Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Cristobal de las Casas and Davao

For one person, living is cheaper in Davao: $839 a month against $897 in San Cristobal de las Casas, rent and utilities included – about $700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in San Cristobal de las Casas
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San Cristobal de las Casas Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Davao
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Davao Living Index

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San Cristobal de las Casas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$897

/mo nomad

Davao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Cristobal de las Casas and in Davao

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in San Cristobal de las Casas and in Davao actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $897 in San Cristobal de las Casas versus $839 in Davao.

San Cristobal de las Casas $897
Davao $839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,399 in San Cristobal de las Casas versus $1,275 in Davao.

San Cristobal de las Casas $1,399
Davao $1,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in San Cristobal de las Casas versus $1,712 in Davao.

San Cristobal de las Casas $1,900
Davao $1,712

Living in San Cristobal de las Casas is roughly 7% more expensive than in Davao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: San Cristobal de las Casas 34% lower, Davao 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.30 MX$99.3

$4.71 ₱299

12.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.46 MX$515

$26.33 ₱1,672

4.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.84 MX$109

$3.83 ₱243

52.48%

Cappuccino

$2.56 MX$47.95

$2.53 ₱161

1.19%

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

$1.59 MX$29.86

$1.06 ₱67.3

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 MX$18.42

$0.62 ₱39.64

58.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 MX$51.0

$1.53 ₱97.0

77.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 MX$60.3

$2.38 ₱151

35.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$27.14

$1.96 ₱125

-26.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.45 MX$64.7

$1.07 ₱68.0

222.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.19

$0.91 ₱57.9

64.84%

Eggs

$2.23 MX$41.73

$1.84 ₱117

21.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.39 MX$120

$6.41 ₱407

-0.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.19 MX$78.6

$4.59 ₱292

-8.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.14 MX$115

$8.97 ₱570

-31.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 MX$61.5

$2.68 ₱170

22.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.23

$1.06 ₱67.3

92.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 MX$40.05

$2.43 ₱154

-11.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 MX$26.44

$1.14 ₱72.3

23.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 MX$30.79

$1.99 ₱126

-17.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 MX$33.36

$3.35 ₱213

-46.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 MX$33.66

$1.24 ₱78.6

45.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 MX$28.64

$0.71 ₱45.03

115.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.83 MX$34.37

$2.46 ₱156

-25.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.26 MX$192

$7.99 ₱507

28.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 MX$44.79

$1.27 ₱80.5

88.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 MX$34.69

$1.58 ₱100

17.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 MX$10.48

$0.21 ₱13.33

166.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.64 MX$499

$13.16 ₱836

102.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 MX$50.7

$0.81 ₱51.4

234.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 MX$51.0

$0.24 ₱15.32

1033.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 ₱116

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 MX$25.33

$1.22 ₱77.2

10.66%

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

$18.7K MX$351.2K

$21.3K ₱1.4M

-12.17%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

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

$31.80 MX$596

$105 ₱6,661

-69.69%

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

$14.22 MX$267

$19.14 ₱1,215

-25.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.82 MX$372

$30.17 ₱1,916

-34.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.13 MX$415

$34.37 ₱2,183

-35.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.94 MX$430

$3.44 ₱218

566.86%

Cinema Ticket

$6.92 MX$130

$4.75 ₱302

45.68%

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

$198 MX$3,718

$104 ₱6,623

90.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,631 MX$49.3K

$7,536 ₱478.6K

-65.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.93 MX$355

$61.0 ₱3,877

-68.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.46 MX$515

$30.74 ₱1,952

-10.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 MX$1,799

$69.7 ₱4,425

37.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.0 MX$1,012

$60.1 ₱3,816

-10.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$424 MX$7,941

$350 ₱22.2K

21.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$304 MX$5,700

$229 ₱14.6K

32.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$847 MX$15.9K

$723 ₱45.9K

17.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$534 MX$9,998

$404 ₱25.6K

32.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$799 MX$15.0K

$1,584 ₱100.6K

-49.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$658 MX$12.3K

$1,364 ₱86.6K

-51.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$403 MX$7,556

$207 ₱13.1K

94.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.8

8.31

17.93%

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

Last update for San Cristobal de las Casas: October 27, 2026

Last update for Davao: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Cristobal de las Casas

$304 33.9%

Davao

$229 27.3% 24.7% $75

Groceries & Markets

San Cristobal de las Casas

$237 26.4%

Davao

$197 23.5% 16.8% $40

Eating Out

San Cristobal de las Casas

$121 13.5%

Davao

$99 11.8% 18.5% $22

Clothing & Footwear

San Cristobal de las Casas

$88 9.9%

Davao

$100 11.9% 12.8% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Cristobal de las Casas

$66 7.3%

Davao

$154 18.4% 134% $88

Getting Around

San Cristobal de las Casas

$45 5%

Davao

$16 1.9% 64.5% $29

Sport & Entertainment

San Cristobal de las Casas

$36 4%

Davao

$44 5.2% 22% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $424 in San Cristobal de las Casas and $350 in Davao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Cristobal de las Casas pays 95% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $27 in San Cristobal de las Casas vs $26 in Davao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $197 per month, with Davao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 San Cristobal de las Casas

🇵🇭 Davao

🕒 Local time

10:00 10:00 AM

00:00 12:00 AM

14 h ahead of San Cristobal de las Casas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

183,509

1,632,991

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.51 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 70.87 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Cristobal de las Casas Davao 15,050 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

San Cristobal de las Casas
Davao

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

San Cristobal de las Casas vs Davao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Davao is about 7% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 95% higher in San Cristobal de las Casas, 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: $424 in San Cristobal de las Casas versus $350 in Davao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Davao – a meal for two runs $26 versus $27 in San Cristobal de las Casas. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $897 per month in San Cristobal de las Casas versus $839 in Davao – Davao is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Davao gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Davao is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in San Cristobal de las Casas, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, San Cristobal de las Casas and Davao are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Davao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in San Cristobal de las Casas. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.