Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Nueva Ecija

For one person, living is cheaper in Nueva Ecija: $517 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Nueva Ecija
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Nueva Ecija Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Nueva Ecija

🇵🇭 Philippines

$517

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Nueva Ecija

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $517 in Nueva Ecija.

Mexico City $1,608
Nueva Ecija $517

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $912 in Nueva Ecija.

Mexico City $2,549
Nueva Ecija $912

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,307 in Nueva Ecija.

Mexico City $3,490
Nueva Ecija $1,307

Living in Mexico City is roughly 211% more expensive than in Nueva Ecija, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Nueva Ecija is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$3.85 ₱246

175.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$16.14 ₱1,031

199.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$2.72 ₱174

280.51%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$1.43 ₱91.4

158.04%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$0.55 ₱35.33

203.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$0.30 ₱19.45

323.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$0.94 ₱60.2

239.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$1.55 ₱98.9

242.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.60 ₱102

7.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$0.94 ₱60.0

223.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$0.92 ₱59.0

110.87%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.57 ₱100

84.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$4.89 ₱313

124.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$3.29 ₱210

181.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$5.70 ₱364

165.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.18 ₱139

39.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$0.69 ₱44.00

181.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$1.69 ₱108

20.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$1.05 ₱67.2

120.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$1.73 ₱110

17.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$1.77 ₱113

1.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$0.64 ₱40.93

131.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.41 ₱26.51

209.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$2.25 ₱144

135.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$4.23 ₱270

280.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$0.90 ₱57.5

120.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$1.97 ₱126

115.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$0.28 ₱18.06

10.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$5.35 ₱342

268.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$0.73 ₱46.80

152.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.14 ₱8.77

278.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$1.03 ₱65.9

414.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$0.85 ₱54.5

77.65%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$15.8K ₱1.0M

37.77%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

26.45%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$78.6 ₱5,019

-19.83%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$17.26 ₱1,103

58.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$18.13 ₱1,158

96.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$31.13 ₱1,989

89.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$4.65 ₱297

408.39%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$4.32 ₱276

48.15%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$133 ₱8,488

224.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$10.9K ₱694.7K

5.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$28.55 ₱1,824

138.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$19.54 ₱1,248

171.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$70.5 ₱4,501

52.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$53.9 ₱3,443

117.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$113 ₱7,241

882.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$66.9 ₱4,272

962.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$174 ₱11.1K

1385.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$348 ₱22.2K

303.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$2,619 ₱167.4K

38.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$1,200 ₱76.7K

77.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$184 ₱11.8K

414.15%

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 Nueva Ecija: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Nueva Ecija

$67 12.9% 90.6% $644

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Nueva Ecija

$144 27.8% 55% $176

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Nueva Ecija

$67 13% 66.1% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Nueva Ecija

$78 15% 50.2% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Nueva Ecija

$114 22% 9.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Nueva Ecija

$40 7.7% 44.6% $32

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Nueva Ecija

$7.9 1.5% 69% $18

Cost Breakdown

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

Mexico City pays about 5.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $16 in Nueva Ecija for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $144 per month, with Nueva Ecija cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 Nueva Ecija

🕒 Local time

16:22 4:22 PM

06:22 6:22 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

64,610

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Nueva Ecija 14,150 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Nueva Ecija

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 Nueva Ecija: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $517 in Nueva Ecija, so Nueva Ecija is about 68% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 5.1 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $113 in Nueva Ecija. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Nueva Ecija runs roughly 73% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $133 in Nueva Ecija. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $517 in Nueva Ecija versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $800 budget is realistic in Nueva Ecija but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Nueva Ecija 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 Nueva Ecija gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.