Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durango and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Durango: $1,051 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Durango
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Durango Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Durango

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,051

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durango 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 Durango and in Monterrey actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,051 per month in Durango vs $1,608 in Monterrey, rent included.

Durango $1,051
Monterrey $1,608

A couple spends around $1,656 per month in Durango vs $2,521 in Monterrey, rent included.

Durango $1,656
Monterrey $2,521

A family of three spends $2,261 per month in Durango vs $3,433 in Monterrey, rent included.

Durango $2,261
Monterrey $3,433

Durango is about 35% cheaper than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Durango sits 22% below the global median, while Monterrey is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.30 MX$135

$13.85 MX$256

-47.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.58 MX$565

$49.70 MX$918

-38.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.48 MX$194

$11.05 MX$204

-5.16%

Cappuccino

$1.95 MX$35.98

$4.09 MX$75.6

-52.32%

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

$1.15 MX$21.31

$1.68 MX$30.97

-31.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 MX$14.07

$1.03 MX$18.98

-26.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.39 MX$25.60

$2.40 MX$44.28

-42.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 MX$51.1

$4.35 MX$80.3

-36.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 MX$23.92

$1.92 MX$35.55

-32.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 MX$46.94

$2.94 MX$54.2

-13.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 MX$22.95

$1.88 MX$34.66

-34.04%

Eggs

$2.27 MX$41.92

$2.55 MX$47.06

-10.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.07 MX$149

$11.84 MX$219

-31.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.15 MX$151

$9.36 MX$173

-12.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.40 MX$174

$13.10 MX$242

-28.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 MX$46.94

$3.38 MX$62.5

-24.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 MX$28.32

$1.52 MX$28.13

0.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 MX$32.46

$2.19 MX$40.51

-19.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 MX$21.10

$2.36 MX$43.63

-51.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 MX$22.13

$2.26 MX$41.76

-46.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 MX$23.69

$2.73 MX$50.5

-53.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 MX$14.54

$1.52 MX$28.17

-48.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 MX$20.51

$1.24 MX$22.90

-10.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.63 MX$67.1

$4.75 MX$87.8

-23.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.72 MX$253

$13.66 MX$252

0.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 MX$32.14

$1.89 MX$34.95

-7.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 MX$51.7

$2.99 MX$55.2

-6.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 MX$12.74

$0.85 MX$15.78

-18.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 MX$20.91

$1.68 MX$30.98

-32.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 MX$34.45

$1.13 MX$20.87

64.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.90 MX$201

$11.15 MX$206

-2.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 MX$26.26

$1.56 MX$28.91

-8.97%

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

$19.4K MX$358.9K

$21.4K MX$395.8K

-9.33%

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

$24.0K MX$443.3K

$25.1K MX$463.2K

-4.30%

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

$59.1 MX$1,092

$119 MX$2,206

-50.50%

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

$21.25 MX$393

$26.21 MX$484

-18.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.51 MX$508

$26.78 MX$495

2.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.49 MX$416

$31.03 MX$573

-27.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.52 MX$176

$21.43 MX$396

-55.58%

Cinema Ticket

$3.91 MX$72.2

$5.29 MX$97.7

-26.09%

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

$177 MX$3,277

$691 MX$12.8K

-74.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,325 MX$43.0K

$11.5K MX$212.1K

-79.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 MX$1,027

$72.3 MX$1,335

-23.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.30 MX$745

$42.72 MX$789

-5.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MX$1,870

$110 MX$2,024

-7.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 MX$1,677

$117 MX$2,158

-22.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$601 MX$11.1K

$970 MX$17.9K

-37.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 MX$7,255

$664 MX$12.3K

-40.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,057 MX$19.5K

$1,857 MX$34.3K

-43.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$777 MX$14.4K

$1,287 MX$23.8K

-39.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,951 MX$36.0K

$4,162 MX$76.9K

-53.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,076 MX$19.9K

$2,349 MX$43.4K

-54.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$531 MX$9,814

$1,146 MX$21.2K

-53.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.3

11.79

4.33%

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

Last update for Durango: October 13, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durango

$393 37.3%

Monterrey

$664 41.3% 69.1% $271

Groceries & Markets

Durango

$245 23.3%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 27% $66

Eating Out

Durango

$133 12.7%

Monterrey

$225 14% 68.4% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Durango

$130 12.3%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 18.6% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durango

$108 10.3%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 59.8% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Durango

$30 2.9%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 37.3% $11

Getting Around

Durango

$13 * 1.3%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 216% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $601 in Durango versus $970 in Monterrey. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 116% higher in Monterrey, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Durango versus $50.0 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $245 vs $310 – making Durango the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Durango

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

22:12 10:12 PM

Same time as Durango

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

518,709

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

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Durango Monterrey 480 km

From you

Durango
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

Durango vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,051 in Durango, $1,608 in Monterrey – roughly 53% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,577 per month in Durango and $2,412 in Monterrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Durango, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Durango and $50.0 in Monterrey. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Monterrey, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Durango, where all-in costs run around $1,051, than in Monterrey at $1,608. In Durango it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monterrey it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Monterrey has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,051 in Durango to $1,608 in Monterrey. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Durango. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Monterrey makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.