Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Ligao City

For one person, living is cheaper in Ligao City: $731 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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 Ligao City
Learn more

Ligao City Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Ligao City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,548 per month in Mexico City vs $731 in Ligao City, rent included.

Mexico City $1,548
Ligao City $731

A couple spends around $2,436 per month in Mexico City vs $1,112 in Ligao City, rent included.

Mexico City $2,436
Ligao City $1,112

A family of three spends $3,323 per month in Mexico City vs $1,493 in Ligao City, rent included.

Mexico City $3,323
Ligao City $1,493

Mexico City costs about 112% more than Ligao City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$3.82 ₱240

188.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$16.76 ₱1,055

190.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$2.77 ₱174

293.50%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.18 ₱137

68.81%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$0.61 ₱38.65

167.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.33 ₱20.98

278.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$1.14 ₱71.7

185.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$1.93 ₱121

186.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.64 ₱103

3.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.12 ₱70.6

169.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$0.92 ₱58.1

108.70%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$1.88 ₱119

45.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$5.63 ₱355

109.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$4.27 ₱269

123.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$7.26 ₱457

98.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.42 ₱153

24.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.59 ₱100.0

18.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$2.35 ₱148

-15.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.13 ₱71.3

93.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.93 ₱122

-0.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$2.02 ₱127

-7.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.93 ₱58.5

54.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.58 ₱36.44

118.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$3.01 ₱189

73.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$7.67 ₱483

110.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$0.93 ₱58.6

104.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$1.86 ₱117

126.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$0.24 ₱15.10

41.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$11.02 ₱694

78.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$0.73 ₱46.21

173.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$0.23 ₱14.51

126.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$1.87 ₱118

185.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.24 ₱78.0

22.58%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

1.46%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$18.9K ₱1.2M

29.66%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$121 ₱7,622

-49.55%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$14.98 ₱943

90.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$24.57 ₱1,547

40.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$32.97 ₱2,076

70.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$4.78 ₱301

420.50%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$5.09 ₱321

30.84%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$133 ₱8,387

220.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$8,007 ₱504.1K

45.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$32.54 ₱2,049

108.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$19.19 ₱1,208

170.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$72.8 ₱4,583

45.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$56.7 ₱3,572

98.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$272 ₱17.1K

277.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$174 ₱10.9K

276.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$528 ₱33.2K

337.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$355 ₱22.4K

249.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$2,415 ₱152.0K

49.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$1,005 ₱63.3K

92.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$273 ₱17.2K

252.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.79

66.42%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Ligao City: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Ligao City

$174 23.8% 73.5% $481

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Ligao City

$180 24.6% 43.5% $138

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Ligao City

$78 10.7% 61.6% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Ligao City

$82 11.2% 46.4% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Ligao City

$161 22% 29.4% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Ligao City

$43 5.9% 38.1% $27

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Ligao City

$14 1.9% 45.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,025 in Mexico City versus $272 in Ligao City. 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 253% 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 $17.00 in Ligao City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $318 vs $180 – making Ligao City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 Ligao City

🕒 Local time

06:45 6:45 AM

20:45 8:45 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

3,955

💱 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 Ligao City 14,100 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 112%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,322 per month in Mexico City and $1,096 in Ligao City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 77% more in Mexico City, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Mexico City and $17.00 in Ligao City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ligao City, where all-in costs run around $731, than in Mexico City at $1,548. In Ligao City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ligao 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 Ligao City. 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.