Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Marikina

For one person, living is cheaper in Marikina: $689 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Marikina
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Marikina Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Marikina

🇵🇭 Philippines

$689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $689 in Marikina, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Marikina $689

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,068 in Marikina, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Marikina $1,068

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $1,447 in Marikina, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Marikina $1,447

Mexico City costs about 133% more than Marikina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Marikina is 49% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$3.94 ₱251

169.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$31.68 ₱2,019

52.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$3.21 ₱205

222.43%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$2.18 ₱139

69.27%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$0.59 ₱37.91

183.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$0.31 ₱19.59

309.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$1.03 ₱65.4

209.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$2.42 ₱154

119.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$1.80 ₱115

-4.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.26 ₱80.0

141.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$1.00 ₱63.6

94.00%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$2.00 ₱127

44.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$6.91 ₱440

58.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$4.15 ₱264

122.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$6.74 ₱429

124.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$2.32 ₱148

31.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$2.00 ₱127

-3.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$2.38 ₱152

-14.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$2.30 ₱147

0.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$2.38 ₱152

-14.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$3.53 ₱225

-49.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$1.06 ₱67.3

39.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$0.68 ₱43.09

86.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$2.83 ₱180

87.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$8.56 ₱545

88.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$0.95 ₱60.7

108.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$1.96 ₱125

116.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.48 ₱30.69

-35.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$0.68 ₱43.44

170.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$0.21 ₱13.35

152.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$1.90 ₱121

178.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$1.18 ₱75.5

27.97%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$20.8K ₱1.3M

4.72%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$18.7K ₱1.2M

28.00%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$135 ₱8,620

-53.44%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$15.48 ₱987

76.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$27.51 ₱1,753

29.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$36.07 ₱2,298

63.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$6.83 ₱435

-6.30%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$131 ₱8,367

228.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$7,188 ₱458.0K

58.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$58.3 ₱3,713

17.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$27.72 ₱1,766

91.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$73.3 ₱4,672

47.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$55.3 ₱3,524

112.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$177 ₱11.3K

527.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$78.7 ₱5,017

802.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$318 ₱20.2K

714.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$138 ₱8,793

918.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$1,099 ₱70.0K

230.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$467 ₱29.8K

357.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$384 ₱24.4K

146.60%

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 Marikina: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Marikina

$79 11.4% 88.9% $632

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Marikina

$201 29.2% 37% $118

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Marikina

$81 11.7% 59.3% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Marikina

$97 14% 38% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Marikina

$178 25.9% 41.4% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Marikina

$50 7.2% 30.7% $22

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Marikina

$3.7 * 0.5% 85.6% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $177 in Marikina. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Mexico City are about 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $32 in Marikina. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $201 – making Marikina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 Marikina

🕒 Local time

14:22 2:22 PM

04:22 4:22 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

456,059

💱 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 1, 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 1, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Marikina 14,210 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Marikina

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 Marikina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City, $689 in Marikina – Marikina comes out roughly 57% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $1,034 in Marikina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Marikina, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $177 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $689 in Marikina. That makes Marikina about 57% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $432 per month in Mexico City and $131 in Marikina. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Marikina, where all-in costs run around $689, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Marikina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Marikina – 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 Marikina. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mexico City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.