Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Pampanga

For one person, living is cheaper in Pampanga: $848 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Pampanga
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Pampanga Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Pampanga

🇵🇭 Philippines

$848

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $848 in Pampanga.

Mexico City $1,674
Pampanga $848

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,275 in Pampanga.

Mexico City $2,606
Pampanga $1,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $1,703 in Pampanga.

Mexico City $3,537
Pampanga $1,703

Living in Mexico City is roughly 97% more expensive than in Pampanga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Pampanga is 37% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$4.05 ₱258

161.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$19.99 ₱1,271

159.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$2.84 ₱181

277.82%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.7

$2.38 ₱151

59.66%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$0.68 ₱43.01

136.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$0.42 ₱27.01

188.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$1.10 ₱70.2

189.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$2.20 ₱140

147.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$1.71 ₱109

0.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$1.10 ₱70.2

170.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$0.93 ₱59.2

107.53%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$1.94 ₱123

42.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$4.23 ₱269

175.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$4.02 ₱256

135.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$7.38 ₱469

108.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$2.15 ₱136

44.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$1.72 ₱109

13.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$2.12 ₱135

-6.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$0.98 ₱62.1

138.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$1.52 ₱96.6

32.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$1.57 ₱99.6

15.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$0.79 ₱50.0

94.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$0.51 ₱32.12

156.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$3.14 ₱200

70.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$6.75 ₱429

139.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$1.07 ₱68.0

83.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$1.99 ₱126

118.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$0.25 ₱15.64

20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

$13.35 ₱849

45.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$0.79 ₱50.1

143.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$0.20 ₱12.40

135.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$1.75 ₱111

209.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.26 ₱80.2

17.46%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$21.5K ₱1.4M

-0.55%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$18.9K ₱1.2M

26.01%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$111 ₱7,045

-44.06%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$15.45 ₱982

84.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$25.91 ₱1,647

31.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$33.85 ₱2,152

72.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$4.36 ₱277

51.15%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$255 ₱16.2K

70.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$8,918 ₱567.0K

57.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$50.3 ₱3,197

35.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$28.26 ₱1,797

93.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$76.3 ₱4,850

45.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,159

$59.3 ₱3,769

95.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$424 ₱27.0K

177.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$289 ₱18.3K

167.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$740 ₱47.0K

247.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$540 ₱34.3K

162.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

$3,976 ₱252.8K

-9.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

$2,484 ₱157.9K

-16.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

62.14%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Pampanga: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Pampanga

$289 34% 62.6% $482

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Pampanga

$169 19.9% 47.9% $155

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Pampanga

$84 9.9% 58.2% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Pampanga

$96 11.4% 38.8% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Pampanga

$152 17.9% 22.1% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Pampanga

$43 5% 40.5% $29

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Pampanga

$16 1.9% 35.6% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $424 in Pampanga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $20 in Pampanga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $169 per month, with Pampanga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 Pampanga

🕒 Local time

10:51 10:51 AM

00:51 12:51 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

15,616

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 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 = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 63.58 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.28 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Pampanga 14,290 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Pampanga

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 Pampanga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $848 in Pampanga, so Pampanga is about 49% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,510 in Mexico City and $1,272 in Pampanga 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 $424 in Pampanga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Pampanga runs roughly 32% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $255 in Pampanga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Pampanga is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Pampanga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.