Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ecuador and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Ecuador: $874 a month against $1,607 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

🇪🇨 Ecuador
$874
/mo nomad
Monterrey
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,607
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Ecuador is 32.8% cheaper than Monterrey without rent, and 45.6% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Ecuador is 33.8% cheaper than Monterrey without rent, and 44.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ecuador
Monterrey
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.54 $3.54
$13.75 MX$252
-74.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.47 $34.47
$50.2 MX$921
-31.31%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.97 $6.97
$11.13 MX$204
-37.38%
Cappuccino
$2.72 $2.72
$4.04 MX$74.2
-32.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 $1.03
$1.70 MX$31.29
-39.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.81 $0.81
$0.99 MX$18.17
-18.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.95 $1.95
$2.41 MX$44.21
-19.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.92 $3.92
$4.48 MX$82.3
-12.50%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ecuador
Monterrey
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 $1.04
$1.92 MX$35.31
-45.83%
White Bread (500g)
$1.78 $1.78
$2.89 MX$53.1
-38.41%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.45 $1.45
$1.94 MX$35.67
-25.26%
Eggs
$2.05 $2.05
$2.50 MX$45.90
-18.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.10 $6.10
$12.30 MX$226
-50.41%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.43 $5.43
$9.33 MX$171
-41.80%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.76 $7.76
$13.07 MX$240
-40.63%
Apples (1kg)
$2.04 $2.04
$3.38 MX$62.1
-39.64%
Banana (1kg)
$1.05 $1.05
$1.58 MX$29.02
-33.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.33 $1.33
$2.20 MX$40.45
-39.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.21 $1.21
$2.45 MX$44.89
-50.61%
Potato (1kg)
$1.18 $1.18
$2.26 MX$41.47
-47.79%
Onion (1kg)
$1.01 $1.01
$2.74 MX$50.4
-63.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.77 $0.77
$1.53 MX$28.09
-49.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 $1.08
$1.26 MX$23.16
-14.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.88 $5.88
$4.84 MX$88.9
21.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.06 $10.06
$13.59 MX$249
-25.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.71 $1.71
$1.91 MX$35.01
-10.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 $3.00
$3.06 MX$56.3
-1.96%
🚌 Getting Around
Ecuador
Monterrey
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.33 $0.33
$0.80 MX$14.60
-58.75%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$21.01 $21.01
$31.77 MX$583
-33.87%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 $1.51
$1.62 MX$29.78
-6.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.51 $1.51
$1.10 MX$20.17
37.27%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.12 $10.12
$10.97 MX$201
-7.75%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.79 $0.79
$1.52 MX$27.93
-48.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.5K $20.5K
$21.4K MX$392.4K
-3.91%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.5K $29.5K
$25.5K MX$467.6K
15.96%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ecuador
Monterrey
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$44.19 $44.19
$120 MX$2,198
-63.09%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 $13.55
$27.08 MX$497
-49.96%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.23 $28.23
$26.70 MX$490
5.73%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ecuador
Monterrey
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.74 $34.74
$31.15 MX$572
11.52%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.45 $15.45
$21.95 MX$403
-29.61%
Cinema Ticket
$6.95 $6.95
$5.14 MX$94.4
35.21%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ecuador
Monterrey
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$398 $398
$688 MX$12.6K
-42.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,244 $6,244
$11.4K MX$209.8K
-45.36%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ecuador
Monterrey
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.9 $62.9
$71.9 MX$1,321
-12.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.80 $45.80
$43.30 MX$795
5.77%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 $107
$112 MX$2,059
-4.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.7 $77.7
$122 MX$2,236
-36.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ecuador
Monterrey
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$381 $381
$957 MX$17.6K
-60.18%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$278 $278
$670 MX$12.3K
-58.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$603 $603
$1,887 MX$34.7K
-68.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 $482
$1,305 MX$24.0K
-63.03%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,565 $1,565
$4,159 MX$76.4K
-62.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$812 $812
$2,437 MX$44.7K
-66.68%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ecuador
Monterrey
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$544 $544
$1,133 MX$20.8K
-52.01%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.34
11.79
-12.30%

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

Last update for Ecuador: October 5, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ecuador
$278
Monterrey
$670 141% $393
Groceries & Markets
Ecuador
$195
Monterrey
$312 60.2% $117
Clothing & Footwear
Ecuador
$132
Monterrey
$157 19.2% $25
Eating Out
Ecuador
$107
Monterrey
$224 109% $117
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ecuador
$86
Monterrey
$174 102% $88
Sport & Entertainment
Ecuador
$49
Monterrey
$41 14.8% $7.2
Getting Around
Ecuador
$31
Monterrey
$42 33.8% $11
Good to know
🇪🇨 Ecuador
🇲🇽 Monterrey
🕒 Local time
01:34 1:34 AM
00:34 12:34 AM
1 h behind Ecuador
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
16,938,986
1,142,994
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ecuador Monterrey 3,710 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ecuador
  • 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

Ecuador vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar countries

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?