Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Marawi

For one person, living is cheaper in Marawi: $718 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Marawi
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Marawi Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Marawi

🇵🇭 Philippines

$718

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $718 in Marawi.

Mexico City $1,674
Marawi $718

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,100 in Marawi.

Mexico City $2,606
Marawi $1,100

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $1,482 in Marawi.

Mexico City $3,537
Marawi $1,482

Living in Mexico City is roughly 133% more expensive than in Marawi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Marawi is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$3.97 ₱251

166.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$965

$16.15 ₱1,024

221.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$199

$2.72 ₱172

294.49%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.5

$2.13 ₱135

78.40%

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

$1.61 MX$29.95

$0.69 ₱43.51

133.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.51

$0.33 ₱21.08

266.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.0

$1.20 ₱76.3

165.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$2.02 ₱128

169.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.90

$1.64 ₱104

4.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.1

$1.09 ₱68.9

172.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.77

$0.89 ₱56.2

116.85%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.5

$1.86 ₱118

48.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$5.51 ₱349

111.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$4.21 ₱267

125.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$7.15 ₱453

114.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.7

$2.40 ₱152

29.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.41

$1.56 ₱98.9

25.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.81

$2.33 ₱147

-15.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.37

$1.16 ₱73.4

101.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.58

$2.12 ₱134

-4.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.88

$2.19 ₱139

-16.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.68

$1.09 ₱68.9

41.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.37

$0.56 ₱35.55

133.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.4

$2.85 ₱180

87.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$7.30 ₱463

121.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.38

$0.93 ₱58.8

110.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.8

$1.91 ₱121

127.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.66

$0.24 ₱15.24

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$362

$12.57 ₱796

55.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.61

$0.80 ₱50.5

140.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.78

$0.20 ₱12.65

135.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$100

$1.87 ₱118

189.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.55

$1.17 ₱74.4

26.50%

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

$21.4K MX$396.9K

$21.3K ₱1.3M

0.34%

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

$23.8K MX$441.2K

$19.2K ₱1.2M

23.86%

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

$62.0 MX$1,151

$119 ₱7,571

-48.10%

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

$28.47 MX$529

$15.62 ₱990

82.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$634

$24.25 ₱1,537

40.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,084

$30.78 ₱1,951

89.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$455

$5.09 ₱323

381.34%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$122

$5.17 ₱328

27.47%

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

$434 MX$8,064

$130 ₱8,226

234.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$260.7K

$7,809 ₱494.9K

79.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,269

$32.78 ₱2,078

108.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,018

$19.34 ₱1,226

183.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,059

$71.5 ₱4,532

55.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,154

$54.6 ₱3,458

112.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$248 ₱15.7K

375.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$164 ₱10.4K

371.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.7K

$497 ₱31.5K

416.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$352 ₱22.3K

303.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.6K

$2,638 ₱167.2K

35.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.3K

$1,089 ₱69.0K

89.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.6K

$277 ₱17.5K

262.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

6.92

64.02%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Marawi: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Marawi

$164 22.8% 78.8% $607

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Marawi

$179 24.9% 44.8% $145

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Marawi

$80 11.1% 60.3% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Marawi

$80 11.2% 49.1% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Marawi

$159 22.2% 27.9% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Marawi

$41 5.7% 42.5% $30

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Marawi

$15 2.1% 38.7% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $248 in Marawi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $16 in Marawi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $179 per month, with Marawi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 Marawi

🕒 Local time

09:41 9:41 AM

23:41 11:41 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

207,010

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 PHP = 1.58 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.38 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Marawi 14,370 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Marawi

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 Marawi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $718 in Marawi, so Marawi is about 57% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 3.6 times higher, 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: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $248 in Marawi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,674 per month in Mexico City versus $718 in Marawi – Marawi is about 57% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Marawi runs roughly 36% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $718 in Marawi versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Marawi but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Marawi 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 Marawi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.