Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Santa Cruz, Laguna

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz, Laguna: $616 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz, Laguna
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Santa Cruz, Laguna Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz, Laguna

🇵🇭 Philippines

$616

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Santa Cruz, Laguna

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 Santa Cruz, Laguna actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $616 in Santa Cruz, Laguna.

Mexico City $1,608
Santa Cruz, Laguna $616

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $911 in Santa Cruz, Laguna.

Mexico City $2,549
Santa Cruz, Laguna $911

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,206 in Santa Cruz, Laguna.

Mexico City $3,490
Santa Cruz, Laguna $1,206

Living in Mexico City is roughly 161% more expensive than in Santa Cruz, Laguna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Santa Cruz, Laguna is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$1.55 ₱98.8

585.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$7.73 ₱494

525.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$2.79 ₱178

270.97%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$1.76 ₱113

109.66%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$0.37 ₱23.90

351.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$0.24 ₱15.42

429.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$1.01 ₱64.7

215.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$0.90 ₱57.2

490.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.54 ₱98.4

11.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$1.15 ₱73.3

164.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$0.91 ₱57.9

113.19%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.52 ₱97.0

90.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$4.82 ₱308

127.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$3.29 ₱210

181.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$7.20 ₱460

110.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$1.37 ₱87.7

122.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$0.49 ₱31.52

295.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$1.43 ₱91.7

41.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$1.06 ₱67.7

117.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$1.67 ₱107

22.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$1.68 ₱107

7.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$0.61 ₱39.25

142.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.52 ₱33.12

144.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$2.93 ₱187

80.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$8.49 ₱543

89.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$0.96 ₱61.4

106.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$2.06 ₱131

106.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$0.21 ₱13.11

47.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$11.50 ₱735

71.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$0.76 ₱48.74

142.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.22 ₱14.00

140.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$1.93 ₱124

174.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.20 ₱76.5

25.83%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$20.7K ₱1.3M

5.08%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$18.9K ₱1.2M

26.72%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$82.8 ₱5,290

-23.93%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$17.51 ₱1,118

56.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$22.58 ₱1,443

57.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$27.30 ₱1,744

115.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$4.47 ₱285

428.86%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$5.03 ₱321

27.24%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$128 ₱8,194

236.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$10.6K ₱677.6K

7.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$28.32 ₱1,809

140.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$19.21 ₱1,227

176.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$69.6 ₱4,447

54.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$53.7 ₱3,431

118.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$219 ₱14.0K

409.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$160 ₱10.2K

343.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$480 ₱30.7K

438.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$298 ₱19.1K

371.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$2,453 ₱156.7K

48.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$1,079 ₱68.9K

97.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

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 Santa Cruz, Laguna: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$160 26% 77.5% $550

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$153 24.8% 52.2% $167

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$51 8.3% 74.2% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$77 12.5% 50.7% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$123 20% 2.5% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$37 6.1% 47.9% $34

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$14 2.3% 44.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $219 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $8 in Santa Cruz, Laguna for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $153 per month, with Santa Cruz, Laguna cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 Santa Cruz, Laguna

🕒 Local time

17:16 5:16 PM

07:16 7:16 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

123,574

💱 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 Santa Cruz, Laguna 14,210 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Santa Cruz, Laguna

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 Santa Cruz, Laguna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $616 in Santa Cruz, Laguna, so Santa Cruz, Laguna is about 62% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $923 in Santa Cruz, Laguna 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 $219 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Santa Cruz, Laguna runs roughly 42% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $128 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $616 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Santa Cruz, Laguna but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Cruz, Laguna 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 Santa Cruz, Laguna gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.