Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Loja and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Loja: $676 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Loja
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Loja Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

Jump to prices

Loja

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$676

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $676 per month in Loja vs $1,608 in Monterrey, rent included.

Loja $676
Monterrey $1,608

A couple spends around $1,067 per month in Loja vs $2,521 in Monterrey, rent included.

Loja $1,067
Monterrey $2,521

A family of three spends $1,459 per month in Loja vs $3,433 in Monterrey, rent included.

Loja $1,459
Monterrey $3,433

Loja is about 58% cheaper than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Loja sits 50% below the global median, while Monterrey is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.08 $3.08

$13.85 MX$256

-77.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.71 $20.71

$49.70 MX$918

-58.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.44 $5.44

$11.05 MX$204

-50.77%

Cappuccino

$2.22 $2.22

$4.09 MX$75.6

-45.72%

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

$0.77 $0.77

$1.68 MX$30.97

-54.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 $0.45

$1.03 MX$18.98

-56.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 $1.22

$2.40 MX$44.28

-49.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 $3.17

$4.35 MX$80.3

-27.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.92 MX$35.55

-48.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 $1.51

$2.94 MX$54.2

-48.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.88 MX$34.66

-29.79%

Eggs

$1.92 $1.92

$2.55 MX$47.06

-24.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.79 $5.79

$11.84 MX$219

-51.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$9.36 MX$173

-55.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.96 $5.96

$13.10 MX$242

-54.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.69 $1.69

$3.38 MX$62.5

-50.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.52 MX$28.13

-30.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.18 $1.18

$2.19 MX$40.51

-46.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 $1.07

$2.36 MX$43.63

-54.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 $1.06

$2.26 MX$41.76

-53.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 $1.07

$2.73 MX$50.5

-60.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 $0.51

$1.52 MX$28.17

-66.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.24 MX$22.90

-8.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.23 $5.23

$4.75 MX$87.8

10.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.86 $6.86

$13.66 MX$252

-49.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.89 MX$34.95

-19.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.99 MX$55.2

2.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 $0.31

$0.85 MX$15.78

-63.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.33 $30.33

$30.95 MX$572

-2.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.68 MX$30.98

-24.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.13 MX$20.87

-3.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.88 $9.88

$11.15 MX$206

-11.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.56 MX$28.91

-50.00%

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

$14.8K $14.8K

$21.4K MX$395.8K

-30.78%

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

$28.7K $28.7K

$25.1K MX$463.2K

14.56%

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

$19.65 $19.65

$119 MX$2,206

-83.54%

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

$11.63 $11.63

$26.21 MX$484

-55.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.57 $26.57

$26.78 MX$495

-0.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.27 $30.27

$31.03 MX$573

-2.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.88 $14.88

$21.43 MX$396

-30.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 $7.46

$5.29 MX$97.7

41.02%

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

$183 $183

$691 MX$12.8K

-73.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,017 $2,017

$11.5K MX$212.1K

-82.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$72.3 MX$1,335

-26.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.03 $47.03

$42.72 MX$789

10.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 $79.1

$110 MX$2,024

-27.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.2 $71.2

$117 MX$2,158

-39.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$237 $237

$970 MX$17.9K

-75.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$170 $170

$664 MX$12.3K

-74.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$389 $389

$1,857 MX$34.3K

-79.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 $310

$1,287 MX$23.8K

-75.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$554 $554

$4,162 MX$76.9K

-86.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$323 $323

$2,349 MX$43.4K

-86.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$496 $496

$1,146 MX$21.2K

-56.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

11.79

-27.91%

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

Last update for Loja: October 12, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Loja

$170 25.2%

Monterrey

$664 41.3% 290% $494

Groceries & Markets

Loja

$167 24.7%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 85.6% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Loja

$113 16.7%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 36.4% $41

Eating Out

Loja

$85 12.6%

Monterrey

$225 14% 164% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Loja

$58 8.6%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 198% $115

Sport & Entertainment

Loja

$45 6.7%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 7.9% $3.6

Getting Around

Loja

$38 5.7%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 8.9% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $237 in Loja 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 131% 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 $21.00 in Loja versus $50.0 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $167 vs $310 – making Loja the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Loja

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

17:32 5:32 PM

16:32 4:32 PM

1 h behind Loja

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

180,617

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Loja Monterrey 4,010 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Loja
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

Loja vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $676 in Loja, $1,608 in Monterrey – roughly 138% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,014 per month in Loja 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 Loja, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 2% less in Loja. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $183 per month in Loja and $691 in Monterrey. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Loja, where all-in costs run around $676, than in Monterrey at $1,608. In Loja 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 $676 in Loja to $1,608 in Monterrey. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Loja. 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.