Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexicali and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexicali: $927 a month against $1,647 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Mexicali
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Mexicali Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Mexicali

🇲🇽 Mexico

$927

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $927 per month in Mexicali vs $1,647 in Monterrey, rent included.

Mexicali $927
Monterrey $1,647

A couple spends around $1,485 per month in Mexicali vs $2,591 in Monterrey, rent included.

Mexicali $1,485
Monterrey $2,591

A family of three spends $2,042 per month in Mexicali vs $3,536 in Monterrey, rent included.

Mexicali $2,042
Monterrey $3,536

Mexicali is about 44% cheaper than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexicali sits 32% below the global median, while Monterrey is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.33 MX$232

$13.45 MX$253

-8.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.01 MX$620

$48.43 MX$910

-31.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.49 MX$122

$10.90 MX$205

-40.46%

Cappuccino

$3.33 MX$62.5

$3.82 MX$71.8

-12.83%

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

$1.37 MX$25.82

$1.67 MX$31.31

-17.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$20.03

$0.98 MX$18.47

9.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$60.4

$2.35 MX$44.17

36.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 MX$75.7

$4.41 MX$82.9

-8.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 MX$22.48

$1.80 MX$33.86

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 MX$43.54

$2.79 MX$52.5

-16.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$27.00

$1.82 MX$34.30

-20.88%

Eggs

$2.67 MX$50.2

$2.51 MX$47.22

6.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.40 MX$45.05

$12.09 MX$227

-80.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.04 MX$114

$9.41 MX$177

-35.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.60 MX$124

$12.71 MX$239

-48.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.61 MX$30.20

$3.21 MX$60.3

-49.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 MX$24.66

$1.50 MX$28.15

-12.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.70

$2.14 MX$40.30

-35.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.45

$2.32 MX$43.63

-32.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.78

$2.20 MX$41.38

-37.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.95

$2.60 MX$48.83

-46.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 MX$25.16

$1.44 MX$27.07

-6.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 MX$14.51

$1.17 MX$22.05

-34.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.01 MX$75.4

$4.79 MX$90.0

-16.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.99 MX$150

$13.22 MX$249

-39.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.88

$1.94 MX$36.51

1.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 MX$75.0

$2.89 MX$54.2

38.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 MX$19.21

$0.87 MX$16.39

17.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.66 MX$651

$31.14 MX$585

11.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 MX$52.6

$1.66 MX$31.13

68.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 MX$41.23

$1.09 MX$20.55

100.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.17 MX$360

$10.67 MX$201

79.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 MX$25.79

$1.47 MX$27.69

-6.80%

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

$24.5K MX$461.3K

$24.2K MX$455.6K

1.23%

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

$23.1K MX$434.2K

$23.6K MX$442.7K

-1.92%

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

$47.16 MX$886

$118 MX$2,215

-59.99%

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

$21.80 MX$410

$25.55 MX$480

-14.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.74 MX$540

$26.43 MX$497

8.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.07 MX$734

$30.77 MX$578

26.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.32 MX$307

$21.07 MX$396

-22.54%

Cinema Ticket

$3.99 MX$74.9

$5.09 MX$95.7

-21.61%

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

$198 MX$3,726

$694 MX$13.0K

-71.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,438 MX$83.4K

$11.3K MX$212.7K

-60.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.30 MX$626

$72.5 MX$1,362

-54.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.11 MX$603

$41.51 MX$780

-22.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,419

$110 MX$2,062

-31.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.44 MX$704

$115 MX$2,160

-67.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$967 MX$18.2K

$1,056 MX$19.8K

-8.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$265 MX$4,975

$721 MX$13.6K

-63.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,370 MX$25.8K

$1,999 MX$37.6K

-31.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$534 MX$10.0K

$1,435 MX$27.0K

-62.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,628 MX$49.4K

$4,219 MX$79.3K

-37.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,427 MX$26.8K

$2,731 MX$51.3K

-47.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$837 MX$15.7K

$1,149 MX$21.6K

-27.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.07

11.79

2.37%

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

Last update for Mexicali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexicali

$265 28.5%

Monterrey

$721 43.8% 173% $457

Groceries & Markets

Mexicali

$193 20.8%

Monterrey

$303 18.4% 57% $110

Eating Out

Mexicali

$192 20.7%

Monterrey

$217 13.2% 13.2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexicali

$98 10.5%

Monterrey

$170 10.3% 73.8% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Mexicali

$80 8.7%

Monterrey

$152 9.3% 89.8% $72

Getting Around

Mexicali

$53 5.7%

Monterrey

$42 2.5% 20.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Mexicali

$47 5.1%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 12.9% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $967 in Mexicali 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 run about 37% 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 $33 in Mexicali versus $48 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $303 – making Mexicali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexicali

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

06:15 6:15 AM

08:15 8:15 AM

2 h ahead of Mexicali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

854,186

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Mexicali Monterrey 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexicali
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

Mexicali vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $927 in Mexicali, $1,647 in Monterrey – Mexicali comes out roughly 44% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,391 per month in Mexicali and $2,470 in Monterrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $967 in Mexicali and $1,056 in Monterrey. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 57% more in Monterrey, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Mexicali and $48 in Monterrey. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Mexicali, where all-in costs run around $927, than in Monterrey at $1,647. In Mexicali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monterrey it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mexicali – 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 Mexicali. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Monterrey makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.