Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mazatlan and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Mazatlan: $1,392 a month against $1,647 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Mazatlan
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Mazatlan Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Mazatlan

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,392

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,392 per month in Mazatlan vs $1,647 in Monterrey, rent included.

Mazatlan $1,392
Monterrey $1,647

A couple spends around $2,002 per month in Mazatlan vs $2,591 in Monterrey, rent included.

Mazatlan $2,002
Monterrey $2,591

A family of three spends $2,612 per month in Mazatlan vs $3,536 in Monterrey, rent included.

Mazatlan $2,612
Monterrey $3,536

Mazatlan is about 15% cheaper than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mazatlan and Monterrey sit above the global median – Mazatlan by 2%, Monterrey by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.56 MX$197

$13.45 MX$251

-21.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.04 MX$842

$48.43 MX$905

-7.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.26 MX$154

$10.90 MX$204

-24.22%

Cappuccino

$3.34 MX$62.4

$3.82 MX$71.3

-12.57%

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

$1.41 MX$26.42

$1.67 MX$31.14

-15.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$19.95

$0.98 MX$18.37

9.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 MX$37.00

$2.35 MX$43.91

-15.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 MX$49.08

$4.41 MX$82.4

-40.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 MX$30.08

$1.80 MX$33.66

-10.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 MX$46.60

$2.79 MX$52.2

-10.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 MX$25.12

$1.82 MX$34.10

-26.37%

Eggs

$2.65 MX$49.58

$2.51 MX$46.95

5.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.85 MX$147

$12.09 MX$226

-35.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.78 MX$127

$9.41 MX$176

-27.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.75 MX$145

$12.71 MX$237

-39.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 MX$49.75

$3.21 MX$59.9

-17.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 MX$29.59

$1.50 MX$27.99

5.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 MX$29.81

$2.14 MX$40.07

-25.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.46 MX$8.60

$2.32 MX$43.38

-80.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 MX$30.70

$2.20 MX$41.14

-25.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 MX$24.35

$2.60 MX$48.55

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.68

$1.44 MX$26.92

2.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 MX$21.93

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.94 MX$73.7

$4.79 MX$89.5

-17.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.55 MX$291

$13.22 MX$247

17.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 MX$38.40

$1.94 MX$36.30

5.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 MX$58.5

$2.89 MX$53.9

8.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 MX$13.57

$0.87 MX$16.30

-16.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.65 MX$741

$31.14 MX$582

27.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 MX$64.6

$1.66 MX$30.96

108.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.38 MX$44.57

$1.09 MX$20.44

118.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.67 MX$199

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$27.34

$1.47 MX$27.53

-0.68%

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

$21.1K MX$394.7K

$24.2K MX$453.0K

-12.88%

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

$24.0K MX$447.6K

$23.6K MX$440.1K

1.70%

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

$57.5 MX$1,074

$118 MX$2,202

-51.23%

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

$45.40 MX$848

$25.55 MX$477

77.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.54 MX$776

$26.43 MX$494

57.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.74 MX$799

$30.77 MX$575

38.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 MX$394

Cinema Ticket

$4.44 MX$82.9

$5.09 MX$95.1

-12.77%

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

$87.0 MX$1,626

$694 MX$13.0K

-87.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,967 MX$36.8K

$11.3K MX$211.5K

-82.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 MX$1,154

$72.5 MX$1,354

-14.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.92 MX$503

$41.51 MX$776

-35.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,038

$110 MX$2,050

-0.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 MX$1,530

$115 MX$2,148

-28.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 MX$15.0K

$1,056 MX$19.7K

-24.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 MX$11.4K

$721 MX$13.5K

-15.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,247 MX$23.3K

$1,999 MX$37.4K

-37.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$826 MX$15.4K

$1,435 MX$26.8K

-42.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,520 MX$28.4K

$4,219 MX$78.8K

-63.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,028 MX$19.2K

$2,731 MX$51.0K

-62.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$520 MX$9,726

$1,149 MX$21.5K

-54.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.6

11.79

-1.61%

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

Last update for Mazatlan: October 24, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mazatlan

$607 43.6%

Monterrey

$721 43.8% 18.7% $114

Groceries & Markets

Mazatlan

$230 * 16.6%

Monterrey

$303 18.4% 31.8% $73

Eating Out

Mazatlan

$174 12.5%

Monterrey

$217 13.2% 24.6% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mazatlan

$144 10.4%

Monterrey

$170 10.3% 17.6% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Mazatlan

$126 9%

Monterrey

$152 9.3% 21.1% $27

Getting Around

Mazatlan

$58 4.2%

Monterrey

$42 2.5% 27.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Mazatlan

$52 3.7%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 20.7% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $802 in Mazatlan versus $1,056 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 in Monterrey are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Mazatlan versus $48 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $230 vs $303 – making Mazatlan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mazatlan

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

04:17 4:17 AM

05:17 5:17 AM

1 h ahead of Mazatlan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

441,975

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Mazatlan Monterrey 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Mazatlan
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

Mazatlan vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,392 in Mazatlan, $1,647 in Monterrey – roughly 18% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,088 per month in Mazatlan and $2,470 in Monterrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mazatlan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $802 there versus $1,056 in Monterrey.

Public transport costs about 21% less in Monterrey. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $87 per month in Mazatlan and $694 in Monterrey. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,392 in Mazatlan and $1,647 in Monterrey, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Mazatlan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Mazatlan. 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.