Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Valenzuela

For one person, living is cheaper in Valenzuela: $754 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Valenzuela
Learn more

Valenzuela Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Valenzuela

🇵🇭 Philippines

$754

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $754 in Valenzuela.

Mexico City $1,567
Valenzuela $754

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $1,106 in Valenzuela.

Mexico City $2,450
Valenzuela $1,106

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $1,459 in Valenzuela.

Mexico City $3,333
Valenzuela $1,459

Living in Mexico City is roughly 108% more expensive than in Valenzuela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 16% above, Valenzuela is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$4.02 ₱253

167.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$16.85 ₱1,061

198.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$2.74 ₱173

305.11%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.00 ₱126

84.00%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$0.60 ₱37.79

175.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$0.34 ₱21.10

282.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$1.24 ₱78.4

167.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$1.60 ₱101

246.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.61 ₱101

9.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$1.11 ₱69.8

174.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$0.97 ₱60.8

107.22%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$2.03 ₱128

36.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$5.15 ₱324

131.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$3.45 ₱218

170.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$7.11 ₱448

111.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$2.45 ₱154

25.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$1.53 ₱96.6

27.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$2.40 ₱151

-15.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$1.06 ₱67.1

108.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$1.70 ₱107

18.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$1.72 ₱109

5.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$0.63 ₱39.50

141.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$0.58 ₱36.40

120.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$2.57 ₱162

105.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$8.12 ₱511

98.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$0.91 ₱57.2

114.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$2.03 ₱128

109.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$0.26 ₱16.67

19.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$11.10 ₱699

78.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$0.61 ₱38.64

227.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$0.23 ₱14.49

130.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$1.86 ₱117

202.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.21 ₱76.4

25.62%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$21.1K ₱1.3M

-0.09%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$19.5K ₱1.2M

29.33%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$142 ₱8,959

-56.08%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$16.14 ₱1,016

78.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$31.55 ₱1,986

9.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$32.02 ₱2,016

78.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

$5.13 ₱323

383.63%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$6.26 ₱394

6.55%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$133 ₱8,370

224.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$7,524 ₱473.7K

56.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$29.41 ₱1,852

140.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$19.37 ₱1,219

167.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$70.5 ₱4,440

54.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$56.2 ₱3,539

99.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$294 ₱18.5K

257.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$176 ₱11.1K

277.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$442 ₱27.8K

430.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$312 ₱19.7K

292.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$2,066 ₱130.1K

72.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$955 ₱60.1K

107.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$597 ₱37.6K

63.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.75

67.41%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Valenzuela: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Valenzuela

$176 23.4% 73.5% $489

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Valenzuela

$172 22.9% 46.6% $150

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Valenzuela

$78 10.3% 61.8% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Valenzuela

$79 10.5% 48.9% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Valenzuela

$190 25.2% 51.1% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Valenzuela

$45 5.9% 36.8% $26

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Valenzuela

$14 1.9% 46% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,051 in Mexico City and $294 in Valenzuela. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 63% 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: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $17.00 in Valenzuela for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $172 per month, with Valenzuela cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 Valenzuela

🕒 Local time

13:35 1:35 PM

03:35 3:35 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

714,978

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Valenzuela 14,210 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Valenzuela

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 Valenzuela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Valenzuela differ by about 108% in total monthly costs ($1,567 vs $754 including rent). Valenzuela is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 63% higher in Mexico City, 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: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $294 in Valenzuela. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Valenzuela runs roughly 79% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $431 in Mexico City versus $133 in Valenzuela. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $754 in Valenzuela versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Valenzuela but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Valenzuela 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.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Valenzuela are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Valenzuela gentler on the wallet – expenses run 108% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.