Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Mazatlan

For one person, living is cheaper in Mazatlan: $1,407 a month against $1,599 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Mazatlan
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Mazatlan Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Mazatlan

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,407

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Mazatlan

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

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Monterrey vs $1,407 in Mazatlan, rent included.

Monterrey $1,599
Mazatlan $1,407

A couple spends around $2,493 per month in Monterrey vs $2,022 in Mazatlan, rent included.

Monterrey $2,493
Mazatlan $2,022

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Monterrey vs $2,638 in Mazatlan, rent included.

Monterrey $3,387
Mazatlan $2,638

Monterrey costs about 14% more than Mazatlan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Monterrey and Mazatlan sit above the global median – Monterrey by 18%, Mazatlan by 4%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 MX$255

$10.66 MX$197

29.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.99 MX$887

$45.76 MX$846

4.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 MX$197

$8.30 MX$153

28.31%

Cappuccino

$3.99 MX$73.7

$3.41 MX$63.1

17.01%

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

$1.66 MX$30.76

$1.49 MX$27.51

11.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.21

$1.10 MX$20.33

-10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 MX$43.64

$1.98 MX$36.59

19.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 MX$81.8

$2.68 MX$49.57

65.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MX$33.58

$1.62 MX$29.90

12.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 MX$52.4

$2.50 MX$46.12

13.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.44

$1.34 MX$24.74

43.28%

Eggs

$2.48 MX$45.78

$2.78 MX$51.5

-10.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.74 MX$217

$7.97 MX$147

47.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.10 MX$168

$6.66 MX$123

36.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.53 MX$232

$7.67 MX$142

63.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 MX$61.6

$2.77 MX$51.2

20.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.10

$1.59 MX$29.33

-1.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.86

$1.61 MX$29.80

34.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 MX$45.65

$0.51 MX$9.34

384.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.64

$1.58 MX$29.24

46.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 MX$49.47

$1.32 MX$24.33

103.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 MX$26.90

$1.57 MX$29.03

-7.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$22.07

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$4.19 MX$77.4

13.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 MX$251

$15.63 MX$289

-13.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 MX$35.52

$2.00 MX$36.92

-4.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 MX$53.2

$3.04 MX$56.2

-5.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.66

$0.69 MX$12.76

14.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

$40.28 MX$744

-22.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 MX$29.44

$3.43 MX$63.4

-53.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.58

$2.48 MX$45.75

-57.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.80 MX$200

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$28.59

$1.50 MX$27.76

3.33%

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

$24.2K MX$446.4K

$21.1K MX$390.0K

14.47%

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

$24.3K MX$449.4K

$24.5K MX$453.0K

-0.79%

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

$117 MX$2,159

$57.4 MX$1,060

103.68%

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

$26.38 MX$488

$47.04 MX$869

-43.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.04 MX$481

$42.05 MX$777

-38.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.26 MX$559

$43.43 MX$803

-30.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 MX$96.6

$4.43 MX$81.9

18.06%

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

$673 MX$12.4K

$86.9 MX$1,605

674.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K MX$205.2K

$1,943 MX$35.9K

471.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 MX$1,332

$63.2 MX$1,167

14.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.38 MX$783

$26.76 MX$495

58.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,066

$111 MX$2,059

0.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,200

$80.5 MX$1,487

47.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$949 MX$17.5K

$799 MX$14.8K

18.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$666 MX$12.3K

$614 MX$11.4K

8.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,821 MX$33.7K

$1,224 MX$22.6K

48.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 MX$23.5K

$832 MX$15.4K

52.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$74.8K

$1,582 MX$29.2K

156.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,348 MX$43.4K

$1,014 MX$18.7K

131.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

$529 MX$9,766

118.58%

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 18, 2026

Last update for Mazatlan: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$666 41.7%

Mazatlan

$614 43.7% 7.8% $52

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$304 19%

Mazatlan

$231 * 16.4% 24.1% $73

Eating Out

Monterrey

$221 13.9%

Mazatlan

$177 12.6% 20.2% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$169 10.6%

Mazatlan

$146 10.4% 13.5% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$155 9.7%

Mazatlan

$127 9% 18.4% $29

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Mazatlan

$59 4.2% 42.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Mazatlan

$52 3.7% 28.5% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $949 in Monterrey versus $799 in Mazatlan. 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 119% 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 $48.00 in Monterrey versus $46.00 in Mazatlan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $304 vs $231 – making Mazatlan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mazatlan

🕒 Local time

13:16 1:16 PM

12:16 12:16 PM

1 h behind Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

441,975

💱 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

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Monterrey Mazatlan 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Mazatlan

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 Mazatlan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,599 in Monterrey, $1,407 in Mazatlan – roughly 14% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,399 per month in Monterrey and $2,110 in Mazatlan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 28% less in Mazatlan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $673 per month in Monterrey and $86.9 in Mazatlan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mazatlan, where all-in costs run around $1,407, than in Monterrey at $1,599. In Mazatlan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monterrey it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mazatlan has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,407 in Mazatlan to $1,599 in Monterrey. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Mazatlan. 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.