Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Ciudad Obregon

For one person, living is cheaper in Ciudad Obregon: $1,129 a month against $1,647 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Ciudad Obregon
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Ciudad Obregon Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,647

/mo nomad

Ciudad Obregon

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,129

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Ciudad Obregon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,647 in Monterrey versus $1,129 in Ciudad Obregon.

Monterrey $1,647
Ciudad Obregon $1,129

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,591 in Monterrey versus $1,686 in Ciudad Obregon.

Monterrey $2,591
Ciudad Obregon $1,686

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,536 in Monterrey versus $2,243 in Ciudad Obregon.

Monterrey $3,536
Ciudad Obregon $2,243

Living in Monterrey is roughly 46% more expensive than in Ciudad Obregon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 21% above, Ciudad Obregon is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.45 MX$250

$10.79 MX$200

24.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.43 MX$899

$35.52 MX$660

36.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$202

$8.68 MX$161

25.58%

Cappuccino

$3.82 MX$70.9

$2.90 MX$53.8

31.72%

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

$1.67 MX$30.94

$1.19 MX$22.16

40.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 MX$18.25

$0.82 MX$15.30

19.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 MX$43.64

$2.55 MX$47.30

-7.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MX$81.9

$3.84 MX$71.3

14.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 MX$33.46

$1.69 MX$31.41

6.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 MX$51.9

$2.26 MX$41.95

23.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.89

$0.89 MX$16.51

104.49%

Eggs

$2.51 MX$46.66

$3.10 MX$57.6

-19.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.09 MX$224

$4.24 MX$78.7

185.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 MX$175

$5.47 MX$102

72.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.71 MX$236

$10.70 MX$199

18.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 MX$59.6

$1.79 MX$33.26

79.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$27.81

$1.11 MX$20.59

35.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.83

$1.11 MX$20.62

92.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 MX$43.11

$1.30 MX$24.15

78.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 MX$40.89

$1.80 MX$33.35

22.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 MX$48.25

$2.16 MX$40.16

20.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.75

$0.56 MX$10.44

157.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 MX$21.79

$1.40 MX$26.01

-16.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.79 MX$88.9

$4.19 MX$77.8

14.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.22 MX$246

$8.81 MX$164

50.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 MX$36.07

$0.56 MX$10.48

246.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 MX$53.6

$1.31 MX$24.27

120.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 MX$16.20

$0.68 MX$12.55

27.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.14 MX$578

$26.31 MX$489

18.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MX$30.77

$1.84 MX$34.25

-9.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 MX$20.31

$1.68 MX$31.25

-35.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.67 MX$198

$10.65 MX$198

0.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.37

$1.30 MX$24.06

13.08%

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

$24.2K MX$450.2K

$24.4K MX$452.8K

-0.57%

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

$23.6K MX$437.4K

$23.5K MX$435.6K

0.42%

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

$118 MX$2,189

$95.4 MX$1,771

23.62%

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

$25.55 MX$474

$27.91 MX$518

-8.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.43 MX$491

$31.31 MX$581

-15.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.77 MX$571

$32.63 MX$606

-5.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 MX$391

$20.11 MX$373

4.77%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$94.5

$3.68 MX$68.3

38.32%

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

$694 MX$12.9K

$293 MX$5,446

136.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K MX$210.2K

$4,826 MX$89.6K

134.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 MX$1,346

$43.53 MX$808

66.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.51 MX$771

$32.76 MX$608

26.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,038

$64.7 MX$1,201

69.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MX$2,135

$65.7 MX$1,220

75.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 MX$19.6K

$609 MX$11.3K

73.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$721 MX$13.4K

$420 MX$7,802

71.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,999 MX$37.1K

$1,134 MX$21.1K

76.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 MX$26.6K

$660 MX$12.3K

117.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,219 MX$78.4K

$1,882 MX$35.0K

124.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,731 MX$50.7K

$1,110 MX$20.6K

146.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,149 MX$21.3K

$1,175 MX$21.8K

-2.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

11.6

1.64%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ciudad Obregon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$721 43.8%

Ciudad Obregon

$420 37.2% 41.7% $301

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$303 18.4%

Ciudad Obregon

$206 18.3% 32.1% $98

Eating Out

Monterrey

$217 13.2%

Ciudad Obregon

$176 15.6% 19.2% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$170 10.3%

Ciudad Obregon

$155 13.7% 9% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$152 9.3%

Ciudad Obregon

$93 8.2% 39% $59

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.5%

Ciudad Obregon

$39 3.5% 6% $2.5

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Ciudad Obregon

$40 3.5% 2.3% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,056 in Monterrey and $609 in Ciudad Obregon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Monterrey vs $36 in Ciudad Obregon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $303 vs $206 per month, with Ciudad Obregon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇲🇽 Ciudad Obregon

🕒 Local time

21:02 9:02 PM

20:02 8:02 PM

1 h behind Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

329,404

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Ciudad Obregon 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Ciudad Obregon

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 Ciudad Obregon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ciudad Obregon wins on cost – living expenses run 31% 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.

You’d need roughly $2,470 in Monterrey and $1,693 in Ciudad Obregon 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 $609 in Ciudad Obregon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ciudad Obregon – a meal for two runs $36 versus $48 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,647 per month in Monterrey versus $1,129 in Ciudad Obregon – Ciudad Obregon is about 31% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ciudad Obregon is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Ciudad Obregon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.