Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Atotonilco el Alto

For one person, living is cheaper in Atotonilco el Alto: $1,224 a month against $1,647 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Atotonilco el Alto
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Atotonilco el Alto Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,647

/mo nomad

Atotonilco el Alto

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,224

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Atotonilco el Alto

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Monterrey and in Atotonilco el Alto actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,647 in Monterrey versus $1,224 in Atotonilco el Alto.

Monterrey $1,647
Atotonilco el Alto $1,224

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,591 in Monterrey versus $1,963 in Atotonilco el Alto.

Monterrey $2,591
Atotonilco el Alto $1,963

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,536 in Monterrey versus $2,703 in Atotonilco el Alto.

Monterrey $3,536
Atotonilco el Alto $2,703

Living in Monterrey is roughly 35% more expensive than in Atotonilco el Alto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 21% above, Atotonilco el Alto is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.45 MX$252

$10.57 MX$198

27.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.43 MX$908

$63.3 MX$1,187

-23.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$204

$9.16 MX$172

19.00%

Cappuccino

$3.82 MX$71.5

$3.68 MX$69.0

3.80%

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

$1.67 MX$31.22

$1.53 MX$28.73

9.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 MX$18.42

$1.03 MX$19.25

-4.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 MX$44.04

$3.15 MX$59.1

-25.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MX$82.7

$5.49 MX$103

-19.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 MX$33.76

$1.92 MX$36.06

-6.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 MX$52.3

$2.64 MX$49.47

5.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.20

$1.97 MX$36.85

-7.61%

Eggs

$2.51 MX$47.09

$2.70 MX$50.5

-7.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.09 MX$227

$8.59 MX$161

40.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 MX$176

$8.92 MX$167

5.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.71 MX$238

$13.63 MX$255

-6.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 MX$60.1

$3.46 MX$64.8

-7.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.07

$1.63 MX$30.56

-7.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 MX$40.19

$2.19 MX$40.99

-2.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 MX$43.50

$1.92 MX$35.98

20.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 MX$41.26

$1.79 MX$33.56

22.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 MX$48.69

$1.80 MX$33.77

44.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.99

$1.45 MX$27.13

-0.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 MX$21.99

$1.20 MX$22.56

-2.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.79 MX$89.7

$4.46 MX$83.6

7.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.22 MX$248

$17.38 MX$326

-23.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 MX$36.40

$2.09 MX$39.17

-7.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 MX$54.1

$3.97 MX$74.4

-27.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 MX$16.34

$0.63 MX$11.77

38.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.14 MX$584

$32.79 MX$614

-5.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MX$31.04

$3.18 MX$59.6

-47.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 MX$20.49

$2.64 MX$49.39

-58.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.67 MX$200

$10.88 MX$204

-1.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.61

$1.49 MX$28.01

-1.34%

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

$24.2K MX$454.3K

$24.6K MX$460.6K

-1.36%

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

$23.6K MX$441.4K

$23.2K MX$434.4K

1.61%

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

$118 MX$2,209

$56.9 MX$1,065

107.34%

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

$25.55 MX$479

$26.54 MX$497

-3.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.43 MX$495

$24.36 MX$456

8.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.77 MX$577

$30.94 MX$580

-0.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 MX$395

$21.94 MX$411

-3.97%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$95.4

$7.30 MX$137

-30.27%

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

$694 MX$13.0K

$257 MX$4,822

169.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K MX$212.1K

$5,041 MX$94.5K

124.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 MX$1,358

$52.7 MX$988

37.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.51 MX$778

$44.51 MX$834

-6.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,056

$100 MX$1,876

9.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MX$2,154

$95.6 MX$1,791

20.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 MX$19.8K

$519 MX$9,725

103.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$721 MX$13.5K

$390 MX$7,317

84.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,999 MX$37.5K

$1,156 MX$21.7K

72.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 MX$26.9K

$667 MX$12.5K

115.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,219 MX$79.1K

$1,623 MX$30.4K

159.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,731 MX$51.2K

$1,218 MX$22.8K

124.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,149 MX$21.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

11.99

-1.67%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 25, 2026

Last update for Atotonilco el Alto: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$721 43.8%

Atotonilco el Alto

$390 31.9% 45.9% $331

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$303 18.4%

Atotonilco el Alto

$303 24.8% 0% $0.1

Eating Out

Monterrey

$217 13.2%

Atotonilco el Alto

$193 15.8% 11.1% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$170 10.3%

Atotonilco el Alto

$108 8.8% 36.6% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$152 9.3%

Atotonilco el Alto

$132 10.8% 13.5% $21

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.5%

Atotonilco el Alto

$52 4.2% 23.7% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Atotonilco el Alto

$46 3.7% 11.2% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,056 in Monterrey and $519 in Atotonilco el Alto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Monterrey vs $63 in Atotonilco el Alto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $303 vs $303 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇲🇽 Atotonilco el Alto

🕒 Local time

14:33 2:33 PM

Same time as Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

26,874

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Atotonilco el Alto 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Atotonilco el Alto

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

Monterrey vs Atotonilco el Alto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Atotonilco el Alto is about 26% cheaper overall, especially in eating out and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,470 in Monterrey and $1,836 in Atotonilco el Alto 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: $1,056 in Monterrey versus $519 in Atotonilco el Alto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $694 in Monterrey versus $257 in Atotonilco el Alto. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $48 versus $63 in Atotonilco el Alto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,224 in Atotonilco el Alto versus $1,647 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Atotonilco el Alto but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Atotonilco el Alto the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.