Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Imus

For one person, living is cheaper in Imus: $644 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Imus
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Imus Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Imus

🇵🇭 Philippines

$644

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,674 per month in Mexico City vs $644 in Imus, rent included.

Mexico City $1,674
Imus $644

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Mexico City vs $960 in Imus, rent included.

Mexico City $2,606
Imus $960

A family of three spends $3,537 per month in Mexico City vs $1,276 in Imus, rent included.

Mexico City $3,537
Imus $1,276

Mexico City costs about 160% more than Imus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 24% above the global median, while Imus is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$3.98 ₱253

166.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$16.17 ₱1,028

221.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$2.68 ₱170

300.37%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.7

$1.86 ₱119

104.30%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$0.54 ₱34.60

198.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$0.33 ₱21.24

266.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$0.93 ₱59.4

241.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$1.69 ₱107

221.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$1.67 ₱106

2.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$1.15 ₱73.2

158.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$0.99 ₱63.1

94.95%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$1.97 ₱125

40.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$4.66 ₱296

150.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$3.43 ₱218

176.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$7.91 ₱503

94.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$2.16 ₱138

43.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$1.52 ₱96.5

28.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$2.37 ₱150

-16.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$1.81 ₱115

29.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$1.73 ₱110

16.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$1.70 ₱108

7.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$0.95 ₱60.6

62.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$0.48 ₱30.67

172.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$2.99 ₱190

78.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$8.62 ₱548

87.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$1.06 ₱67.3

84.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$2.01 ₱128

116.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$0.24 ₱15.34

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

$12.60 ₱801

54.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$0.75 ₱47.79

156.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$0.22 ₱14.00

113.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$1.89 ₱120

186.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.17 ₱74.6

26.50%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$20.7K ₱1.3M

3.15%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

25.10%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$123 ₱7,822

-49.61%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$15.49 ₱985

83.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$23.31 ₱1,482

46.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$30.79 ₱1,958

89.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

$5.27 ₱335

364.90%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$5.16 ₱328

27.71%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$132 ₱8,367

229.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$8,902 ₱566.0K

57.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$28.85 ₱1,834

136.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$19.46 ₱1,237

181.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$69.0 ₱4,389

60.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,159

$54.2 ₱3,443

114.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$115 ₱7,337

921.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$97.0 ₱6,166

694.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$199 ₱12.6K

1191.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$164 ₱10.4K

764.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

$2,598 ₱165.2K

38.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

$1,091 ₱69.4K

89.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

$173 ₱11.0K

480.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

6.75

68.15%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Imus: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Imus

$97 15.1% 87.4% $674

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Imus

$178 27.6% 45% $145

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Imus

$74 11.5% 63.2% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Imus

$77 12% 51% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Imus

$162 25.1% 29.9% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Imus

$41 6.4% 42.6% $30

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Imus

$15 2.4% 38.3% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,179 in Mexico City versus $115 in Imus. 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 5.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Mexico City versus $16 in Imus. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $178 – making Imus the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 Imus

🕒 Local time

15:55 3:55 PM

05:55 5:55 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

496,794

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 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 = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 63.58 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.57 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Mexico City
Imus

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 Imus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City, $644 in Imus – Imus comes out roughly 61% 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 $967 in Imus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Imus, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $115 there versus $1,179 in Mexico City.

Groceries cost about 82% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Mexico City and $16 in Imus. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Imus, where all-in costs run around $644, than in Mexico City at $1,674. In Imus it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Imus – 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 Imus. 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.