Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Babahoyo

For one person, living is cheaper in Babahoyo: $739 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Babahoyo
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Babahoyo Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Babahoyo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Babahoyo

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 Babahoyo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Monterrey versus $739 in Babahoyo.

Monterrey $1,608
Babahoyo $739

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,521 in Monterrey versus $1,243 in Babahoyo.

Monterrey $2,521
Babahoyo $1,243

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,433 in Monterrey versus $1,746 in Babahoyo.

Monterrey $3,433
Babahoyo $1,746

Living in Monterrey is roughly 118% more expensive than in Babahoyo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 19% above, Babahoyo is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 MX$257

$4.01 $4.01

245.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 MX$921

$32.38 $32.38

53.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 MX$205

$4.72 $4.72

134.11%

Cappuccino

$4.09 MX$75.8

$2.52 $2.52

62.30%

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

$1.68 MX$31.06

$0.83 $0.83

102.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.03

$0.83 $0.83

24.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MX$44.40

$2.05 $2.05

17.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.6

$3.57 $3.57

21.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.64

$1.14 $1.14

68.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.4

$1.63 $1.63

80.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.76

$1.70 $1.70

10.59%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$47.19

$1.87 $1.87

36.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 MX$219

$7.32 $7.32

61.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 MX$173

$5.70 $5.70

64.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 MX$243

$6.93 $6.93

89.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.7

$1.80 $1.80

87.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.21

$0.95 $0.95

60.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.62

$1.16 $1.16

88.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.75

$1.20 $1.20

96.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.88

$1.37 $1.37

64.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.7

$1.04 $1.04

162.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.25

$0.68 $0.68

123.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.97

$1.07 $1.07

15.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$88.1

$5.38 $5.38

-11.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 MX$253

$9.09 $9.09

50.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 MX$35.05

$1.55 $1.55

21.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MX$55.3

$3.16 $3.16

-5.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.82

$0.34 $0.34

150.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$573

$15.80 $15.80

95.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$31.06

$1.44 $1.44

16.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.93

$1.26 $1.26

-10.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 MX$207

$9.45 $9.45

17.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.99

$0.82 $0.82

90.24%

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

$21.4K MX$396.9K

$19.2K $19.2K

11.73%

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

$25.1K MX$464.5K

$29.3K $29.3K

-14.40%

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

$119 MX$2,212

$37.52 $37.52

218.20%

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

$26.21 MX$486

$13.16 $13.16

99.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 MX$496

$27.46 $27.46

-2.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 MX$575

$25.83 $25.83

20.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$397

$14.98 $14.98

43.06%

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$98.0

$6.97 $6.97

-24.10%

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

$691 MX$12.8K

$207 $207

233.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$212.7K

$5,116 $5,116

124.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 MX$1,339

$50.1 $50.1

44.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 MX$792

$37.24 $37.24

14.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,030

$114 $114

-3.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,164

$61.9 $61.9

88.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 MX$18.0K

$318 $318

204.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.3K

$184 $184

259.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 MX$34.4K

$789 $789

135.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 MX$23.9K

$455 $455

182.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$77.1K

$1,153 $1,153

260.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 MX$43.5K

$681 $681

245.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

10.05

17.31%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Last update for Babahoyo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

Babahoyo

$184 25% 72.2% $479

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$310 19.3%

Babahoyo

$193 26.1% 37.9% $118

Eating Out

Monterrey

$225 14%

Babahoyo

$101 13.6% 55.2% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$172 10.7%

Babahoyo

$78 10.6% 54.7% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$154 9.6%

Babahoyo

$118 16% 22.9% $35

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Babahoyo

$25 3.4% 40.2% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Babahoyo

$40 5.4% 4.4% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $970 in Monterrey and $318 in Babahoyo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $50.0 in Monterrey vs $32.00 in Babahoyo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $193 per month, with Babahoyo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇪🇨 Babahoyo

🕒 Local time

14:21 2:21 PM

15:21 3:21 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

84,164

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.4 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 18.53 MXN (100 MXN = 5.4 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Babahoyo 3,790 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Babahoyo

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 Babahoyo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Babahoyo wins on cost – living expenses run 118% lower than in Monterrey. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Babahoyo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,412 in Monterrey and $1,108 in Babahoyo 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: $970 in Monterrey versus $318 in Babahoyo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $691 in Monterrey versus $207 in Babahoyo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Monterrey. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $739 in Babahoyo versus $1,608 in Monterrey, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Babahoyo but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Babahoyo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Babahoyo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $739 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Babahoyo hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Babahoyo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 118% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.