Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Ciudad Obregon Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Ciudad Obregon

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Monterrey versus $1,195 in Ciudad Obregon.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,638 in Monterrey versus $1,966 in Ciudad Obregon.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,583 in Monterrey versus $2,737 in Ciudad Obregon.

Living in Monterrey is roughly 42% more expensive than in Ciudad Obregon, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 24% above, Ciudad Obregon is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.54 MX$250

$10.67 MX$183

36.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.7 MX$904

$52.8 MX$906

-0.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.44 MX$196

$9.47 MX$162

20.80%

Cappuccino

$4.29 MX$73.7

$3.72 MX$63.9

15.32%

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

$1.72 MX$29.48

$1.57 MX$27.00

9.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 MX$19.00

$1.08 MX$18.48

2.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.95 MX$50.7

$2.81 MX$48.22

4.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.78 MX$82.1

$4.88 MX$83.7

-2.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 MX$35.10

$1.67 MX$28.70

22.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.09 MX$53.0

$2.79 MX$47.93

10.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 MX$33.72

$1.71 MX$29.43

14.62%

Eggs

$2.65 MX$45.42

$2.53 MX$43.51

4.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.69 MX$218

$8.81 MX$151

44.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.80 MX$168

$8.83 MX$152

10.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 MX$232

$12.11 MX$208

11.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.45 MX$59.3

$2.87 MX$49.26

20.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 MX$28.14

$1.67 MX$28.68

-1.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 MX$38.35

$2.09 MX$35.91

6.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 MX$43.87

$1.95 MX$33.48

31.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.40 MX$41.19

$2.14 MX$36.65

12.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 MX$49.38

$2.19 MX$37.62

31.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 MX$27.37

$1.43 MX$24.55

11.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 MX$22.96

$1.14 MX$19.56

17.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 MX$88.9

$4.62 MX$79.3

12.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.68 MX$252

$10.94 MX$188

34.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 MX$34.91

$1.99 MX$34.15

2.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 MX$54.4

$3.31 MX$56.8

-4.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 MX$15.80

$0.67 MX$11.50

37.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.50 MX$575

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$33.04

$2.84 MX$48.78

-32.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 MX$20.38

$1.92 MX$32.91

-38.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.75 MX$202

$12.17 MX$209

-3.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 MX$27.05

$1.40 MX$24.08

12.86%

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

$22.2K MX$381.5K

$21.1K MX$361.8K

5.47%

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

$26.2K MX$449.6K

$24.4K MX$419.4K

7.19%

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

$124 MX$2,120

$61.8 MX$1,060

99.92%

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

$28.25 MX$485

$25.85 MX$444

9.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.93 MX$479

$27.42 MX$471

1.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.96 MX$566

$36.91 MX$634

-10.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.09 MX$396

$21.37 MX$367

8.05%

Cinema Ticket

$5.52 MX$94.8

$5.51 MX$94.6

0.18%

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

$730 MX$12.5K

$242 MX$4,152

201.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K MX$202.8K

$4,981 MX$85.5K

137.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.3 MX$1,379

$59.3 MX$1,018

35.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.45 MX$780

$45.16 MX$775

0.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 MX$2,051

$108 MX$1,846

11.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 MX$2,237

$92.2 MX$1,583

41.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 MX$18.0K

$555 MX$9,527

88.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$728 MX$12.5K

$431 MX$7,405

68.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,975 MX$33.9K

$1,041 MX$17.9K

89.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,385 MX$23.8K

$939 MX$16.1K

47.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,432 MX$76.1K

$1,975 MX$33.9K

124.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,622 MX$45.0K

$1,220 MX$20.9K

114.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,168 MX$20.1K

$1,272 MX$21.8K

-8.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.56

11.3

2.30%

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

Last update for Monterrey: September 12, 2026

Last update for Ciudad Obregon: September 14, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,047 in Monterrey and $555 in Ciudad Obregon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ciudad Obregon pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $53.0 in Monterrey vs $53.0 in Ciudad Obregon. Groceries flip the comparison at $328 vs $280, with Ciudad Obregon cheaper for home cooking.

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 Ciudad Obregon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ciudad Obregon wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Monterrey. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ciudad Obregon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Ciudad Obregon. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,047 in Monterrey versus $555 in Ciudad Obregon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $730 in Monterrey versus $242 in Ciudad Obregon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ciudad Obregon – a meal for two runs $53.0 versus $53.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,195 in Ciudad Obregon versus $1,692 in Monterrey, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ciudad Obregon but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Ciudad Obregon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ciudad Obregon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,195 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ciudad Obregon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Monterrey and Ciudad Obregon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ciudad Obregon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.