Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterey Park, CA and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,674 a month against $2,949 in Monterey Park, CA, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Monterey Park, CA
Learn more

Monterey Park, CA Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Monterey Park, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,949

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterey Park, CA and in Mexico City

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Monterey Park, CA and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,949 in Monterey Park, CA versus $1,674 in Mexico City.

Monterey Park, CA $2,949
Mexico City $1,674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,287 in Monterey Park, CA versus $2,606 in Mexico City.

Monterey Park, CA $4,287
Mexico City $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,625 in Monterey Park, CA versus $3,537 in Mexico City.

Monterey Park, CA $5,625
Mexico City $3,537

Living in Monterey Park, CA is roughly 76% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterey Park, CA 118% above, Mexico City 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.42 $28.42

$10.59 MX$197

168.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.7 $82.7

$52.0 MX$967

59.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.16 $15.16

$10.73 MX$200

41.29%

Cappuccino

$5.92 $5.92

$3.80 MX$70.6

55.79%

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

$3.04 $3.04

$1.61 MX$30.01

88.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.21 MX$22.55

125.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.55 $8.55

$3.18 MX$59.1

168.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 $9.86

$5.44 MX$101

81.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.72 MX$31.96

-26.16%

White Bread (500g)

$4.87 $4.87

$2.97 MX$55.2

63.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$1.93 MX$35.84

140.41%

Eggs

$5.42 $5.42

$2.77 MX$51.6

95.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.88 $10.88

$11.67 MX$217

-6.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.59 $8.59

$9.48 MX$176

-9.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.16 $20.16

$15.37 MX$286

31.16%

Apples (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$3.10 MX$57.8

50.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.96 MX$36.49

12.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.09 $4.09

$1.98 MX$36.88

106.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.64 $5.64

$2.34 MX$43.46

141.03%

Potato (1kg)

$3.41 $3.41

$2.02 MX$37.66

68.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.82 MX$33.95

53.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.54 MX$28.74

26.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.31 MX$24.42

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.84 $11.84

$5.35 MX$99.6

121.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.73 $14.73

$16.19 MX$301

-9.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.96 MX$36.46

28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$4.35 MX$81.0

-36.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.30 MX$5.67

486.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 $56.7

$19.49 MX$363

191.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.92 MX$35.68

95.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.47 MX$8.80

372.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.53 $38.53

$5.41 MX$101

612.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.48 MX$27.61

1.35%

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

$28.4K $28.4K

$21.4K MX$397.7K

32.70%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$23.8K MX$442.1K

12.08%

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

$269 $269

$62.0 MX$1,154

333.26%

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

$85.7 $85.7

$28.47 MX$530

201.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.1 $78.1

$34.11 MX$635

128.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 $44.33

$58.4 MX$1,087

-24.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

Cinema Ticket

$18.34 $18.34

$6.59 MX$123

178.30%

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

$1,186 $1,186

$434 MX$8,081

173.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K $13.0K

$14.0K MX$261.2K

-7.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.2 $63.2

$68.4 MX$1,272

-7.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 $55.4

$54.8 MX$1,020

1.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$111 MX$2,063

9.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$215 $215

$116 MX$2,158

85.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 $1,565

$1,179 MX$21.9K

32.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 $1,302

$771 MX$14.3K

68.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,619 $2,619

$2,570 MX$47.8K

1.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 $2,077

$1,420 MX$26.4K

46.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,585 $2,585

$3,586 MX$66.7K

-27.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,343 $2,343

$2,064 MX$38.4K

13.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 $1,626

$1,003 MX$18.7K

62.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

11.35

-44.41%

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

Last update for Monterey Park, CA: October 31, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterey Park, CA

$1.3K 44.1%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 40.8% $531

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterey Park, CA

$432 14.7%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 71.2% $308

Eating Out

Monterey Park, CA

$429 14.6%

Mexico City

$201 12% 53.3% $229

Groceries & Markets

Monterey Park, CA

$421 14.3%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 23.2% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Monterey Park, CA

$205 6.9%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 23% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Monterey Park, CA

$81 2.8%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 11.7% $9.4

Getting Around

Monterey Park, CA

$79 2.7%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 68.2% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,565 in Monterey Park, CA and $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterey Park, CA pays 62% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $83 in Monterey Park, CA vs $52 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $421 vs $324 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Monterey Park, CA

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

16:50 4:50 PM

18:50 6:50 PM

2 h ahead of Monterey Park, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,269

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Monterey Park, CA Mexico City 2,480 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterey Park, CA
Mexico City

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

Monterey Park, CA vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,949 in Monterey Park, CA and $1,674 in Mexico City, so Mexico City is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 62% higher in Monterey Park, CA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,565 in Monterey Park, CA versus $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 66% less than in Monterey Park, CA. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,186 in Monterey Park, CA versus $434 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Monterey Park, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.