Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Zamboanga

For one person, living is cheaper in Zamboanga: $714 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Zamboanga
Learn more

Zamboanga Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Zamboanga

🇵🇭 Philippines

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $714 in Zamboanga.

Mexico City $1,674
Zamboanga $714

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,076 in Zamboanga.

Mexico City $2,606
Zamboanga $1,076

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $1,438 in Zamboanga.

Mexico City $3,537
Zamboanga $1,438

Living in Mexico City is roughly 134% more expensive than in Zamboanga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Zamboanga is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$1.31 ₱82.7

708.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$965

$16.52 ₱1,047

214.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$199

$3.32 ₱210

223.19%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.5

$2.05 ₱130

85.37%

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

$1.61 MX$29.95

$0.91 ₱57.5

76.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.51

$0.39 ₱24.93

210.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.0

$1.45 ₱91.7

119.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$1.95 ₱123

178.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.90

$1.80 ₱114

-4.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.1

$1.38 ₱87.4

115.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.77

$1.10 ₱69.9

75.45%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.5

$1.44 ₱91.1

92.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$4.69 ₱298

148.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$3.88 ₱246

144.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$3.13 ₱198

391.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.7

$3.00 ₱190

3.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.41

$1.20 ₱75.9

63.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.81

$3.78 ₱240

-47.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.37

$1.15 ₱73.1

103.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.58

$1.18 ₱74.8

71.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.88

$2.40 ₱152

-24.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.68

$0.85 ₱53.8

81.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.37

$0.49 ₱31.25

167.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.4

$2.69 ₱170

98.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$4.22 ₱268

283.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.38

$1.30 ₱82.4

50.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.8

$1.99 ₱126

118.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.66

$0.17 ₱11.04

76.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$362

$12.49 ₱791

56.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.61

$0.74 ₱47.15

159.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.78

$0.22 ₱13.92

113.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$100

$1.90 ₱121

184.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.55

$0.97 ₱61.5

52.58%

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

$21.4K MX$396.9K

$20.9K ₱1.3M

2.38%

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

$23.8K MX$441.2K

$18.6K ₱1.2M

27.79%

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

$62.0 MX$1,151

$118 ₱7,496

-47.59%

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

$28.47 MX$529

$15.47 ₱981

84.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$634

$47.75 ₱3,027

-28.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,084

$35.86 ₱2,273

62.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$455

$5.11 ₱324

379.45%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$122

$5.02 ₱318

31.27%

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

$434 MX$8,064

$131 ₱8,285

232.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$260.7K

$7,774 ₱492.7K

80.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,269

$32.15 ₱2,037

112.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,018

$19.42 ₱1,231

182.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,059

$71.8 ₱4,548

54.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,154

$54.0 ₱3,422

114.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$250 ₱15.8K

371.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$166 ₱10.5K

364.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.7K

$329 ₱20.8K

681.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$353 ₱22.4K

302.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.6K

$2,668 ₱169.1K

34.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.3K

$1,111 ₱70.4K

85.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.6K

$191 ₱12.1K

424.45%

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Zamboanga: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Zamboanga

$166 23.3% 78.5% $605

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Zamboanga

$165 23% 49.2% $159

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Zamboanga

$61 8.6% 69.4% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Zamboanga

$80 11.2% 49.3% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Zamboanga

$181 25.4% 45.7% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Zamboanga

$46 6.4% 35.9% $26

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Zamboanga

$15 2.1% 39.9% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $250 in Zamboanga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 5.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $17 in Zamboanga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $165 per month, with Zamboanga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇭 Zamboanga

🕒 Local time

10:01 10:01 AM

00:01 12:01 AM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 PHP = 1.58 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.38 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Zamboanga 14,640 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Zamboanga

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 Zamboanga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $714 in Zamboanga, so Zamboanga is about 57% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 5.2 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: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $250 in Zamboanga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Zamboanga runs roughly 36% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $131 in Zamboanga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $714 in Zamboanga versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zamboanga but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Zamboanga 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 Zamboanga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.