Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Iligan City

For one person, living is cheaper in Iligan City: $829 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Iligan City
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Iligan City Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Iligan City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$829

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Iligan 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 Iligan City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,674 per month in Mexico City vs $829 in Iligan City, rent included.

Mexico City $1,674
Iligan City $829

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Mexico City vs $1,236 in Iligan City, rent included.

Mexico City $2,606
Iligan City $1,236

A family of three spends $3,537 per month in Mexico City vs $1,643 in Iligan City, rent included.

Mexico City $3,537
Iligan City $1,643

Mexico City costs about 102% more than Iligan City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 24% above the global median, while Iligan City is 39% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$3.64 ₱231

190.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$19.92 ₱1,264

160.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$3.38 ₱215

217.46%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.6

$2.12 ₱134

79.25%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$0.68 ₱43.10

136.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$0.39 ₱24.62

210.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$1.27 ₱80.8

150.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$2.16 ₱137

151.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$1.76 ₱112

-2.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$1.18 ₱75.0

151.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$0.95 ₱60.4

103.16%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$1.84 ₱117

50.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$4.89 ₱311

138.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$4.71 ₱299

101.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$6.53 ₱414

135.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$2.16 ₱137

43.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$2.13 ₱135

-7.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$2.23 ₱142

-11.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$1.05 ₱66.9

122.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$1.37 ₱86.9

47.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$1.31 ₱83.3

38.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$0.91 ₱57.9

69.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$0.47 ₱30.08

178.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$3.01 ₱191

77.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$7.60 ₱482

113.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$1.15 ₱73.0

70.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$1.71 ₱108

154.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$0.25 ₱15.97

20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

$12.22 ₱775

59.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$0.71 ₱45.09

170.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$0.20 ₱12.90

135.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$1.70 ₱108

218.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.26 ₱80.0

17.46%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$23.7K ₱1.5M

-9.98%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$20.8K ₱1.3M

13.99%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$107 ₱6,770

-41.91%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$15.73 ₱998

80.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$26.59 ₱1,687

28.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$31.40 ₱1,992

85.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$4.92 ₱312

33.94%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$275 ₱17.5K

57.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$7,158 ₱454.1K

96.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$50.2 ₱3,183

36.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$24.55 ₱1,558

123.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$72.2 ₱4,582

53.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,158

$60.4 ₱3,834

91.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$111 ₱7,047

961.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$274 ₱17.4K

181.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$811 ₱51.5K

216.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$488 ₱31.0K

190.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

$3,664 ₱232.4K

-2.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

$2,179 ₱138.2K

-5.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

$198 ₱12.5K

406.98%

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 Iligan City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Iligan City

$274 33.1% 64.4% $497

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Iligan City

$177 21.3% 45.4% $147

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Iligan City

$80 9.6% 60.3% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Iligan City

$93 11.3% 40.7% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Iligan City

$149 18% 19.6% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Iligan City

$41 5% 42.4% $30

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Iligan City

$15 1.8% 40.2% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,179 in Mexico City versus $111 in Iligan City. 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 5.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Mexico City versus $20 in Iligan City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $177 – making Iligan City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 Iligan City

🕒 Local time

14:56 2:56 PM

04:56 4:56 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

342,618

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.44 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.95 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Iligan City 14,350 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Iligan 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 Iligan City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City, $829 in Iligan City – Iligan City comes out roughly 50% 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 $1,244 in Iligan City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Iligan City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $111 there versus $1,179 in Mexico City.

Public transport costs about 37% less in Iligan City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $434 per month in Mexico City and $275 in Iligan City. 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 Iligan City, where all-in costs run around $829, than in Mexico City at $1,674. In Iligan City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Iligan City – 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 Iligan City. 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.