Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Atotonilco el Alto and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Atotonilco el Alto: $1,253 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Atotonilco el Alto
Learn more

Atotonilco el Alto Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index

Jump to prices

Atotonilco el Alto

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,253

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Atotonilco el Alto and in Monterrey

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Atotonilco el Alto and in Monterrey actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,253 in Atotonilco el Alto versus $1,608 in Monterrey.

Atotonilco el Alto $1,253
Monterrey $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,011 in Atotonilco el Alto versus $2,521 in Monterrey.

Atotonilco el Alto $2,011
Monterrey $2,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,770 in Atotonilco el Alto versus $3,433 in Monterrey.

Atotonilco el Alto $2,770
Monterrey $3,433

Living in Atotonilco el Alto costs roughly 22% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Atotonilco el Alto is 7% below, Monterrey is 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.18 MX$207

$13.85 MX$256

-19.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.0 MX$1,164

$49.70 MX$918

26.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.61 MX$178

$11.05 MX$204

-13.03%

Cappuccino

$3.67 MX$67.9

$4.09 MX$75.6

-10.27%

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

$1.62 MX$29.99

$1.68 MX$30.97

-3.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$19.18

$1.03 MX$18.98

0.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 MX$59.5

$2.40 MX$44.28

34.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.42 MX$100

$4.35 MX$80.3

24.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 MX$35.71

$1.92 MX$35.55

0.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 MX$51.6

$2.94 MX$54.2

-5.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 MX$37.00

$1.88 MX$34.66

6.38%

Eggs

$2.64 MX$48.75

$2.55 MX$47.06

3.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.82 MX$163

$11.84 MX$219

-25.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.89 MX$164

$9.36 MX$173

-5.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.93 MX$257

$13.10 MX$242

6.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 MX$62.3

$3.38 MX$62.5

-0.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 MX$29.31

$1.52 MX$28.13

4.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.90

$2.19 MX$40.51

-1.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$36.07

$2.36 MX$43.63

-17.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 MX$32.76

$2.26 MX$41.76

-21.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 MX$32.44

$2.73 MX$50.5

-35.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.36

$1.52 MX$28.17

-2.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$21.94

$1.24 MX$22.90

-4.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.69 MX$86.7

$4.75 MX$87.8

-1.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.90 MX$331

$13.66 MX$252

31.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 MX$40.27

$1.89 MX$34.95

15.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 MX$73.8

$2.99 MX$55.2

33.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 MX$11.75

$0.85 MX$15.78

-24.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.39 MX$62.6

$1.68 MX$30.98

101.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.67 MX$49.41

$1.13 MX$20.87

136.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 MX$206

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 MX$29.15

$1.56 MX$28.91

1.28%

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

$21.6K MX$398.3K

$21.4K MX$395.8K

0.62%

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

$24.0K MX$443.1K

$25.1K MX$463.2K

-4.35%

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

$57.6 MX$1,065

$119 MX$2,206

-51.74%

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

$26.59 MX$491

$26.21 MX$484

1.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.26 MX$448

$26.78 MX$495

-9.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.31 MX$579

$31.03 MX$573

0.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 MX$393

$21.43 MX$396

-0.65%

Cinema Ticket

$7.32 MX$135

$5.29 MX$97.7

38.37%

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

$270 MX$4,997

$691 MX$12.8K

-60.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,971 MX$91.9K

$11.5K MX$212.1K

-56.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.6 MX$990

$72.3 MX$1,335

-25.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.97 MX$831

$42.72 MX$789

5.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 MX$1,848

$110 MX$2,024

-8.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 MX$1,826

$117 MX$2,158

-15.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$565 MX$10.4K

$970 MX$17.9K

-41.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$438 MX$8,100

$664 MX$12.3K

-33.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$923 MX$17.1K

$1,857 MX$34.3K

-50.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$775 MX$14.3K

$1,287 MX$23.8K

-39.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,790 MX$33.1K

$4,162 MX$76.9K

-56.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,018 MX$18.8K

$2,349 MX$43.4K

-56.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.99

11.79

1.70%

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

Last update for Atotonilco el Alto: October 10, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Atotonilco el Alto

$438 35%

Monterrey

$664 41.3% 51.4% $225

Groceries & Markets

Atotonilco el Alto

$307 24.5%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 1.1% $3.5

Eating Out

Atotonilco el Alto

$200 16%

Monterrey

$225 14% 12.3% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Atotonilco el Alto

$134 10.7%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 14.8% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Atotonilco el Alto

$108 8.7%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 58.9% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Atotonilco el Alto

$46 3.7%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 9.4% $4.3

Getting Around

Atotonilco el Alto

$19 * 1.5%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 116% $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 $565 in Atotonilco el Alto and $970 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $63.0 in Atotonilco el Alto vs $50.0 in Monterrey. Groceries flip the comparison at $307 vs $310, with Atotonilco el Alto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Atotonilco el Alto

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

15:54 3:54 PM

Same time as Atotonilco el Alto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,874

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Atotonilco el Alto Monterrey 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Atotonilco el Alto
Monterrey

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

Atotonilco el Alto vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Atotonilco el Alto is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 28% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,879 in Atotonilco el Alto and $2,412 in Monterrey to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $565 in Atotonilco el Alto versus $970 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $270 in Atotonilco el Alto versus $691 in Monterrey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Atotonilco el Alto – a meal for two runs $63.0 versus $50.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,253 in Atotonilco el Alto versus $1,608 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Atotonilco el Alto but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Atotonilco el Alto the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Atotonilco el Alto is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Monterrey, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Atotonilco el Alto and Monterrey 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 Atotonilco el Alto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.