Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Ecatepec

For one person, living is cheaper in Ecatepec: $961 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Ecatepec
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Ecatepec Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Ecatepec

🇲🇽 Mexico

$961

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Ecatepec

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Monterrey vs $961 in Ecatepec, rent included.

Monterrey $1,608
Ecatepec $961

A couple spends around $2,521 per month in Monterrey vs $1,670 in Ecatepec, rent included.

Monterrey $2,521
Ecatepec $1,670

A family of three spends $3,433 per month in Monterrey vs $2,380 in Ecatepec, rent included.

Monterrey $3,433
Ecatepec $2,380

Monterrey costs about 67% more than Ecatepec, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Monterrey sits 19% above the global median, while Ecatepec is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 MX$256

$11.14 MX$206

24.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 MX$918

$50.1 MX$926

-0.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 MX$204

$9.57 MX$177

15.46%

Cappuccino

$4.09 MX$75.6

$3.71 MX$68.6

10.24%

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

$1.68 MX$30.97

$1.62 MX$30.02

3.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$18.98

$1.09 MX$20.09

-5.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MX$44.28

$3.38 MX$62.5

-28.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.3

$5.59 MX$103

-22.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.55

$1.72 MX$31.71

11.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.2

$2.66 MX$49.12

10.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.66

$1.96 MX$36.17

-4.08%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$47.06

$2.75 MX$50.9

-7.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 MX$219

$8.82 MX$163

34.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 MX$173

$9.12 MX$168

2.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 MX$242

$13.47 MX$249

-2.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$3.14 MX$58.0

7.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.66 MX$30.74

-8.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.51

$2.04 MX$37.65

7.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.63

$1.90 MX$35.12

24.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.76

$1.79 MX$33.16

26.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.5

$1.75 MX$32.42

56.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.17

$1.49 MX$27.48

2.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.90

$1.19 MX$21.95

4.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$4.59 MX$84.9

3.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 MX$252

$16.62 MX$307

-17.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 MX$34.95

$1.92 MX$35.43

-1.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MX$55.2

$3.83 MX$70.7

-21.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.78

$0.63 MX$11.72

34.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

$31.01 MX$573

-0.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$30.98

$1.99 MX$36.81

-15.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.87

$0.52 MX$9.68

117.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 MX$206

$5.32 MX$98.3

109.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.91

$1.54 MX$28.48

1.30%

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

$21.4K MX$395.8K

$21.5K MX$397.7K

-0.47%

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

$25.1K MX$463.2K

$23.5K MX$434.5K

6.61%

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

$119 MX$2,206

$57.7 MX$1,067

106.81%

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

$26.21 MX$484

$27.01 MX$499

-2.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 MX$495

$24.74 MX$457

8.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 MX$573

$26.37 MX$487

17.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

$11.00 MX$203

94.82%

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$97.7

$6.47 MX$120

-18.24%

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

$691 MX$12.8K

$270 MX$4,996

155.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$212.1K

$5,048 MX$93.3K

127.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 MX$1,335

$59.1 MX$1,092

22.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 MX$789

$44.94 MX$830

-4.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,024

$100 MX$1,855

9.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,158

$98.8 MX$1,826

18.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 MX$17.9K

$243 MX$4,487

299.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.3K

$138 MX$2,550

380.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 MX$34.3K

$683 MX$12.6K

171.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 MX$23.8K

$444 MX$8,205

189.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$76.9K

$755 MX$14.0K

451.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 MX$43.4K

$755 MX$13.9K

211.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

$553 MX$10.2K

107.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

11.3

4.34%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ecatepec: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

Ecatepec

$138 14.4% 79.2% $526

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$310 19.3%

Ecatepec

$298 31% 4% $13

Eating Out

Monterrey

$225 14%

Ecatepec

$201 21% 10.3% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$172 10.7%

Ecatepec

$109 11.4% 36.5% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$154 9.6%

Ecatepec

$136 14.2% 11.2% $17

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Ecatepec

$38 4% 8.4% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Ecatepec

$39 4.1% 5.6% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $970 in Monterrey versus $243 in Ecatepec. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 107% higher in Monterrey, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Monterrey versus $50.0 in Ecatepec. Groceries tell a different story – $310 in Monterrey vs $298 in Ecatepec – so Ecatepec wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇲🇽 Ecatepec

🕒 Local time

01:23 1:23 AM

Same time as Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

1,645,352

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Ecatepec 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Ecatepec

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 Ecatepec: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Monterrey, $961 in Ecatepec – roughly 67% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Monterrey and $1,441 in Ecatepec. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ecatepec, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Monterrey and $50.0 in Ecatepec. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,608 in Monterrey and $961 in Ecatepec. That's a gap of about 67%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ecatepec, where all-in costs run around $961, than in Monterrey at $1,608. In Ecatepec it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monterrey it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Monterrey has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $961 in Ecatepec to $1,608 in Monterrey. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Ecatepec. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Monterrey makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.