Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Philipsburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $3,094 in Philipsburg, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Philipsburg

🇸🇽 Sint Maarten

$3,094

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $3,094 in Philipsburg.

Mexico City $1,608
Philipsburg $3,094

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $6,080 in Philipsburg.

Mexico City $2,549
Philipsburg $6,080

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $9,066 in Philipsburg.

Mexico City $3,490
Philipsburg $9,066

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 48% less than in Philipsburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Philipsburg 127% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$15.29 ANG 27.37

-30.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$68.7 ANG 123

-29.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$8.01 ANG 14.34

29.21%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$4.43 ANG 7.93

-16.70%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$2.86 ANG 5.13

-41.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$4.07 ANG 7.29

-68.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$2.94 ANG 5.26

8.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$6.65 ANG 11.90

-20.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$3.02 ANG 5.41

-43.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$2.73 ANG 4.89

11.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$2.46 ANG 4.40

-21.14%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$6.46 ANG 11.56

-55.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$18.14 ANG 32.47

-39.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$13.75 ANG 24.61

-32.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$15.14 ANG 27.10

-0.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$5.09 ANG 9.11

-40.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$5.07 ANG 9.07

-61.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$8.79 ANG 15.73

-76.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$7.70 ANG 13.78

-70.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$3.94 ANG 7.04

-48.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$4.06 ANG 7.27

-55.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$4.95 ANG 8.86

-70.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$1.36 ANG 2.44

-6.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$7.88 ANG 14.11

-32.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$10.95 ANG 19.61

47.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$4.98 ANG 8.91

-60.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$2.32 ANG 4.15

-86.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$1.53 ANG 2.74

1189.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$14.87 ANG 26.61

-87.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$153 ANG 273

-58.72%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$32.43 ANG 58.1

-15.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$65.0 ANG 116

-45.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$63.6 ANG 114

-7.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$11.02 ANG 19.72

-41.92%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$253 ANG 452

70.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$12.2K ANG 21.9K

-6.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$2,126 ANG 3,805

-47.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$1,983 ANG 3,550

-64.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$6,627 ANG 11.9K

-60.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$6,545 ANG 11.7K

-78.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$1,111 ANG 1,988

-14.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

127.00%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Philipsburg: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Philipsburg

–

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Philipsburg

–

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Philipsburg

–

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Philipsburg

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Philipsburg

–

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Philipsburg

–

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Philipsburg

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $2,126 in Philipsburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Philipsburg pays 17% 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 $69 in Philipsburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $494 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇸🇽 Philipsburg

🕒 Local time

07:11 7:11 AM

09:11 9:11 AM

2 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Netherlands Antillean Guilder ANG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 ANG = 0.559 USD

1 ANG = 0.501 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ANG, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Netherlands Antillean Guilder exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 ANG (1 ANG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2 ANG (1 ANG = 0.501 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Philipsburg 3,800 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Philipsburg

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 Philipsburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $3,094 in Philipsburg, so Mexico City is about 48% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 15% lower in Mexico City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $2,126 in Philipsburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Philipsburg runs roughly 92% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $253 in Philipsburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,608 in Mexico City versus $3,094 in Philipsburg, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Philipsburg. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City 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.

It comes down to priorities – Mexico City wins on affordability, Philipsburg on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.