Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Las Pinas

For one person, living is cheaper in Las Pinas: $725 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

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

Cost of Living Index in Las Pinas
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Las Pinas Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Las Pinas

🇵🇭 Philippines

$725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Las Pinas

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

A single person spends $1,548 per month in Mexico City vs $725 in Las Pinas, rent included.

Mexico City $1,548
Las Pinas $725

A couple spends around $2,436 per month in Mexico City vs $1,119 in Las Pinas, rent included.

Mexico City $2,436
Las Pinas $1,119

A family of three spends $3,323 per month in Mexico City vs $1,513 in Las Pinas, rent included.

Mexico City $3,323
Las Pinas $1,513

Mexico City costs about 113% more than Las Pinas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 14% above the global median, while Las Pinas is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$3.93 ₱248

180.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$23.48 ₱1,478

107.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$2.85 ₱179

282.46%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$1.83 ₱115

101.09%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.09 ₱68.3

49.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.46 ₱29.18

171.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$1.21 ₱76.4

168.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$2.45 ₱154

125.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.63 ₱103

4.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.17 ₱73.6

158.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.01 ₱63.4

90.10%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.07 ₱130

31.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$5.18 ₱326

127.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$3.52 ₱221

170.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$6.79 ₱428

112.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.32 ₱146

30.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.59 ₱100

18.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$2.31 ₱146

-13.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.06 ₱67.0

106.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.68 ₱106

14.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.70 ₱107

10.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.66 ₱41.34

118.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.49 ₱30.70

159.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$2.87 ₱181

81.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$9.57 ₱603

68.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$0.97 ₱60.8

95.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.08 ₱131

102.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$0.20 ₱12.57

70.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$11.10 ₱699

77.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$0.77 ₱48.61

159.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$0.21 ₱13.20

147.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$1.96 ₱123

172.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.20 ₱75.3

26.67%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

4.12%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$19.5K ₱1.2M

25.54%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$124 ₱7,826

-50.87%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$15.08 ₱950

89.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$23.91 ₱1,505

44.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$32.10 ₱2,021

75.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$4.52 ₱284

450.44%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$5.16 ₱325

29.07%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$135 ₱8,477

217.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$8,818 ₱555.2K

31.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$32.63 ₱2,054

107.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$19.59 ₱1,233

165.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$71.9 ₱4,525

47.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$55.6 ₱3,498

102.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$270 ₱17.0K

279.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$172 ₱10.8K

281.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$526 ₱33.1K

338.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$359 ₱22.6K

246.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$2,374 ₱149.4K

52.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$991 ₱62.4K

95.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$600 ₱37.7K

60.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.75

67.41%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Las Pinas: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Las Pinas

$172 23.7% 73.8% $483

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Las Pinas

$175 24.1% 45.1% $144

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Las Pinas

$79 10.9% 61.2% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Las Pinas

$81 11.1% 46.9% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Las Pinas

$163 22.5% 31.6% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Las Pinas

$42 5.9% 39.1% $27

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Las Pinas

$14 1.9% 46.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,025 in Mexico City versus $270 in Las Pinas. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 61% higher in Mexico City, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Mexico City versus $23.00 in Las Pinas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $318 vs $175 – making Las Pinas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 Las Pinas

🕒 Local time

05:40 5:40 AM

19:40 7:40 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

606,293

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Las Pinas 14,230 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Las Pinas

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 Las Pinas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City, $725 in Las Pinas – roughly 113% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,322 per month in Mexico City and $1,088 in Las Pinas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Las Pinas, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Mexico City and $23.00 in Las Pinas. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,548 in Mexico City and $725 in Las Pinas. That's a gap of about 113%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Las Pinas, where all-in costs run around $725, than in Mexico City at $1,548. In Las Pinas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $725 in Las Pinas to $1,548 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Las Pinas. 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.