Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tagbilaran City and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Tagbilaran City: $620 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Tagbilaran City
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Tagbilaran City Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Tagbilaran City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$620

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $620 in Tagbilaran City versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Tagbilaran City $620
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,005 in Tagbilaran City versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Tagbilaran City $1,005
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,390 in Tagbilaran City versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Tagbilaran City $1,390
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Tagbilaran City costs roughly 60% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tagbilaran City is 54% below, Mexico City is 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.93 ₱185

$11.02 MX$204

-73.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.16 ₱1,081

$48.68 MX$900

-64.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.91 ₱183

$10.90 MX$201

-73.30%

Cappuccino

$2.48 ₱156

$3.68 MX$68.1

-32.61%

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

$0.99 ₱62.6

$1.63 MX$30.18

-39.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ₱26.32

$1.25 MX$23.07

-66.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.77 ₱48.77

$3.25 MX$60.1

-76.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 ₱142

$5.53 MX$102

-59.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ₱94.0

$1.70 MX$31.50

-12.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 ₱63.8

$3.02 MX$55.8

-66.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ₱61.9

$1.92 MX$35.53

-48.96%

Eggs

$1.72 ₱108

$2.73 MX$50.5

-37.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.68 ₱610

$11.77 MX$218

-17.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.56 ₱287

$9.53 MX$176

-52.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱485

$14.41 MX$266

-46.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 ₱183

$3.02 MX$55.8

-3.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ₱82.3

$1.89 MX$35.01

-30.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.99 MX$36.70

18.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ₱95.8

$2.19 MX$40.38

-30.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$1.92 MX$35.43

20.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ₱120

$1.87 MX$34.49

1.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 ₱43.81

$1.44 MX$26.62

-51.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₱31.38

$1.27 MX$23.39

-60.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₱149

$5.22 MX$96.4

-54.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 ₱399

$16.17 MX$299

-60.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ₱58.1

$1.90 MX$35.03

-51.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.04 ₱65.7

$4.22 MX$78.0

-75.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ₱29.42

$0.34 MX$6.30

38.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.99

$2.00 MX$36.90

-60.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.87

$0.52 MX$9.67

-57.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.38 ₱276

$5.34 MX$98.7

-17.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 ₱65.1

$1.52 MX$28.13

-32.24%

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

$21.5K ₱1.4M

$22.1K MX$408.0K

-2.61%

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

$19.2K ₱1.2M

$24.5K MX$452.9K

-21.86%

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

$78.0 ₱4,911

$61.1 MX$1,129

27.72%

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

$14.28 ₱899

$28.58 MX$528

-50.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.32 ₱1,594

$34.47 MX$637

-26.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$10.92 ₱687

$56.4 MX$1,042

-80.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.22 ₱203

$24.88 MX$460

-87.06%

Cinema Ticket

$3.60 ₱227

$6.66 MX$123

-45.95%

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

$280 ₱17.6K

$427 MX$7,891

-34.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,908 ₱497.9K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

-32.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.94 ₱2,326

$67.8 MX$1,253

-45.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.89 ₱1,126

$52.0 MX$960

-65.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.0 ₱4,094

$106 MX$1,959

-38.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.2 ₱3,665

$113 MX$2,080

-48.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$190 ₱12.0K

$1,025 MX$18.9K

-81.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$135 ₱8,524

$654 MX$12.1K

-79.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ₱30.3K

$2,308 MX$42.7K

-79.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$350 ₱22.0K

$1,242 MX$22.9K

-71.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$805 ₱50.7K

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-77.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$476 ₱30.0K

$1,936 MX$35.8K

-75.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$171 ₱10.8K

$964 MX$17.8K

-82.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

11.3

-36.28%

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

Last update for Tagbilaran City: October 19, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tagbilaran City

$189 30.5%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 68.2% $129

Accommodation & Living

Tagbilaran City

$135 21.8%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 383% $519

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tagbilaran City

$118 19%

Mexico City

$124 8% 5.5% $6.5

Clothing & Footwear

Tagbilaran City

$80 12.9%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 90% $72

Eating Out

Tagbilaran City

$76 12.3%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 168% $128

Sport & Entertainment

Tagbilaran City

$18 2.9%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 285% $52

Getting Around

Tagbilaran City

$3.8 * 0.6%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 582% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $190 in Tagbilaran City and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 463% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $17.00 in Tagbilaran City vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $189 vs $318 per month, with Tagbilaran City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Tagbilaran City

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

15:55 3:55 PM

01:55 1:55 AM

14 h behind Tagbilaran City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

86,411

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 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 October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tagbilaran City Mexico City 14,300 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Tagbilaran City
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

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

Tagbilaran City and Mexico City differ by about 150% in total monthly costs ($620 vs $1,548 including rent). Tagbilaran City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 463% lower in Mexico City. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $190 in Tagbilaran City versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $280 in Tagbilaran City versus $427 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tagbilaran City – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $49.00 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $620 in Tagbilaran City versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tagbilaran City but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Tagbilaran City 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.

Safety-wise, Tagbilaran City and Mexico City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Tagbilaran City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 150% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.