Cost of living comparison
compared to
Manila vs. Mexico Cost of Living Summary
Manila is 0.9% cheaper than Mexico overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 42.6% less in Manila
- Groceries
-
pay 12.7% more in Manila
- Transportation
-
pay 37.0% less in Manila
- Housing
-
pay 10.1% more in Manila
- Childcare
-
pay 82.2% more in Manila
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 8.7% less in Manila
- Clothing
-
pay 23.2% less in Manila
The cost of childcare, groceries, and housing in Manila are more expensive than in Mexico. Expenses including restaurants, transportation, clothing, and entertainment and sports are lower in Manila. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Manila.
Manila vs. Mexico Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Manila instead of Mexico, you would:
pay 42.6% less for restaurants
|
Mexico
|
Manila
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$10.13
MX$185.42
|
$6.02
₱353.05
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$8.37
MX$153.09
|
$4.30
₱252.18
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.38
MX$25.18
|
$0.97
₱56.95
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.04
MX$19.08
|
$0.50
₱29.53
|
|
Mexico vs. Manila - Cost of restaurants
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pay 12.7% more for groceries
|
Mexico
|
Manila
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.62
MX$47.88
|
$1.33
₱78.20
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.26
MX$77.96
|
$4.28
₱250.71
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.95
MX$108.83
|
$7.32
₱429.22
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.45
MX$44.82
|
$2.21
₱129.78
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.68
MX$67.25
|
$2.28
₱133.88
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.27
MX$23.18
|
$1.52
₱88.87
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.67
MX$12.31
|
$0.82
₱48.21
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.93
MX$16.95
|
$1.64
₱95.97
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.83
MX$15.10
|
$1.02
₱60.03
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.90
MX$16.43
|
$1.17
₱68.60
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.98
MX$17.91
|
$1.37
₱80.59
|
|
Mexico vs. Manila - Cost of groceries
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pay 37.0% less for transportation
|
Mexico
|
Manila
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.00
MX$91.52
|
$4.18
₱245.08
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$28.70
MX$525.08
|
$13.76
₱806.96
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$23,996.60
MX$439,017.76
|
$25,288.58
₱1,482,795.87
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.51
MX$356.97
|
$2.92
₱171.48
|
|
Mexico vs. Manila - Cost of transportation
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pay 10.1% more for housing
|
Mexico
|
Manila
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$29.35
MX$537.00
|
$27.10
₱1,589.12
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$587.67
MX$10,751.35
|
$512.96
₱30,077.69
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$443.50
MX$8,113.74
|
$251.74
₱14,760.64
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$49.22
MX$900.56
|
$100.49
₱5,892.28
|
|
Mexico vs. Manila - Cost of housing
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pay 82.2% more for childcare
|
Mexico
|
Manila
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$236.91
MX$4,334.27
|
$138.58
₱8,125.68
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$5,569.03
MX$101,885.42
|
$17,035.39
₱998,869.80
|
|
Mexico vs. Manila - Cost of childcare
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pay 8.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
Mexico
|
Manila
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.44
MX$44.57
|
$1.46
₱85.74
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.34
MX$61.09
|
$2.59
₱151.71
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.42
MX$80.80
|
$3.27
₱191.65
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$39.27
MX$718.39
|
$42.13
₱2,470.49
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.43
MX$99.41
|
$7.48
₱438.79
|
|
Mexico vs. Manila - Cost of entertainment and sports
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pay 23.2% less for clothing
|
Mexico
|
Manila
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$53.04
MX$970.34
|
$49.23
₱2,886.45
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.66
MX$743.79
|
$29.70
₱1,741.30
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$95.33
MX$1,744.14
|
$80.85
₱4,740.84
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$87.49
MX$1,600.60
|
$49.70
₱2,913.92
|
|
Mexico vs. Manila - Cost of clothing
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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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