Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Puerto Galera

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Galera: $827 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Galera
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Puerto Galera Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Puerto Galera

🇵🇭 Philippines

$827

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Puerto Galera

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $827 in Puerto Galera.

Mexico City $1,608
Puerto Galera $827

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,247 in Puerto Galera.

Mexico City $2,549
Puerto Galera $1,247

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,668 in Puerto Galera.

Mexico City $3,490
Puerto Galera $1,668

Living in Mexico City is roughly 94% more expensive than in Puerto Galera, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Puerto Galera is 39% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$4.39 ₱281

141.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$18.41 ₱1,176

162.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$2.69 ₱172

284.76%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$2.69 ₱172

37.17%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$0.69 ₱44.02

142.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$0.28 ₱17.93

353.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$1.44 ₱92.2

121.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$2.79 ₱178

90.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.65 ₱105

4.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$1.14 ₱73.0

166.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$0.89 ₱56.7

117.98%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.70 ₱109

70.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$6.84 ₱437

60.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$4.05 ₱259

128.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$6.86 ₱439

120.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$3.92 ₱251

-22.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.39 ₱89.0

39.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$3.54 ₱226

-42.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$1.15 ₱73.5

100.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$2.30 ₱147

-11.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$3.24 ₱207

-44.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$1.39 ₱88.9

6.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.95 ₱61.0

33.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$2.80 ₱179

89.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$7.42 ₱474

116.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$1.33 ₱84.9

48.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$1.73 ₱110

145.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$0.23 ₱14.43

34.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$13.69 ₱875

44.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$0.82 ₱52.2

124.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.21 ₱13.38

152.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$2.44 ₱156

117.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.20 ₱76.8

25.83%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$20.7K ₱1.3M

4.96%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$18.6K ₱1.2M

28.85%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$164 ₱10.5K

-61.69%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$14.04 ₱897

95.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$23.63 ₱1,510

50.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$35.96 ₱2,298

63.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$5.19 ₱332

355.49%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$7.17 ₱458

-10.74%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$71.8 ₱4,584

501.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$2,498 ₱159.6K

357.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$34.70 ₱2,217

96.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$22.04 ₱1,408

141.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$77.8 ₱4,971

38.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$73.6 ₱4,701

59.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$255 ₱16.3K

336.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$170 ₱10.8K

318.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$482 ₱30.8K

437.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$353 ₱22.6K

298.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$2,553 ₱163.1K

42.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$1,027 ₱65.6K

107.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Puerto Galera: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Puerto Galera

$170 20.5% 76.1% $541

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Puerto Galera

$203 24.5% 36.5% $117

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Puerto Galera

$92 11.2% 53.6% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Puerto Galera

$94 11.3% 39.9% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Puerto Galera

$202 24.4% 60.3% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Puerto Galera

$50 6.1% 29.9% $21

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Puerto Galera

$16 2% 35.3% $9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $255 in Puerto Galera. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $18 in Puerto Galera for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $203 per month, with Puerto Galera cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 Puerto Galera

🕒 Local time

16:22 4:22 PM

06:22 6:22 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

36,606

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 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 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).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Puerto Galera 14,300 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Puerto Galera

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 Puerto Galera: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $827 in Puerto Galera, so Puerto Galera is about 49% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $1,241 in Puerto Galera 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $255 in Puerto Galera. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Puerto Galera runs roughly 31% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $72 in Puerto Galera. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $827 in Puerto Galera versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Puerto Galera but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Puerto Galera 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 Puerto Galera 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.