Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zamboanga and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Zamboanga: $748 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Zamboanga
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Zamboanga Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Zamboanga

🇵🇭 Philippines

$748

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $748 in Zamboanga versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Zamboanga $748
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,123 in Zamboanga versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Zamboanga $1,123
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,497 in Zamboanga versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Zamboanga $1,497
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Zamboanga costs roughly 52% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Zamboanga is 45% below, Mexico City is 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.33 ₱83.5

$11.02 MX$204

-87.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.41 ₱1,033

$48.68 MX$900

-66.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.50 ₱220

$10.90 MX$201

-67.89%

Cappuccino

$2.09 ₱132

$3.68 MX$68.1

-43.21%

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

$0.86 ₱54.0

$1.63 MX$30.18

-47.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ₱24.88

$1.25 MX$23.07

-68.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.44 ₱90.8

$3.25 MX$60.1

-55.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₱129

$5.53 MX$102

-62.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.70 MX$31.50

2.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ₱89.0

$3.02 MX$55.8

-53.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$1.92 MX$35.53

-39.58%

Eggs

$1.46 ₱91.7

$2.73 MX$50.5

-46.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.01 ₱630

$11.77 MX$218

-14.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.05 ₱255

$9.53 MX$176

-57.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.33 ₱209

$14.41 MX$266

-76.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 ₱200

$3.02 MX$55.8

4.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 ₱74.1

$1.89 MX$35.01

-37.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.82 ₱241

$1.99 MX$36.70

91.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ₱73.1

$2.19 MX$40.38

-47.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 ₱79.6

$1.92 MX$35.43

-34.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ₱161

$1.87 MX$34.49

36.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 ₱54.4

$1.44 MX$26.62

-40.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₱32.39

$1.27 MX$23.39

-59.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.74 ₱172

$5.22 MX$96.4

-47.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.23 ₱266

$16.17 MX$299

-73.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 ₱82.1

$1.90 MX$35.03

-31.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₱124

$4.22 MX$78.0

-53.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.88

$0.34 MX$6.30

-35.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.19 ₱704

$19.65 MX$363

-43.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 ₱51.9

$2.00 MX$36.90

-59.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.50

$0.52 MX$9.67

-55.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 ₱118

$5.34 MX$98.7

-64.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 ₱64.4

$1.52 MX$28.13

-32.89%

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

$21.7K ₱1.4M

$22.1K MX$408.0K

-1.53%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$24.5K MX$452.9K

-20.71%

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

$124 ₱7,826

$61.1 MX$1,129

103.54%

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

$15.48 ₱975

$28.58 MX$528

-45.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.25 ₱2,975

$34.47 MX$637

37.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.74 ₱2,250

$56.4 MX$1,042

-36.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.67 ₱294

$24.88 MX$460

-81.23%

Cinema Ticket

$5.07 ₱319

$6.66 MX$123

-23.87%

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

$133 ₱8,372

$427 MX$7,891

-68.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,082 ₱508.9K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

-30.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.93 ₱2,073

$67.8 MX$1,253

-51.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.29 ₱1,215

$52.0 MX$960

-62.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.8 ₱4,457

$106 MX$1,959

-33.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.7 ₱3,505

$113 MX$2,080

-50.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$266 ₱16.8K

$1,025 MX$18.9K

-74.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$175 ₱11.0K

$654 MX$12.1K

-73.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$332 ₱20.9K

$2,308 MX$42.7K

-85.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 ₱22.6K

$1,242 MX$22.9K

-71.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,366 ₱149.0K

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-34.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$998 ₱62.9K

$1,936 MX$35.8K

-48.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$193 ₱12.2K

$964 MX$17.8K

-79.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.3

-39.91%

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

Last update for Zamboanga: October 19, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zamboanga

$187 25%

Mexico City

$124 8% 33.6% $63

Groceries & Markets

Zamboanga

$184 24.6%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 73% $134

Accommodation & Living

Zamboanga

$175 23.3%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 275% $480

Clothing & Footwear

Zamboanga

$80 10.7%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 89.4% $72

Eating Out

Zamboanga

$62 8.4%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 226% $141

Sport & Entertainment

Zamboanga

$46 6.1%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 51.9% $24

Getting Around

Zamboanga

$14 1.9%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 82.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $266 in Zamboanga and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 399% 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: $16.00 in Zamboanga vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $318 per month, with Zamboanga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Zamboanga

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

19:41 7:41 PM

05:41 5:41 AM

14 h behind Zamboanga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

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 20, 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 20, 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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Between locations

Zamboanga Mexico City 14,640 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Zamboanga
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

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

Zamboanga and Mexico City differ by about 107% in total monthly costs ($748 vs $1,548 including rent). Zamboanga is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 399% 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: $266 in Zamboanga versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Zamboanga runs roughly 76% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $133 in Zamboanga versus $427 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $748 in Zamboanga versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Zamboanga but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Zamboanga 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.

Expats usually find Zamboanga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 107% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.