Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and El Nido

For one person, living is cheaper in El Nido: $730 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in El Nido
Learn more

El Nido Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

El Nido

🇵🇭 Philippines

$730

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in El Nido

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $730 in El Nido, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
El Nido $730

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,156 in El Nido, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
El Nido $1,156

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $1,582 in El Nido, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
El Nido $1,582

Mexico City costs about 120% more than El Nido, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while El Nido is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$3.86 ₱247

175.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$30.35 ₱1,939

59.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$3.60 ₱230

187.50%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$2.19 ₱140

68.49%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$1.14 ₱73.1

46.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$0.31 ₱20.08

309.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$1.23 ₱78.5

159.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$1.86 ₱119

185.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.84 ₱118

-6.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$1.02 ₱65.3

198.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.27 ₱80.9

52.76%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.85 ₱118

56.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$5.93 ₱379

84.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$3.88 ₱248

138.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$6.76 ₱432

123.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.31 ₱147

32.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.61 ₱103

20.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$2.26 ₱144

-10.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$1.12 ₱71.4

106.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$2.06 ₱131

-0.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$2.22 ₱142

-18.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$1.14 ₱72.7

29.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.56 ₱36.03

126.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$2.92 ₱186

81.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$8.28 ₱529

94.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$0.93 ₱59.2

112.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$1.78 ₱114

138.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$0.22 ₱14.10

40.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$13.54 ₱865

45.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$0.77 ₱49.41

138.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.22 ₱13.99

140.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$1.99 ₱127

166.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.27 ₱81.3

18.90%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

14.45%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$20.2K ₱1.3M

18.47%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$125 ₱8,015

-49.80%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$16.25 ₱1,038

68.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$23.48 ₱1,500

51.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$31.49 ₱2,012

87.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$4.99 ₱319

373.75%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$5.07 ₱324

26.23%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$144 ₱9,190

200.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$8,421 ₱538.1K

35.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$33.73 ₱2,155

102.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$19.38 ₱1,238

174.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$65.6 ₱4,190

64.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$62.3 ₱3,980

88.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$248 ₱15.8K

349.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$160 ₱10.2K

343.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$507 ₱32.4K

410.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$359 ₱22.9K

291.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$2,535 ₱161.9K

43.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$1,054 ₱67.3K

102.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$246 ₱15.7K

284.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

6.92

64.02%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for El Nido: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

El Nido

$160 22% 77.4% $550

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

El Nido

$181 24.8% 43.3% $138

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

El Nido

$84 11.5% 57.9% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

El Nido

$81 11.2% 47.8% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

El Nido

$165 22.6% 31.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

El Nido

$42 5.7% 42% $30

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

El Nido

$16 2.2% 36% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $248 in El Nido. 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 3.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $30 in El Nido. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $181 – making El Nido the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 El Nido

🕒 Local time

13:03 1:03 PM

03:03 3:03 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

50,494

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mexico City El Nido 14,590 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
El Nido

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 El Nido: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City, $730 in El Nido – roughly 120% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $1,094 in El Nido. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in El Nido, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $248 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Public transport costs about 31% less in El Nido. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $432 per month in Mexico City and $144 in El Nido. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in El Nido, where all-in costs run around $730, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In El Nido it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward El Nido – 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 El Nido. 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.