Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Malaybalay

For one person, living is cheaper in Malaybalay: $739 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Malaybalay
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Malaybalay Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Malaybalay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $739 in Malaybalay.

Mexico City $1,674
Malaybalay $739

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,140 in Malaybalay.

Mexico City $2,606
Malaybalay $1,140

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $1,542 in Malaybalay.

Mexico City $3,537
Malaybalay $1,542

Living in Mexico City is roughly 126% more expensive than in Malaybalay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Malaybalay is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$4.55 ₱289

132.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$16.36 ₱1,040

217.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$3.49 ₱222

207.45%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.7

$2.14 ₱136

77.57%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$0.45 ₱28.56

257.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$0.32 ₱20.47

278.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$1.18 ₱75.3

169.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$2.06 ₱131

164.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$1.97 ₱125

-12.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$1.10 ₱70.1

170.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$0.84 ₱53.5

129.76%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$1.90 ₱121

45.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$6.31 ₱401

84.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$4.55 ₱289

108.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$9.02 ₱573

70.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$2.70 ₱171

14.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$1.11 ₱70.6

76.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$2.39 ₱152

-17.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$1.14 ₱72.3

105.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$1.90 ₱121

6.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$3.29 ₱209

-44.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$1.24 ₱78.8

24.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$0.67 ₱42.60

95.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$2.41 ₱153

121.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$7.89 ₱501

105.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$1.22 ₱77.5

60.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$1.66 ₱106

162.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$0.24 ₱15.27

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

$12.31 ₱783

58.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$0.79 ₱50.4

143.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$0.24 ₱15.32

95.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$1.91 ₱121

183.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.26 ₱80.3

17.46%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$21.2K ₱1.4M

0.65%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$18.7K ₱1.2M

26.93%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$104 ₱6,590

-40.19%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$19.05 ₱1,211

49.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$30.84 ₱1,961

10.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$31.24 ₱1,987

86.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

$5.12 ₱325

378.52%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$4.80 ₱305

37.29%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$105 ₱6,703

311.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$7,393 ₱470.1K

89.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$32.03 ₱2,036

113.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$19.04 ₱1,211

187.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$71.0 ₱4,513

56.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,159

$59.6 ₱3,792

94.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$250 ₱15.9K

371.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$166 ₱10.5K

364.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$485 ₱30.8K

429.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$354 ₱22.5K

301.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

$2,659 ₱169.1K

34.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

$1,116 ₱71.0K

84.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

8.31

36.58%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Malaybalay: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Malaybalay

$166 22.4% 78.5% $605

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Malaybalay

$196 26.5% 39.3% $127

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Malaybalay

$86 11.6% 57.3% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Malaybalay

$82 11.1% 48.1% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Malaybalay

$154 20.8% 23.3% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Malaybalay

$41 5.5% 42.9% $31

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Malaybalay

$15 2.1% 38.9% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $250 in Malaybalay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $16 in Malaybalay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $196 per month, with Malaybalay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 Malaybalay

🕒 Local time

18:09 6:09 PM

08:09 8:09 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

190,712

💱 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 5, 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 5, 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

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Between locations

Mexico City Malaybalay 14,280 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Malaybalay

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 Malaybalay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $739 in Malaybalay, so Malaybalay is about 56% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,510 in Mexico City and $1,109 in Malaybalay to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $250 in Malaybalay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 65% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Malaybalay – a meal for two runs $16 versus $52 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $739 in Malaybalay versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Malaybalay but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Malaybalay the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Malaybalay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.