

$4.67 ₱296

149.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$4.57 ₱290

107.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$5.51 ₱350

178.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.4

$1.54 ₱97.8

101.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.90

$1.23 ₱78.3

59.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.30

$2.00 ₱127

-1.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.95

$0.93 ₱59.2

151.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.08

$1.89 ₱120

6.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.34

$1.56 ₱98.9

16.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.06

$1.01 ₱64.2

52.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.70

$0.60 ₱38.18

118.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$101

$2.72 ₱173

96.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$305

$4.04 ₱256

300.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.87

$1.14 ₱72.5

71.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.9

$1.59 ₱101

173.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.74

$0.26 ₱16.29

15.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$367

$14.55 ₱924

33.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.08

$1.05 ₱66.4

82.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.90

$0.20 ₱12.69

135.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$1.88 ₱119

187.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.92

$0.85 ₱54.0

74.12%

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

$21.4K MX$402.2K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

0.70%

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

$23.8K MX$447.1K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

24.10%

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

$62.0 MX$1,167

$67.9 ₱4,311

-8.70%

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

$28.47 MX$536

$8.09 ₱514

251.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$642

$23.89 ₱1,517

42.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,099

$31.96 ₱2,029

82.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$461

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$5.47 ₱347

20.48%

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

$434 MX$8,172

$297 ₱18.9K

46.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$264.1K

$6,827 ₱433.5K

105.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,286

$51.0 ₱3,238

33.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,031

$25.96 ₱1,648

111.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,086

$79.1 ₱5,022

40.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,183

$66.8 ₱4,239

73.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.2K

$413 ₱26.2K

185.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$311 ₱19.8K

147.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.4K

$762 ₱48.4K

237.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

$483 ₱30.7K

193.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.5K

$3,505 ₱222.5K

2.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

$2,701 ₱171.5K

-23.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.9K

$236 ₱15.0K

325.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

62.14%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Dipolog: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Dipolog

$311 40.1% 59.6% $459

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Dipolog

$153 19.7% 52.8% $171

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Dipolog

$51 6.6% 74.5% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Dipolog

$100 12.9% 36.3% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Dipolog

$100 12.9% 19.8% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Dipolog

$43 5.5% 40% $29

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Dipolog

$18 2.3% 29.5% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,179 in Mexico City versus $413 in Dipolog. 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 4.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Mexico City versus $19 in Dipolog. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $153 – making Dipolog the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 Dipolog

🕒 Local time

23:48 11:48 PM

13:48 1:48 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

130,759

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Dipolog 14,420 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Dipolog

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 Dipolog: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City costs about 116% more than Dipolog, 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 $2,510 per month in Mexico City and $1,164 in Dipolog. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dipolog, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $413 there versus $1,179 in Mexico City.

Kindergarten costs $434 per month in Mexico City and $297 in Dipolog. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 112% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

If budget matters most, go with Dipolog. 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.