Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Pagadian

For one person, living is cheaper in Pagadian: $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 Pagadian
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Pagadian Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Pagadian

🇵🇭 Philippines

$718

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Mexico City $1,674
Pagadian $718

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,097 in Pagadian.

Mexico City $2,606
Pagadian $1,097

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $1,476 in Pagadian.

Mexico City $3,537
Pagadian $1,476

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$3.80 ₱242

178.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$978

$16.44 ₱1,044

216.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$202

$2.70 ₱172

297.41%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.4

$1.87 ₱119

103.21%

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

$1.61 MX$30.35

$0.79 ₱49.96

103.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.81

$0.22 ₱13.91

450.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.8

$1.39 ₱88.2

128.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$2.04 ₱129

166.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.65 ₱105

4.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.8

$1.13 ₱71.8

162.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.24

$0.91 ₱58.1

112.09%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.2

$1.83 ₱116

51.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$220

$5.42 ₱344

115.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$4.14 ₱263

128.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$6.75 ₱429

127.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.4

$2.32 ₱147

33.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.90

$1.50 ₱95.5

30.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.30

$2.30 ₱146

-13.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.95

$1.11 ₱70.3

110.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.08

$2.10 ₱133

-3.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.34

$2.27 ₱144

-19.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.06

$1.06 ₱67.2

45.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.70

$0.58 ₱36.66

125.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$101

$2.96 ₱188

80.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$305

$7.40 ₱470

118.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.87

$0.91 ₱57.8

115.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.9

$1.91 ₱121

127.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.74

$0.24 ₱15.33

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$367

$12.16 ₱772

60.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.08

$0.76 ₱48.19

152.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.90

$0.20 ₱12.68

135.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$1.90 ₱121

184.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.92

$1.00 ₱63.6

48.00%

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

$21.4K MX$402.2K

$21.0K ₱1.3M

1.73%

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

$23.8K MX$447.1K

$19.3K ₱1.2M

23.00%

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

$62.0 MX$1,167

$122 ₱7,777

-49.39%

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

$28.47 MX$536

$15.30 ₱971

86.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$642

$23.94 ₱1,520

42.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,099

$31.63 ₱2,008

84.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$461

$5.18 ₱329

372.97%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$5.17 ₱328

27.47%

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

$434 MX$8,172

$132 ₱8,408

227.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$264.1K

$7,721 ₱490.2K

81.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,286

$32.25 ₱2,048

111.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,031

$19.14 ₱1,215

186.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,086

$70.7 ₱4,487

56.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,183

$55.1 ₱3,497

110.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.2K

$254 ₱16.1K

364.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$167 ₱10.6K

362.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.4K

$489 ₱31.1K

425.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

$356 ₱22.6K

299.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.5K

$2,654 ₱168.5K

35.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

$1,107 ₱70.3K

86.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.9K

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 Pagadian: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Pagadian

$167 23.2% 78.4% $604

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Pagadian

$177 24.6% 45.4% $147

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Pagadian

$76 10.6% 62.1% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Pagadian

$80 11.1% 49.4% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Pagadian

$162 22.5% 29.8% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Pagadian

$42 5.9% 41.3% $30

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Pagadian

$15 2.1% 40.5% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $254 in Pagadian. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $16 in Pagadian for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $177 per month, with Pagadian cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 Pagadian

🕒 Local time

20:42 8:42 PM

10:42 10:42 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

199,060

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 63.49 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Pagadian 14,450 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Pagadian

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 Pagadian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You’d need roughly $2,510 in Mexico City and $1,077 in Pagadian 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 $254 in Pagadian. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Pagadian runs roughly 38% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $132 in Pagadian. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $718 in Pagadian versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Pagadian but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Pagadian 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 Pagadian 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.