Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pampanga and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Pampanga: $848 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Pampanga
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Pampanga Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Pampanga

🇵🇭 Philippines

$848

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pampanga 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 Pampanga and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $848 in Pampanga versus $1,674 in Mexico City.

Pampanga $848
Mexico City $1,674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,275 in Pampanga versus $2,606 in Mexico City.

Pampanga $1,275
Mexico City $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,703 in Pampanga versus $3,537 in Mexico City.

Pampanga $1,703
Mexico City $3,537

Living in Pampanga costs roughly 49% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Pampanga is 37% below, Mexico City is 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.05 ₱257

$10.59 MX$199

-61.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.99 ₱1,269

$52.0 MX$978

-61.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.84 ₱180

$10.73 MX$202

-73.53%

Cappuccino

$2.38 ₱151

$3.80 MX$71.4

-37.37%

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

$0.68 ₱42.94

$1.61 MX$30.35

-57.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ₱26.97

$1.21 MX$22.81

-65.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.10 ₱70.1

$3.18 MX$59.8

-65.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 ₱140

$5.44 MX$102

-59.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ₱109

$1.72 MX$32.32

-0.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 ₱70.1

$2.97 MX$55.8

-62.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ₱59.1

$1.93 MX$36.24

-51.81%

Eggs

$1.94 ₱123

$2.77 MX$52.2

-29.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.23 ₱269

$11.67 MX$220

-63.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.02 ₱255

$9.48 MX$178

-57.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.38 ₱469

$15.37 MX$289

-51.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ₱136

$3.10 MX$58.4

-30.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ₱109

$1.96 MX$36.90

-12.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 ₱134

$1.98 MX$37.30

7.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.98 ₱62.0

$2.34 MX$43.95

-58.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ₱96.4

$2.02 MX$38.08

-24.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 ₱99.5

$1.82 MX$34.34

-13.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 ₱49.92

$1.54 MX$29.06

-48.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₱32.08

$1.31 MX$24.70

-61.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.14 ₱200

$5.35 MX$101

-41.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.75 ₱428

$16.19 MX$305

-58.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 ₱67.9

$1.96 MX$36.87

-45.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₱126

$4.35 MX$81.9

-54.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.61

$0.30 MX$5.74

-16.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.35 ₱848

$19.49 MX$367

-31.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱50.1

$1.92 MX$36.08

-58.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 ₱12.39

$0.47 MX$8.90

-57.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.75 ₱111

$5.41 MX$102

-67.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ₱80.1

$1.48 MX$27.92

-14.86%

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

$21.5K ₱1.4M

$21.4K MX$402.2K

0.55%

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

$18.9K ₱1.2M

$23.8K MX$447.1K

-20.64%

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

$111 ₱7,035

$62.0 MX$1,167

78.75%

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

$15.45 ₱981

$28.47 MX$536

-45.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.91 ₱1,645

$34.11 MX$642

-24.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.85 ₱2,149

$58.4 MX$1,099

-42.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$461

Cinema Ticket

$4.36 ₱277

$6.59 MX$124

-33.84%

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

$255 ₱16.2K

$434 MX$8,172

-41.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,918 ₱566.2K

$14.0K MX$264.1K

-36.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.3 ₱3,192

$68.4 MX$1,286

-26.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.26 ₱1,794

$54.8 MX$1,031

-48.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.3 ₱4,843

$111 MX$2,086

-31.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,764

$116 MX$2,183

-48.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$424 ₱26.9K

$1,179 MX$22.2K

-64.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$289 ₱18.3K

$771 MX$14.5K

-62.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$740 ₱47.0K

$2,570 MX$48.4K

-71.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$540 ₱34.3K

$1,420 MX$26.7K

-61.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,976 ₱252.4K

$3,586 MX$67.5K

10.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,484 ₱157.7K

$2,064 MX$38.8K

20.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

-38.33%

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

Last update for Pampanga: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pampanga

$289 34%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 167% $482

Groceries & Markets

Pampanga

$169 19.9%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 91.8% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pampanga

$152 17.9%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 18.1% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Pampanga

$96 11.4%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 63.5% $61

Eating Out

Pampanga

$84 9.9%

Mexico City

$201 12% 139% $117

Sport & Entertainment

Pampanga

$43 5%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 68.1% $29

Getting Around

Pampanga

$16 1.9%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 55.2% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $424 in Pampanga and $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $20 in Pampanga vs $52 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $169 vs $324 per month, with Pampanga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Pampanga

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

16:23 4:23 PM

02:23 2:23 AM

14 h behind Pampanga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,616

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 = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 63.49 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71.17 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Pampanga Mexico City 14,290 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Pampanga
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $848 in Pampanga and $1,674 in Mexico City, so Pampanga is about 49% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,272 in Pampanga and $2,510 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: $424 in Pampanga versus $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Pampanga runs roughly 32% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $255 in Pampanga versus $434 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Pampanga is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Pampanga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.