Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Island Garden City of Samal

For one person, living is cheaper in Island Garden City of Samal: $870 a month against $1,683 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Island Garden City of Samal
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Island Garden City of Samal Living Index

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Island Garden City of Samal, Philippines

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,683

/mo nomad

Island Garden City of Samal

🇵🇭 Philippines

$870

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Island Garden City of Samal

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 Island Garden City of Samal actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,683 per month in Mexico City vs $870 in Island Garden City of Samal, rent included.

Mexico City $1,683
Island Garden City of Samal $870

A couple spends around $2,616 per month in Mexico City vs $1,307 in Island Garden City of Samal, rent included.

Mexico City $2,616
Island Garden City of Samal $1,307

A family of three spends $3,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,744 in Island Garden City of Samal, rent included.

Mexico City $3,549
Island Garden City of Samal $1,744

Mexico City costs about 94% more than Island Garden City of Samal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 26% above the global median, while Island Garden City of Samal is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.98 MX$203

$5.54 ₱348

98.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.9 MX$961

$20.51 ₱1,290

153.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 MX$195

$3.89 ₱245

170.95%

Cappuccino

$3.67 MX$67.8

$2.24 ₱141

63.84%

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

$1.66 MX$30.72

$1.02 ₱64.3

62.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.45

$0.60 ₱37.77

101.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 MX$59.2

$1.43 ₱89.9

123.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.34 MX$98.8

$2.17 ₱136

146.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 MX$31.70

$2.07 ₱130

-17.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.95 MX$54.6

$1.15 ₱72.2

156.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.99

$0.90 ₱56.8

116.67%

Eggs

$2.84 MX$52.6

$2.03 ₱128

39.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.86 MX$219

$6.82 ₱428

73.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 MX$172

$5.13 ₱322

81.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.38 MX$284

$7.22 ₱454

113.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 MX$57.8

$2.47 ₱155

26.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.94

$1.24 ₱78.2

61.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.70

$2.44 ₱153

-18.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.35 MX$43.54

$1.29 ₱80.9

82.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.72

$2.11 ₱133

-6.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.69

$1.53 ₱96.1

22.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.20

$0.89 ₱55.7

70.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.76

$0.72 ₱45.15

77.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.16 MX$95.4

$2.52 ₱158

104.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.13 MX$298

$5.78 ₱363

179.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 MX$38.22

$1.24 ₱78.3

66.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 MX$82.5

$1.56 ₱97.8

185.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 MX$6.11

$0.24 ₱14.89

37.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.52 MX$361

$13.93 ₱876

40.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$33.96

$0.80 ₱50.1

130.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 MX$8.79

$0.22 ₱13.83

118.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.50 MX$102

$1.86 ₱117

195.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.31

$1.23 ₱77.5

24.39%

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

$21.7K MX$402.3K

$21.5K ₱1.4M

1.03%

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

$23.9K MX$442.0K

$19.5K ₱1.2M

22.47%

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

$62.2 MX$1,150

$106 ₱6,670

-41.39%

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

$28.51 MX$527

$18.77 ₱1,180

51.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.82 MX$626

$30.91 ₱1,943

9.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 MX$1,019

$33.70 ₱2,119

63.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.93 MX$369

$8.97 ₱564

122.19%

Cinema Ticket

$6.53 MX$121

$4.65 ₱292

40.43%

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

$428 MX$7,925

$23.69 ₱1,489

1708.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K MX$262.9K

$7,917 ₱497.7K

79.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 MX$1,294

$51.5 ₱3,240

35.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 MX$1,002

$27.65 ₱1,738

95.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,019

$78.1 ₱4,908

39.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,167

$49.71 ₱3,125

135.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,153 MX$21.3K

$366 ₱23.0K

215.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$782 MX$14.5K

$270 ₱17.0K

189.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,587 MX$47.9K

$921 ₱57.9K

180.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,438 MX$26.6K

$483 ₱30.4K

197.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,556 MX$65.8K

$3,913 ₱246.0K

-9.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,152 MX$39.8K

$2,081 ₱130.8K

3.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,082 MX$20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

7.75

46.45%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 8, 2026

Last update for Island Garden City of Samal: November 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$782 46.5%

Island Garden City of Samal

$270 31.1% 65.5% $512

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Island Garden City of Samal

$190 21.9% 41.4% $134

Eating Out

Mexico City

$202 12%

Island Garden City of Samal

$101 11.6% 50% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Island Garden City of Samal

$93 10.7% 40.9% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Island Garden City of Samal

$156 17.9% 25.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$68 4.1%

Island Garden City of Samal

$43 4.9% 36.9% $25

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Island Garden City of Samal

$17 1.9% 33.1% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,153 in Mexico City versus $366 in Island Garden City of Samal. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Mexico City versus $21 in Island Garden City of Samal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $190 – making Island Garden City of Samal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 Island Garden City of Samal

🕒 Local time

14:46 2:46 PM

04:46 4:46 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

116,771

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.5 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.76 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.87 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.54 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Island Garden City of Samal 14,290 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Island Garden City of Samal

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 Island Garden City of Samal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City costs about 94% more than Island Garden City of Samal, 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 $2,525 per month in Mexico City and $1,305 in Island Garden City of Samal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Island Garden City of Samal, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $366 there versus $1,153 in Mexico City.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,683 in Mexico City and $870 in Island Garden City of Samal. That makes Island Garden City of Samal about 48% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 29% less in Island Garden City of Samal. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,683 in Mexico City and $870 in Island Garden City of Samal. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

For expats, Island Garden City of Samal is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 48% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.