Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Mandaluyong

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandaluyong: $1,066 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Mandaluyong
Learn more

Mandaluyong Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Mandaluyong

🇵🇭 Philippines

$1,066

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,066 in Mandaluyong.

Mexico City $1,608
Mandaluyong $1,066

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,643 in Mandaluyong.

Mexico City $2,549
Mandaluyong $1,643

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,221 in Mandaluyong.

Mexico City $3,490
Mandaluyong $2,221

Living in Mexico City is roughly 51% more expensive than in Mandaluyong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Mandaluyong is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$4.81 ₱307

120.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$16.11 ₱1,026

200.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$3.48 ₱222

197.41%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$2.20 ₱140

67.73%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$0.96 ₱61.2

73.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$0.49 ₱30.98

159.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$1.16 ₱73.8

175.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$2.33 ₱148

127.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$1.65 ₱105

4.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.31 ₱83.7

132.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$0.94 ₱60.1

106.38%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$2.19 ₱140

31.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$5.07 ₱323

116.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$4.78 ₱305

93.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$6.81 ₱434

122.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$3.30 ₱210

-7.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$1.89 ₱121

2.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$3.00 ₱191

-32.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$1.80 ₱115

28.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$2.21 ₱141

-7.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$2.56 ₱163

-29.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$0.62 ₱39.24

138.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$0.48 ₱30.83

164.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$2.81 ₱179

88.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$8.55 ₱545

88.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$0.88 ₱55.9

125.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$2.02 ₱129

110.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.32 ₱20.54

-3.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$13.10 ₱835

50.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$0.76 ₱48.25

142.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$0.24 ₱15.33

120.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$1.90 ₱121

178.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$1.20 ₱76.3

25.83%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$21.1K ₱1.3M

3.14%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$18.8K ₱1.2M

27.89%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$138 ₱8,815

-54.47%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$17.04 ₱1,086

60.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$23.94 ₱1,526

49.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$31.69 ₱2,019

85.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$6.03 ₱384

6.14%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$132 ₱8,406

227.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$8,937 ₱569.5K

27.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$27.86 ₱1,775

144.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$27.00 ₱1,721

96.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$70.5 ₱4,493

52.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$55.2 ₱3,519

112.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$727 ₱46.3K

53.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$457 ₱29.1K

55.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$2,395 ₱152.6K

8.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$996 ₱63.5K

41.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$4,203 ₱267.8K

-13.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$2,924 ₱186.3K

-26.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$537 ₱34.2K

76.06%

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mandaluyong: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Mandaluyong

$457 42.9% 35.6% $253

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Mandaluyong

$196 18.4% 38.6% $123

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Mandaluyong

$92 8.6% 53.9% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Mandaluyong

$81 7.6% 47.9% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Mandaluyong

$179 16.8% 42.3% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Mandaluyong

$44 4.1% 39% $28

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Mandaluyong

$16 1.5% 35.8% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $727 in Mandaluyong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 76% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $16 in Mandaluyong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $196 per month, with Mandaluyong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 Mandaluyong

🕒 Local time

21:21 9:21 PM

11:21 11:21 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

425,758

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.15 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Mandaluyong 14,220 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Mandaluyong

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 Mandaluyong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,066 in Mandaluyong, so Mandaluyong is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 76% higher in Mexico City, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $727 in Mandaluyong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 63% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Mandaluyong – a meal for two runs $16 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Mandaluyong gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Mandaluyong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.