Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montanita and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Montanita: $903 a month against $1,607 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Montanita
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Montanita Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Montanita

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$903

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $903 in Montanita versus $1,607 in Monterrey.

Montanita $903
Monterrey $1,607

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,360 in Montanita versus $2,512 in Monterrey.

Montanita $1,360
Monterrey $2,512

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,817 in Montanita versus $3,417 in Monterrey.

Montanita $1,817
Monterrey $3,417

Living in Montanita costs roughly 44% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montanita is 33% below, Monterrey is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.40 $3.40

$13.75 MX$251

-75.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.19 $28.19

$50.2 MX$916

-43.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.27 $7.27

$11.13 MX$203

-34.68%

Cappuccino

$2.42 $2.42

$4.04 MX$73.8

-40.10%

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

$0.84 $0.84

$1.70 MX$31.11

-50.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 $0.66

$0.99 MX$18.06

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 $2.01

$2.41 MX$43.96

-16.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 $3.40

$4.48 MX$81.9

-24.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.92 MX$35.11

-43.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 $1.63

$2.89 MX$52.8

-43.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.94 MX$35.47

-22.68%

Eggs

$2.11 $2.11

$2.50 MX$45.64

-15.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.53 $5.53

$12.30 MX$225

-55.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 $5.65

$9.33 MX$170

-39.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.16 $6.16

$13.07 MX$239

-52.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 $2.07

$3.38 MX$61.7

-38.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.58 MX$28.86

-26.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.20 MX$40.22

-52.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.04 $1.04

$2.45 MX$44.64

-57.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

$2.26 MX$41.24

-36.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$2.74 MX$50.1

-62.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 $0.49

$1.53 MX$27.94

-67.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.26 MX$23.03

-19.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.87 $5.87

$4.84 MX$88.4

21.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 $10.02

$13.59 MX$248

-26.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.91 MX$34.82

-23.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$3.06 MX$56.0

-19.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 $0.33

$0.80 MX$14.52

-58.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.80 $23.80

$31.77 MX$580

-25.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.62 MX$29.61

-8.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.10 MX$20.06

-6.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.10 $10.10

$10.97 MX$200

-7.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.62 $0.62

$1.52 MX$27.78

-59.21%

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

$24.6K $24.6K

$21.4K MX$390.2K

14.99%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$25.5K MX$465.0K

10.87%

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

$39.94 $39.94

$120 MX$2,186

-66.64%

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

$13.91 $13.91

$27.08 MX$494

-48.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.23 $31.23

$26.70 MX$487

16.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.41 $30.41

$31.15 MX$569

-2.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.55 $14.55

$21.95 MX$401

-33.71%

Cinema Ticket

$7.21 $7.21

$5.14 MX$93.8

40.27%

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

$253 $253

$688 MX$12.6K

-63.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,665 $5,665

$11.4K MX$208.6K

-50.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.5 $56.5

$71.9 MX$1,313

-21.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.23 $43.23

$43.30 MX$791

-0.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 $100

$112 MX$2,047

-10.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.1 $75.1

$122 MX$2,224

-38.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$336 $336

$957 MX$17.5K

-64.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 $315

$670 MX$12.2K

-52.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$628 $628

$1,887 MX$34.5K

-66.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$494 $494

$1,305 MX$23.8K

-62.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,236 $1,236

$4,159 MX$75.9K

-70.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,015 $1,015

$2,437 MX$44.5K

-58.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,133 MX$20.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

-15.18%

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

Last update for Montanita: 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

Montanita

$315 35.6%

Monterrey

$670 41.4% 113% $355

Groceries & Markets

Montanita

$184 20.8%

Monterrey

$312 19.3% 69.4% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Montanita

$124 14%

Monterrey

$157 9.7% 27% $33

Eating Out

Montanita

$101 11.4%

Monterrey

$224 13.8% 122% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montanita

$85 9.6%

Monterrey

$174 10.7% 104% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Montanita

$45 5.1%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 7.6% $3.4

Getting Around

Montanita

$32 3.6%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 32.5% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $336 in Montanita and $957 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $28.00 in Montanita vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $312 per month, with Montanita cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Montanita

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

02:51 2:51 AM

01:51 1:51 AM

1 h behind Montanita

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,000

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.48 USD

100 MXN = 4.89 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 13, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 18.26 MXN (100 MXN = 5.48 USD). 1 EUR = 20.46 MXN (100 MXN = 4.89 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montanita Monterrey 3,710 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Montanita
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

Montanita vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montanita is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 78% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,355 in Montanita and $2,411 in Monterrey to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $336 in Montanita versus $957 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $253 in Montanita versus $688 in Monterrey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 69% higher in Monterrey. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $903 in Montanita versus $1,607 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Montanita but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Montanita the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Montanita is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Monterrey, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Montanita gentler on the wallet – expenses run 78% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.