Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Latacunga

For one person, living is cheaper in Latacunga: $782 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Latacunga
Learn more

Latacunga Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Latacunga

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$782

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Latacunga

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Monterrey vs $782 in Latacunga, rent included.

Monterrey $1,608
Latacunga $782

A couple spends around $2,521 per month in Monterrey vs $1,269 in Latacunga, rent included.

Monterrey $2,521
Latacunga $1,269

A family of three spends $3,433 per month in Monterrey vs $1,756 in Latacunga, rent included.

Monterrey $3,433
Latacunga $1,756

Monterrey costs about 106% more than Latacunga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Monterrey sits 19% above the global median, while Latacunga is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 MX$257

$2.55 $2.55

443.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 MX$921

$28.41 $28.41

74.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 MX$205

$9.03 $9.03

22.37%

Cappuccino

$4.09 MX$75.8

$2.79 $2.79

46.59%

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

$1.68 MX$31.06

$0.87 $0.87

93.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.03

$0.48 $0.48

114.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MX$44.40

$3.05 $3.05

-21.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.6

$4.28 $4.28

1.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.64

$1.18 $1.18

62.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.4

$2.01 $2.01

46.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.76

$0.98 $0.98

91.84%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$47.19

$1.75 $1.75

45.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 MX$219

$4.87 $4.87

143.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 MX$173

$5.09 $5.09

83.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 MX$243

$9.37 $9.37

39.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.7

$1.49 $1.49

126.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.21

$1.18 $1.18

28.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.62

$1.03 $1.03

112.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.75

$0.96 $0.96

145.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.88

$1.03 $1.03

119.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.7

$0.91 $0.91

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.25

$0.52 $0.52

192.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.97

$1.02 $1.02

21.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$88.1

$5.90 $5.90

-19.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 MX$253

$10.09 $10.09

35.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 MX$35.05

$1.46 $1.46

29.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MX$55.3

$2.22 $2.22

34.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.82

$0.37 $0.37

129.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$573

$16.94 $16.94

82.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$31.06

$1.32 $1.32

27.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.93

$1.78 $1.78

-36.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 MX$207

$12.05 $12.05

-7.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.99

$0.66 $0.66

136.36%

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

$21.4K MX$396.9K

$20.7K $20.7K

3.44%

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

$25.1K MX$464.5K

$31.3K $31.3K

-19.80%

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

$119 MX$2,212

$39.72 $39.72

200.58%

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

$26.21 MX$486

$14.95 $14.95

75.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 MX$496

$26.59 $26.59

0.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 MX$575

$27.47 $27.47

12.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$397

$17.83 $17.83

20.19%

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$98.0

$7.57 $7.57

-30.12%

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

$691 MX$12.8K

$378 $378

82.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$212.7K

$5,776 $5,776

98.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 MX$1,339

$64.5 $64.5

12.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 MX$792

$40.29 $40.29

6.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,030

$126 $126

-13.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,164

$91.6 $91.6

27.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 MX$18.0K

$295 $295

228.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.3K

$188 $188

252.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 MX$34.4K

$723 $723

156.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 MX$23.9K

$407 $407

216.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$77.1K

$1,068 $1,068

289.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 MX$43.5K

$739 $739

218.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

17.90%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Last update for Latacunga: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

Latacunga

$188 24.1% 71.6% $475

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$310 19.3%

Latacunga

$186 23.7% 40.2% $125

Eating Out

Monterrey

$225 14%

Latacunga

$110 14.1% 50.9% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$172 10.7%

Latacunga

$81 10.4% 52.9% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$154 9.6%

Latacunga

$145 18.6% 5.4% $8.3

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Latacunga

$29 3.7% 31.4% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Latacunga

$43 5.5% 2.4% $1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $970 in Monterrey versus $295 in Latacunga. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Monterrey versus $28.00 in Latacunga. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $310 vs $186 – making Latacunga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇪🇨 Latacunga

🕒 Local time

12:30 12:30 PM

13:30 1:30 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

57,127

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.4 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 18.53 MXN (100 MXN = 5.4 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Monterrey Latacunga 3,770 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Latacunga

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 Latacunga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Monterrey, $782 in Latacunga – roughly 106% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Monterrey and $1,173 in Latacunga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $691 per month in Monterrey and $378 in Latacunga. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 67% more in Monterrey, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Latacunga, where all-in costs run around $782, than in Monterrey at $1,608. In Latacunga 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 $782 in Latacunga to $1,608 in Monterrey. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Latacunga. 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.