Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Philadelphia, PA and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,823 in Philadelphia, PA, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Philadelphia, PA
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Philadelphia, PA Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Philadelphia, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,823

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,823 in Philadelphia, PA versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Philadelphia, PA $2,823
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,218 in Philadelphia, PA versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Philadelphia, PA $4,218
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,612 in Philadelphia, PA versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Philadelphia, PA $5,612
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Philadelphia, PA is roughly 76% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Philadelphia, PA 107% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.40 $23.40

$10.62 MX$199

120.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$48.35 MX$908

75.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.73 $12.73

$10.35 MX$194

23.00%

Cappuccino

$5.32 $5.32

$3.69 MX$69.3

44.17%

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

$3.00 $3.00

$1.67 MX$31.29

79.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.27 MX$23.76

75.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.83 $5.83

$3.19 MX$59.9

82.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.14 $8.14

$5.31 MX$99.6

53.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.72 MX$32.38

-15.70%

White Bread (500g)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.04 MX$57.1

42.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.04 $7.04

$1.94 MX$36.44

262.89%

Eggs

$4.93 $4.93

$2.89 MX$54.2

70.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.93 $11.93

$10.97 MX$206

8.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.45 $12.45

$9.25 MX$174

34.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 $17.21

$15.13 MX$284

13.75%

Apples (1kg)

$5.59 $5.59

$3.05 MX$57.2

83.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.94 MX$36.45

-17.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.56 $5.56

$2.03 MX$38.02

173.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$2.31 MX$43.46

141.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$2.04 MX$38.21

41.18%

Onion (1kg)

$3.18 $3.18

$1.80 MX$33.79

76.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.48 MX$27.77

73.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.27 MX$23.80

99.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.03 $12.03

$5.30 MX$99.6

126.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.25 $15.25

$16.10 MX$302

-5.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.98 MX$37.23

17.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 $4.37

$4.25 MX$79.8

2.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 $2.98

$0.31 MX$5.73

861.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$117 $117

$19.73 MX$371

491.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.84 MX$34.50

53.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.53 MX$10.02

198.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.53 $23.53

$5.30 MX$99.4

343.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.51 MX$28.36

-27.15%

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

$31.8K $31.8K

$21.8K MX$408.4K

46.19%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$24.0K MX$450.3K

8.78%

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

$224 $224

$63.0 MX$1,182

255.08%

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

$64.9 $64.9

$27.39 MX$514

137.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.5 $67.5

$35.67 MX$670

89.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.1 $71.1

$58.9 MX$1,107

20.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$88.9 $88.9

$23.64 MX$444

275.93%

Cinema Ticket

$15.13 $15.13

$6.40 MX$120

136.41%

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

$2,117 $2,117

$432 MX$8,103

390.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.8K $41.8K

$11.4K MX$214.5K

265.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 $50.2

$68.2 MX$1,281

-26.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.91 $43.91

$53.1 MX$997

-17.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$108 MX$2,023

-4.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 $142

$117 MX$2,202

20.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,069 $2,069

$1,113 MX$20.9K

85.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

$710 MX$13.3K

78.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,571 $4,571

$2,588 MX$48.6K

76.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,103 $2,103

$1,406 MX$26.4K

49.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,141 $4,141

$3,631 MX$68.2K

14.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,890 $1,890

$2,135 MX$40.1K

-11.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,139 $4,139

$946 MX$17.8K

337.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

11.35

-41.32%

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

Last update for Philadelphia, PA: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Philadelphia, PA

$1.3K 44.9%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 44% $558

Groceries & Markets

Philadelphia, PA

$450 15.9%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 28.9% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Philadelphia, PA

$356 12.6%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 64.6% $230

Eating Out

Philadelphia, PA

$356 12.6%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 44.1% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Philadelphia, PA

$152 5.4%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 2.3% $3.6

Getting Around

Philadelphia, PA

$139 4.9%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 81.7% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Philadelphia, PA

$101 3.6%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 29.2% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,069 in Philadelphia, PA and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Philadelphia, PA pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $85 in Philadelphia, PA vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $450 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Philadelphia, PA

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

14:22 2:22 PM

13:22 1:22 PM

1 h behind Philadelphia, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,573,916

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Philadelphia, PA Mexico City 3,230 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Philadelphia, PA
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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

Philadelphia, PA vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,823 in Philadelphia, PA and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Mexico City is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Philadelphia, PA is about 4.4 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: $2,069 in Philadelphia, PA 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 Mexico City runs roughly 83% less than in Philadelphia, PA. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $2,117 in Philadelphia, PA versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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 Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Philadelphia, PA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.