Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Tuguegarao

For one person, living is cheaper in Tuguegarao: $570 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Tuguegarao
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Tuguegarao Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Tuguegarao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$570

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $570 in Tuguegarao.

Mexico City $1,608
Tuguegarao $570

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $909 in Tuguegarao.

Mexico City $2,549
Tuguegarao $909

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,249 in Tuguegarao.

Mexico City $3,490
Tuguegarao $1,249

Living in Mexico City is roughly 182% more expensive than in Tuguegarao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Tuguegarao is 58% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$1.58 ₱101

572.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$16.12 ₱1,030

199.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$2.68 ₱171

286.19%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$1.74 ₱111

112.07%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$0.42 ₱26.97

297.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$0.28 ₱17.65

353.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$1.02 ₱65.1

212.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$1.53 ₱97.5

247.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.64 ₱105

4.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$1.15 ₱73.4

164.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$0.68 ₱43.28

185.29%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.98 ₱126

45.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$4.92 ₱314

122.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$3.26 ₱209

183.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$7.94 ₱508

90.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.20 ₱141

38.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.51 ₱96.4

28.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$2.25 ₱144

-9.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$1.02 ₱65.0

126.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$1.72 ₱110

18.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$1.74 ₱111

3.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$0.61 ₱39.24

142.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.49 ₱31.17

159.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$1.84 ₱117

188.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$8.44 ₱539

90.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$0.96 ₱61.5

106.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$2.01 ₱129

111.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$0.24 ₱15.16

29.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$13.38 ₱855

47.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$0.75 ₱47.83

145.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.24 ₱15.40

120.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$1.84 ₱117

188.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.08 ₱68.8

39.81%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$21.3K ₱1.4M

1.97%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$18.8K ₱1.2M

27.92%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$31.51 ₱2,013

99.87%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$16.94 ₱1,082

61.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$22.96 ₱1,467

55.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$31.59 ₱2,018

86.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$5.24 ₱335

351.15%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$4.95 ₱316

29.29%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$132 ₱8,409

227.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$10.7K ₱682.3K

6.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$28.57 ₱1,826

138.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$19.15 ₱1,223

177.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$39.08 ₱2,497

175.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$23.29 ₱1,488

403.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$246 ₱15.7K

352.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$169 ₱10.8K

320.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$482 ₱30.8K

437.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$349 ₱22.3K

303.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$2,480 ₱158.5K

46.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$1,104 ₱70.5K

93.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$201 ₱12.9K

369.76%

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 Tuguegarao: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Tuguegarao

$169 29.6% 76.2% $541

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Tuguegarao

$170 29.8% 46.7% $149

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Tuguegarao

$52 9.2% 73.6% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Tuguegarao

$50 8.7% 68.2% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Tuguegarao

$71 12.5% 43.4% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Tuguegarao

$41 7.3% 42.2% $30

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Tuguegarao

$16 2.9% 36.1% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $246 in Tuguegarao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 4.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $16 in Tuguegarao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $170 per month, with Tuguegarao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 Tuguegarao

🕒 Local time

17:14 5:14 PM

07:14 7:14 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

166,334

💱 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 Tuguegarao 13,940 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Tuguegarao

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 Tuguegarao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $570 in Tuguegarao, so Tuguegarao is about 65% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 4.7 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $246 in Tuguegarao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Tuguegarao 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 $132 in Tuguegarao. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $570 in Tuguegarao versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Tuguegarao but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Tuguegarao 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 Tuguegarao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.