Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palawan and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Palawan: $784 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Palawan
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Palawan Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Palawan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$784

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Palawan and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $784 in Palawan versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Palawan $784
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,223 in Palawan versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Palawan $1,223
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,661 in Palawan versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Palawan $1,661
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Palawan costs roughly 51% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Palawan is 42% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.48 ₱220

$10.62 MX$197

-67.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.38 ₱1,228

$48.35 MX$898

-59.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.31 ₱210

$10.35 MX$192

-68.02%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱160

$3.69 MX$68.5

-31.71%

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

$0.78 ₱49.38

$1.67 MX$30.95

-53.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ₱25.01

$1.27 MX$23.50

-69.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.31 ₱82.9

$3.19 MX$59.3

-58.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ₱136

$5.31 MX$98.6

-59.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₱120

$1.72 MX$32.03

10.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 ₱77.1

$3.04 MX$56.5

-59.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₱63.3

$1.94 MX$36.05

-48.45%

Eggs

$2.00 ₱127

$2.89 MX$53.6

-30.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.91 ₱501

$10.97 MX$204

-27.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 ₱276

$9.25 MX$172

-52.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.62 ₱483

$15.13 MX$281

-49.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 ₱182

$3.05 MX$56.6

-5.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ₱100

$1.94 MX$36.05

-18.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 ₱166

$2.03 MX$37.61

29.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 ₱98.4

$2.31 MX$42.99

-32.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 ₱142

$2.04 MX$37.79

9.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₱161

$1.80 MX$33.43

41.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ₱70.1

$1.48 MX$27.47

-25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ₱47.76

$1.27 MX$23.54

-40.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 ₱183

$5.30 MX$98.5

-45.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.95 ₱441

$16.10 MX$299

-56.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 ₱73.9

$1.98 MX$36.83

-40.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ₱126

$4.25 MX$79.0

-53.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱16.34

$0.31 MX$5.67

-16.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.46 ₱727

$19.73 MX$367

-41.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.6

$1.84 MX$34.13

-55.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.93

$0.53 MX$9.91

-58.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.08 ₱132

$5.30 MX$98.3

-60.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ₱71.9

$1.51 MX$28.05

-25.17%

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

$26.1K ₱1.7M

$21.8K MX$404.0K

20.08%

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

$20.7K ₱1.3M

$24.0K MX$445.4K

-13.54%

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

$112 ₱7,078

$63.0 MX$1,170

77.31%

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

$33.36 ₱2,115

$27.39 MX$509

21.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.52 ₱1,744

$35.67 MX$662

-22.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.20 ₱2,168

$58.9 MX$1,095

-41.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.55 ₱289

$23.64 MX$439

-80.75%

Cinema Ticket

$5.96 ₱378

$6.40 MX$119

-6.88%

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

$153 ₱9,715

$432 MX$8,015

-64.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,354 ₱276.0K

$11.4K MX$212.1K

-61.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.66 ₱2,957

$68.2 MX$1,267

-31.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.57 ₱1,684

$53.1 MX$987

-49.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.4 ₱4,717

$108 MX$2,002

-30.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.1 ₱3,430

$117 MX$2,178

-53.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$263 ₱16.7K

$1,113 MX$20.7K

-76.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$174 ₱11.0K

$710 MX$13.2K

-75.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 ₱36.5K

$2,588 MX$48.1K

-77.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 ₱24.7K

$1,406 MX$26.1K

-72.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,321 ₱147.1K

$3,631 MX$67.4K

-36.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,122 ₱71.1K

$2,135 MX$39.6K

-47.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

11.35

-41.23%

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

Last update for Palawan: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Palawan

$202 25.8%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 57.8% $117

Accommodation & Living

Palawan

$174 22.2%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 308% $536

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palawan

$173 22%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 27% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Palawan

$91 11.6%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 71.7% $65

Eating Out

Palawan

$84 10.7%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 138% $115

Sport & Entertainment

Palawan

$46 5.9%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 55.6% $26

Getting Around

Palawan

$14 1.8%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 76.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $263 in Palawan and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Palawan vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $202 vs $320 per month, with Palawan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Palawan

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

15:58 3:58 PM

01:58 1:58 AM

14 h behind Palawan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

939,594

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.58 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

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).

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).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Palawan Mexico City 14,740 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Palawan
Mexico City

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

Palawan vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $784 in Palawan and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Palawan is about 51% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,176 in Palawan and $2,412 in Mexico City 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: $263 in Palawan versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Childcare runs $153 in Palawan versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $784 in Palawan versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Palawan but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Palawan 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 Palawan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.