Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and San Fernando, La Union

For one person, living is cheaper in San Fernando, La Union: $743 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in San Fernando, La Union
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San Fernando, La Union Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

San Fernando, La Union

🇵🇭 Philippines

$743

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in San Fernando, La Union

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 San Fernando, La Union actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $743 in San Fernando, La Union.

Mexico City $1,608
San Fernando, La Union $743

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,125 in San Fernando, La Union.

Mexico City $2,549
San Fernando, La Union $1,125

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,507 in San Fernando, La Union.

Mexico City $3,490
San Fernando, La Union $1,507

Living in Mexico City is roughly 116% more expensive than in San Fernando, La Union, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, San Fernando, La Union is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$3.80 ₱243

179.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$16.73 ₱1,069

189.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$2.61 ₱167

296.55%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$2.36 ₱151

56.36%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$0.71 ₱45.61

135.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$0.34 ₱21.66

273.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$1.25 ₱80.1

155.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$2.25 ₱144

136.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.57 ₱100

9.55%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$1.13 ₱72.1

169.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$0.93 ₱59.3

108.60%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$2.05 ₱131

40.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$4.89 ₱312

124.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$4.33 ₱277

113.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$7.08 ₱453

113.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.09 ₱134

45.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.51 ₱96.8

28.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$2.69 ₱172

-24.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$1.19 ₱76.1

94.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$2.03 ₱130

0.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$2.48 ₱158

-27.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$1.14 ₱72.7

29.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.55 ₱35.03

130.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$2.91 ₱186

82.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$8.52 ₱545

88.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$0.98 ₱62.6

102.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$2.00 ₱128

112.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$0.21 ₱13.63

47.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$13.37 ₱855

47.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$0.74 ₱47.21

148.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.19 ₱12.03

178.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$2.08 ₱133

154.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.04 ₱66.6

45.19%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$20.9K ₱1.3M

4.06%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$16.9K ₱1.1M

42.05%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$135 ₱8,628

-53.36%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$15.93 ₱1,018

71.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$22.70 ₱1,450

57.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$30.95 ₱1,977

90.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$5.76 ₱368

310.42%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$4.97 ₱318

28.77%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$145 ₱9,295

196.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$8,332 ₱532.4K

37.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$33.00 ₱2,109

106.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$20.89 ₱1,335

154.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$70.4 ₱4,499

53.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$55.1 ₱3,517

113.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$253 ₱16.1K

340.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$170 ₱10.8K

318.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$484 ₱30.9K

434.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$350 ₱22.3K

302.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$2,333 ₱149.1K

55.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$1,056 ₱67.5K

102.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

6.92

64.02%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for San Fernando, La Union: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

San Fernando, La Union

$170 22.8% 76.1% $541

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

San Fernando, La Union

$181 24.3% 43.4% $139

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

San Fernando, La Union

$82 11% 58.9% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

San Fernando, La Union

$81 10.9% 48.2% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

San Fernando, La Union

$174 23.4% 37.8% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

San Fernando, La Union

$41 5.5% 43% $31

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

San Fernando, La Union

$16 2.1% 37.5% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $253 in San Fernando, La Union. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $17 in San Fernando, La Union for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $181 per month, with San Fernando, La Union cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 San Fernando, La Union

🕒 Local time

17:16 5:16 PM

07:16 7:16 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

83,003

💱 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 San Fernando, La Union 14,130 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
San Fernando, La Union

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 San Fernando, La Union: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $743 in San Fernando, La Union, so San Fernando, La Union is about 54% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $1,115 in San Fernando, La Union 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 $253 in San Fernando, La Union. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $145 in San Fernando, La Union. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $743 in San Fernando, La Union versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in San Fernando, La Union but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes San Fernando, La Union 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 San Fernando, La Union gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.