Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Pasig

For one person, living is cheaper in Pasig: $716 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mexico City, Mexico
Pasig, Philippines
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
Pasig
🇵🇭 Philippines
$716
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $716 in Pasig.

  • Mexico City $1,608
  • Pasig $716

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,199 in Pasig.

  • Mexico City $2,549
  • Pasig $1,199

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,682 in Pasig.

  • Mexico City $3,490
  • Pasig $1,682

Living in Mexico City is roughly 124% more expensive than in Pasig, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Pasig is 47% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Pasig
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.62 MX$198
$3.88 ₱248
173.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.35 MX$901
$26.26 ₱1,678
84.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.35 MX$193
$2.74 ₱175
277.74%
Cappuccino
$3.69 MX$68.8
$2.20 ₱140
67.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 MX$31.07
$0.65 ₱41.28
156.92%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.59
$0.33 ₱21.09
284.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.19 MX$59.5
$1.14 ₱73.0
179.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.31 MX$98.9
$2.34 ₱149
126.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Pasig
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 MX$32.15
$1.69 ₱108
1.78%
White Bread (500g)
$3.04 MX$56.7
$1.10 ₱70.4
176.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.19
$1.00 ₱63.6
94.00%
Eggs
$2.89 MX$53.8
$1.99 ₱127
45.23%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.97 MX$205
$5.63 ₱360
94.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.25 MX$172
$3.41 ₱218
171.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.13 MX$282
$7.69 ₱491
96.75%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 MX$56.8
$3.08 ₱197
-0.97%
Banana (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.19
$1.52 ₱96.9
27.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.75
$2.83 ₱181
-28.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 MX$43.15
$1.73 ₱111
33.53%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 MX$37.94
$2.25 ₱144
-9.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.80 MX$33.55
$2.65 ₱169
-32.08%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 MX$27.58
$2.14 ₱136
-30.84%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.63
$0.59 ₱37.41
115.25%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.30 MX$98.9
$2.91 ₱186
82.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.10 MX$300
$9.57 ₱612
68.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 MX$36.97
$1.30 ₱82.8
52.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 MX$79.3
$2.04 ₱130
108.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Pasig
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 MX$5.69
$0.48 ₱30.73
-35.42%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.73 MX$368
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.84 MX$34.25
$0.77 ₱49.10
138.96%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 MX$9.94
$0.23 ₱14.74
130.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.30 MX$98.7
$1.93 ₱123
174.61%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.51 MX$28.16
$1.22 ₱78.2
23.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K MX$405.5K
$21.4K ₱1.4M
1.78%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$447.1K
$18.7K ₱1.2M
28.54%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Pasig
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$63.0 MX$1,174
$119 ₱7,635
-47.29%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.39 MX$511
$16.99 ₱1,085
61.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.67 MX$665
$24.01 ₱1,534
48.56%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Pasig
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.9 MX$1,099
$29.49 ₱1,884
99.86%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.64 MX$441
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.40 MX$119
$6.14 ₱393
4.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Pasig
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$432 MX$8,045
$131 ₱8,373
229.33%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.4K MX$212.9K
$8,921 ₱570.0K
28.06%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Pasig
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.2 MX$1,272
$33.15 ₱2,118
105.79%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.1 MX$990
$27.27 ₱1,742
94.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 MX$2,009
$69.6 ₱4,446
54.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 MX$2,186
$54.9 ₱3,505
113.80%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Pasig
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,113 MX$20.8K
$323 ₱20.7K
244.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$710 MX$13.2K
$148 ₱9,467
379.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,588 MX$48.2K
$504 ₱32.2K
413.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,406 MX$26.2K
$476 ₱30.4K
195.59%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,631 MX$67.7K
$3,203 ₱204.6K
13.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,135 MX$39.8K
$2,511 ₱160.4K
-14.97%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Pasig
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$946 MX$17.6K
$512 ₱32.7K
84.80%
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 Pasig: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$710
Pasig
$148 79.1% $562
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$320
Pasig
$199 37.8% $121
Eating Out
Mexico City
$199
Pasig
$80 59.7% $119
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$156
Pasig
$83 46.6% $73
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$126
Pasig
$160 27.3% $34
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$72
Pasig
$42 41.8% $30
Getting Around
Mexico City
$25
Pasig
$3.9 * 84.9% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $323 in Pasig. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 85% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $26 in Pasig for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $199 per month, with Pasig cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇵🇭 Pasig
🕒 Local time
16:59 4:59 PM
06:59 6:59 AM
14 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
803,159
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Pasig 14,210 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Pasig

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 Pasig: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Mexico City and in Pasig?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $716 in Pasig, so Pasig is about 55% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Mexico City or Pasig?
Average pay runs 85% higher in Mexico City, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Mexico City and in Pasig?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $323 in Pasig. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Mexico City and Pasig?
Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $131 in Pasig. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Pasig – a meal for two runs $26 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
At $716 in Pasig versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Pasig but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Pasig the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Mexico City and Pasig?
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.
How do I decide between Mexico City and Pasig?
It comes down to priorities – Pasig wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

Mexico City vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?