Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Durango

For one person, living is cheaper in Durango: $1,063 a month against $1,641 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Monterrey, Mexico
Durango, Mexico
Monterrey
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,641
/mo nomad
Durango
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,063
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Durango

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Monterrey vs $1,063 in Durango, rent included.

  • Monterrey $1,641
  • Durango $1,063

A couple spends around $2,573 per month in Monterrey vs $1,670 in Durango, rent included.

  • Monterrey $2,573
  • Durango $1,670

A family of three spends $3,504 per month in Monterrey vs $2,278 in Durango, rent included.

  • Monterrey $3,504
  • Durango $2,278

Monterrey costs about 54% more than Durango, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Monterrey sits 21% above the global median, while Durango is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Monterrey
Durango
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.37 MX$252
$7.11 MX$134
88.05%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.95 MX$902
$29.88 MX$562
60.48%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.79 MX$203
$10.34 MX$195
4.35%
Cappuccino
$3.77 MX$70.9
$1.85 MX$34.83
103.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.51 MX$28.43
$1.14 MX$21.53
32.46%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 MX$19.37
$0.80 MX$15.10
28.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.48 MX$46.70
$1.38 MX$26.00
79.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.36 MX$82.0
$2.67 MX$50.3
63.30%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Monterrey
Durango
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.89 MX$35.65
$1.24 MX$23.32
52.42%
White Bread (500g)
$2.85 MX$53.6
$2.46 MX$46.24
15.85%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.86 MX$34.93
$1.19 MX$22.42
56.30%
Eggs
$2.47 MX$46.41
$2.19 MX$41.24
12.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.81 MX$222
$7.49 MX$141
57.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.97 MX$169
$8.26 MX$155
8.60%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.57 MX$237
$9.01 MX$170
39.51%
Apples (1kg)
$3.20 MX$60.1
$2.37 MX$44.57
35.02%
Banana (1kg)
$1.50 MX$28.29
$1.51 MX$28.33
-0.66%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.99
$1.74 MX$32.81
21.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.33 MX$43.91
$1.16 MX$21.89
100.86%
Potato (1kg)
$2.22 MX$41.84
$1.17 MX$22.06
89.74%
Onion (1kg)
$2.58 MX$48.64
$1.26 MX$23.69
104.76%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 MX$27.20
$0.79 MX$14.88
83.54%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 MX$22.99
$1.13 MX$21.26
7.96%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.80 MX$90.3
$3.73 MX$70.2
28.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.30 MX$250
$13.25 MX$249
0.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.93 MX$36.36
$1.70 MX$32.06
13.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.86 MX$53.7
$2.64 MX$49.69
8.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Monterrey
Durango
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.80 MX$15.03
$0.68 MX$12.81
17.65%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.94 MX$582
$26.27 MX$494
17.78%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.83 MX$34.49
$1.15 MX$21.58
59.13%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.06 MX$19.90
$1.86 MX$35.05
-43.01%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.82 MX$204
$9.31 MX$175
16.22%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.71
$1.37 MX$25.76
7.30%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.1K MX$453.2K
$18.8K MX$353.5K
28.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$442.9K
$23.6K MX$445.1K
-0.48%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monterrey
Durango
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$115 MX$2,157
$56.6 MX$1,065
102.46%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.37 MX$496
$20.23 MX$381
30.35%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$25.70 MX$484
$26.61 MX$501
-3.42%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Monterrey
Durango
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.53 MX$575
$22.21 MX$418
37.46%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.27 MX$400
$9.35 MX$176
127.49%
Cinema Ticket
$4.96 MX$93.3
$3.81 MX$71.6
30.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Monterrey
Durango
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$679 MX$12.8K
$176 MX$3,317
285.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.2K MX$266.9K
$2,341 MX$44.1K
505.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Monterrey
Durango
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.2 MX$1,359
$54.1 MX$1,018
33.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.94 MX$789
$40.33 MX$759
3.99%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 MX$2,023
$97.9 MX$1,842
9.85%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 MX$2,233
$89.3 MX$1,681
32.83%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Monterrey
Durango
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,018 MX$19.1K
$610 MX$11.5K
66.92%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$722 MX$13.6K
$395 MX$7,441
82.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,966 MX$37.0K
$1,023 MX$19.3K
92.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,416 MX$26.6K
$779 MX$14.7K
81.76%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,203 MX$79.1K
$1,930 MX$36.3K
117.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,782 MX$52.4K
$988 MX$18.6K
181.68%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Monterrey
Durango
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,096 MX$20.6K
$529 MX$9,954
107.17%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.79
12.3
-4.15%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Last update for Durango: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Monterrey
$722
Durango
$395 45.2% $326
Groceries & Markets
Monterrey
$302
Durango
$238 21.2% $64
Eating Out
Monterrey
$216
Durango
$130 39.7% $86
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monterrey
$167
Durango
$103 37.9% $63
Clothing & Footwear
Monterrey
$153
Durango
$127 17.2% $26
Getting Around
Monterrey
$41
Durango
$39 4.4% $1.8
Sport & Entertainment
Monterrey
$40
Durango
$30 26.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,018 in Monterrey versus $610 in Durango. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Monterrey are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Monterrey versus $30 in Durango. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $302 vs $238 – making Durango the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Monterrey
🇲🇽 Durango
🕒 Local time
04:29 4:29 AM
04:29 4:29 AM
Same time as Monterrey
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,142,994
518,709
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Monterrey Durango 480 km
From you
  • Monterrey
  • Durango

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 Durango: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Monterrey and in Durango compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,641 in Monterrey, $1,063 in Durango – Durango comes out roughly 35% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Monterrey compared to Durango?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Monterrey and $1,594 in Durango. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Monterrey and Durango?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Durango, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $610 there versus $1,018 in Monterrey.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 27% more in Monterrey, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Monterrey and $30 in Durango. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How far does $2,000 go in Monterrey compared to Durango?
$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,641 in Monterrey and $1,063 in Durango, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Where should families live: Monterrey or Durango?
Families tend to lean toward Durango – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How do I decide between Monterrey and Durango?
If budget matters most, go with Durango. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Monterrey makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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