Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tagum City and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Tagum City: $437 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Tagum City
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Tagum City Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Tagum City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$437

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $437 in Tagum City versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Tagum City $437
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $541 in Tagum City versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Tagum City $541
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $645 in Tagum City versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Tagum City $645
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Tagum City costs roughly 72% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tagum City is 68% below, Mexico City is 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.50 ₱346

$10.75 MX$199

-48.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.68 ₱799

$50.3 MX$929

-74.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.05 ₱318

$11.10 MX$205

-54.50%

Cappuccino

$2.29 ₱144

$3.68 MX$68.1

-37.77%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 ₱117

$3.32 MX$61.3

-43.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 ₱90.9

$5.54 MX$102

-74.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ₱102

$1.77 MX$32.68

-8.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

Eggs

$1.88 ₱119

$2.77 MX$51.1

-32.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.06 ₱507

$15.02 MX$278

-46.34%

Apples (1kg)

$6.41 ₱404

$3.08 MX$56.8

108.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 ₱86.0

$1.95 MX$36.05

-29.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.76

$0.31 MX$5.82

-19.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ₱86.2

$1.52 MX$28.07

-9.87%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

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

$55.7 ₱3,506

$62.5 MX$1,155

-10.88%

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

$8.09 ₱510

$28.77 MX$532

-71.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.46 ₱1,729

$34.45 MX$637

-20.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.71 ₱1,493

$57.1 MX$1,055

-58.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$3.28 ₱206

$6.67 MX$123

-50.82%

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

$431 MX$7,964

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$159 ₱9,992

$1,051 MX$19.4K

-84.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$129 ₱8,124

$665 MX$12.3K

-80.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$323 ₱20.3K

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-86.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$203 ₱12.8K

$975 MX$18.0K

-79.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

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

Last update for Tagum City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tagum City

$129 29.5%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 415% $536

Eating Out

Tagum City

$99 * 22.6%

Mexico City

$203 13% 105% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tagum City

$91 20.9%

Mexico City

$126 8% 37.8% $34

Groceries & Markets

Tagum City

$87 * 19.9%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 272% $236

Sport & Entertainment

Tagum City

$30 6.9%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 133% $40

Getting Around

Tagum City

$1 * 0.2%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 2478% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Tagum City

- * 0%

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

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 $159 in Tagum City and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 380% 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: $13.00 in Tagum City vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $87.0 vs $323 per month, with Tagum City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Tagum City

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

00:25 12:25 AM

10:25 10:25 AM

14 h behind Tagum City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

296,202

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 18, 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 18, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tagum City Mexico City 14,260 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Tagum 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

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

Tagum City and Mexico City differ by about 258% in total monthly costs ($437 vs $1,567 including rent). Tagum City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 380% 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: $159 in Tagum City versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Tagum City – a meal for two runs $13.00 versus $50.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $437 per month in Tagum City versus $1,567 in Mexico City – a 258% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $437 in Tagum City versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tagum City but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Tagum 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, Tagum 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 Tagum City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 258% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.