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: $1,581 in Monterrey versus $1,069 in Ciudad Obregon.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,534 in Monterrey versus $1,654 in Ciudad Obregon.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,488 in Monterrey versus $2,240 in Ciudad Obregon.

Living in Monterrey is roughly 48% more expensive than in Ciudad Obregon, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 19% above, Ciudad Obregon is 20% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.12 MX$227

$10.77 MX$186

21.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$899

$34.30 MX$593

51.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.46 MX$181

$6.96 MX$120

50.29%

Cappuccino

$3.73 MX$64.5

$2.22 MX$38.33

68.02%

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

$1.40 MX$24.23

$0.68 MX$11.81

105.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 MX$18.17

$0.54 MX$9.37

94.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.69 MX$46.49

$1.34 MX$23.13

100.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 MX$74.9

$1.89 MX$32.78

129.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 MX$28.77

$1.64 MX$28.41

1.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 MX$45.74

$2.04 MX$35.35

29.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 MX$33.94

$1.48 MX$25.66

32.43%

Eggs

$2.62 MX$45.41

$2.26 MX$39.02

15.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.49 MX$181

$4.84 MX$83.8

116.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 MX$154

$5.44 MX$94.1

63.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.56 MX$235

$9.22 MX$160

47.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$52.8

$1.81 MX$31.33

68.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 MX$25.36

$1.83 MX$31.66

-19.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 MX$35.22

$1.74 MX$30.17

17.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.07 MX$35.73

$1.58 MX$27.33

31.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$40.47

$1.77 MX$30.65

32.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 MX$43.52

$1.74 MX$30.09

44.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 MX$27.17

$1.03 MX$17.82

52.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 MX$19.31

$1.43 MX$24.77

-21.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$73.9

$4.06 MX$70.2

5.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.06 MX$243

$10.55 MX$183

33.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 MX$31.00

$1.97 MX$34.06

-9.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 MX$53.5

$2.72 MX$47.11

13.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 MX$14.19

$0.65 MX$11.18

26.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.01 MX$692

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.75 MX$30.28

$1.56 MX$26.91

12.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 MX$16.78

$1.54 MX$26.72

-37.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.63 MX$184

$8.36 MX$145

27.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 MX$23.65

$1.33 MX$22.92

3.01%

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

$26.3K MX$455.2K

$16.6K MX$287.1K

58.51%

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

$25.5K MX$441.3K

$22.9K MX$395.4K

11.62%

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

$123 MX$2,125

$100 MX$1,734

22.49%

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

$27.58 MX$477

$21.79 MX$377

26.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.78 MX$515

$26.39 MX$457

12.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.38 MX$664

$35.79 MX$619

7.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.94 MX$380

$15.89 MX$275

38.07%

Cinema Ticket

$5.86 MX$101

$3.51 MX$60.8

66.95%

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

$347 MX$6,004

$288 MX$4,989

20.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,938 MX$154.6K

$4,756 MX$82.3K

87.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.2 MX$1,006

$42.96 MX$743

35.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.19 MX$747

$31.98 MX$553

35.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$1,884

$62.9 MX$1,089

73.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 MX$2,187

$63.8 MX$1,104

98.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 MX$15.6K

$519 MX$8,976

73.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$661 MX$11.4K

$398 MX$6,887

66.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,595 MX$27.6K

$915 MX$15.8K

74.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,398 MX$24.2K

$755 MX$13.1K

85.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,267 MX$73.8K

$1,864 MX$32.3K

128.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,840 MX$49.1K

$1,221 MX$21.1K

132.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,135 MX$19.6K

$1,246 MX$21.6K

-8.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.55

11.5

0.43%

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

Last update for Monterrey: July 27, 2026

Last update for Ciudad Obregon: July 25, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $903 in Monterrey and $519 in Ciudad Obregon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ciudad Obregon pays 10% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $52.0 in Monterrey vs $34.00 in Ciudad Obregon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $296 vs $223 per month, with Ciudad Obregon cheaper across the board.

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 48% 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 10% 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: $903 in Monterrey versus $519 in Ciudad Obregon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $347 in Monterrey versus $288 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 $34.00 versus $52.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,069 in Ciudad Obregon versus $1,581 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 $1,069 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 48% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.