Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ecatepec and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Ecatepec: $961 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Ecatepec
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Ecatepec Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Ecatepec

🇲🇽 Mexico

$961

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $961 per month in Ecatepec vs $1,608 in Monterrey, rent included.

Ecatepec $961
Monterrey $1,608

A couple spends around $1,670 per month in Ecatepec vs $2,521 in Monterrey, rent included.

Ecatepec $1,670
Monterrey $2,521

A family of three spends $2,380 per month in Ecatepec vs $3,433 in Monterrey, rent included.

Ecatepec $2,380
Monterrey $3,433

Ecatepec is about 40% cheaper than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ecatepec sits 29% below the global median, while Monterrey is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.14 MX$206

$13.85 MX$256

-19.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.1 MX$926

$49.70 MX$918

0.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.57 MX$177

$11.05 MX$204

-13.39%

Cappuccino

$3.71 MX$68.6

$4.09 MX$75.6

-9.29%

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

$1.62 MX$30.02

$1.68 MX$30.97

-3.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$20.09

$1.03 MX$18.98

5.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$2.40 MX$44.28

40.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.59 MX$103

$4.35 MX$80.3

28.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.71

$1.92 MX$35.55

-10.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.66 MX$49.12

$2.94 MX$54.2

-9.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.17

$1.88 MX$34.66

4.26%

Eggs

$2.75 MX$50.9

$2.55 MX$47.06

7.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.82 MX$163

$11.84 MX$219

-25.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 MX$168

$9.36 MX$173

-2.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 MX$249

$13.10 MX$242

2.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 MX$58.0

$3.38 MX$62.5

-7.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 MX$30.74

$1.52 MX$28.13

9.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.65

$2.19 MX$40.51

-6.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.12

$2.36 MX$43.63

-19.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 MX$33.16

$2.26 MX$41.76

-20.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 MX$32.42

$2.73 MX$50.5

-35.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 MX$27.48

$1.52 MX$28.17

-1.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$21.95

$1.24 MX$22.90

-4.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.59 MX$84.9

$4.75 MX$87.8

-3.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.62 MX$307

$13.66 MX$252

21.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.89 MX$34.95

1.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 MX$70.7

$2.99 MX$55.2

28.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.72

$0.85 MX$15.78

-25.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.01 MX$573

$30.95 MX$572

0.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.99 MX$36.81

$1.68 MX$30.98

18.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.68

$1.13 MX$20.87

-53.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.32 MX$98.3

$11.15 MX$206

-52.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.48

$1.56 MX$28.91

-1.28%

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

$21.5K MX$397.7K

$21.4K MX$395.8K

0.47%

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

$23.5K MX$434.5K

$25.1K MX$463.2K

-6.20%

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

$57.7 MX$1,067

$119 MX$2,206

-51.65%

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

$27.01 MX$499

$26.21 MX$484

3.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.74 MX$457

$26.78 MX$495

-7.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.37 MX$487

$31.03 MX$573

-15.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.00 MX$203

$21.43 MX$396

-48.67%

Cinema Ticket

$6.47 MX$120

$5.29 MX$97.7

22.31%

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

$270 MX$4,996

$691 MX$12.8K

-60.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,048 MX$93.3K

$11.5K MX$212.1K

-56.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 MX$1,092

$72.3 MX$1,335

-18.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.94 MX$830

$42.72 MX$789

5.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 MX$1,855

$110 MX$2,024

-8.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 MX$1,826

$117 MX$2,158

-15.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$243 MX$4,487

$970 MX$17.9K

-74.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 MX$2,550

$664 MX$12.3K

-79.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$683 MX$12.6K

$1,857 MX$34.3K

-63.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$444 MX$8,205

$1,287 MX$23.8K

-65.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$755 MX$14.0K

$4,162 MX$76.9K

-81.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$755 MX$13.9K

$2,349 MX$43.4K

-67.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$553 MX$10.2K

$1,146 MX$21.2K

-51.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

11.79

-4.16%

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

Last update for Ecatepec: October 11, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ecatepec

$298 31%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 4.2% $13

Eating Out

Ecatepec

$201 21%

Monterrey

$225 14% 11.5% $23

Accommodation & Living

Ecatepec

$138 14.4%

Monterrey

$664 41.3% 381% $526

Clothing & Footwear

Ecatepec

$136 14.2%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 12.6% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ecatepec

$109 11.4%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 57.5% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Ecatepec

$39 4.1%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 5.9% $2.3

Getting Around

Ecatepec

$38 4%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 9.2% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $243 in Ecatepec 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 107% 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 $50.0 in Ecatepec versus $50.0 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $310 – making Ecatepec the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Ecatepec

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

00:29 12:29 AM

Same time as Ecatepec

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,645,352

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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Highest

Between locations

Ecatepec Monterrey 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ecatepec
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

Ecatepec vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $961 in Ecatepec, $1,608 in Monterrey – roughly 67% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,441 per month in Ecatepec 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 Ecatepec, 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 $50.0 in Ecatepec and $50.0 in Monterrey. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $961 in Ecatepec and $1,608 in Monterrey. That's a gap of about 67%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ecatepec, where all-in costs run around $961, than in Monterrey at $1,608. In Ecatepec 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 $961 in Ecatepec to $1,608 in Monterrey. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Ecatepec. 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.