Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Panglao

For one person, living is cheaper in Panglao: $795 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Panglao
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Panglao Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Panglao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$795

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $795 in Panglao.

Mexico City $1,674
Panglao $795

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,113 in Panglao.

Mexico City $2,606
Panglao $1,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $1,431 in Panglao.

Mexico City $3,537
Panglao $1,431

Living in Mexico City is roughly 110% more expensive than in Panglao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Panglao is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$198

$3.89 ₱245

172.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$972

$23.45 ₱1,477

121.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$201

$3.93 ₱248

173.03%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.0

$2.14 ₱135

77.57%

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

$1.61 MX$30.16

$0.69 ₱43.45

133.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.67

$0.47 ₱29.59

157.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.4

$1.54 ₱96.8

106.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$1.84 ₱116

195.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$1.58 ₱99.4

8.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.5

$1.09 ₱68.8

172.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.02

$0.92 ₱58.0

109.78%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.9

$1.69 ₱106

63.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$218

$4.73 ₱298

146.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$177

$4.52 ₱285

109.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$288

$7.65 ₱482

100.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.1

$1.90 ₱120

63.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.67

$1.31 ₱82.7

49.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.07

$1.94 ₱122

2.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.68

$1.49 ₱94.0

57.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.85

$2.30 ₱145

-12.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.13

$1.89 ₱119

-3.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.89

$1.07 ₱67.3

43.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.54

$0.46 ₱28.66

184.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$100

$2.89 ₱182

85.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$303

$5.73 ₱361

182.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.64

$0.80 ₱50.1

145.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.4

$1.55 ₱97.4

180.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.70

$0.22 ₱13.79

36.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$365

$12.47 ₱786

56.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.86

$0.74 ₱46.41

159.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.84

$0.22 ₱13.88

113.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$1.85 ₱117

192.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.75

$0.94 ₱59.2

57.45%

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

$21.4K MX$399.7K

$21.1K ₱1.3M

1.50%

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

$23.8K MX$444.3K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

24.15%

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

$62.0 MX$1,160

$58.2 ₱3,667

6.46%

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

$28.47 MX$533

$6.53 ₱411

335.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$638

$23.87 ₱1,503

42.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,092

$20.83 ₱1,312

180.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$458

$5.16 ₱325

374.81%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$3.92 ₱247

68.11%

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

$434 MX$8,122

$132 ₱8,319

228.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$262.5K

$7,973 ₱502.2K

76.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,278

$32.20 ₱2,028

112.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,025

$19.54 ₱1,231

180.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,073

$66.0 ₱4,156

68.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,169

$46.55 ₱2,931

149.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.1K

$279 ₱17.6K

322.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.4K

$336 ₱21.2K

129.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.1K

$541 ₱34.1K

375.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.6K

$396 ₱25.0K

258.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.1K

$933 ₱58.7K

284.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.6K

$1,091 ₱68.7K

89.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

7.2

57.64%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Panglao: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Panglao

$336 42.2% 56.4% $435

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Panglao

$168 21.2% 47.9% $155

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Panglao

$85 10.6% 57.8% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Panglao

$74 9.3% 53.1% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Panglao

$89 11.1% 28.9% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Panglao

$29 3.6% 59.9% $43

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Panglao

$15 1.9% 39.2% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $279 in Panglao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $23 in Panglao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $168 per month, with Panglao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 Panglao

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

22:01 10:01 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

39,839

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 62.98 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.73 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Panglao 14,320 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Panglao

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 Panglao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $795 in Panglao, so Panglao is about 52% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,510 in Mexico City and $1,193 in Panglao 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 $279 in Panglao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Panglao runs roughly 36% 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 Panglao. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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 Panglao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.