Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Mexicali Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Mexicali

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Monterrey is 36.8% more expensive than Mexicali without rent, and 50.1% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Monterrey is 49% more expensive than Mexicali without rent, and 62.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Monterrey
Mexicali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.45 MX$254
$12.13 MX$229
10.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$53.6 MX$1,013
$31.13 MX$589
72.15%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.45 MX$198
$6.52 MX$123
60.28%
Cappuccino
$3.69 MX$69.7
$2.61 MX$49.41
41.38%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.29
$1.1 MX$20.83
30.91%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.99 MX$18.72
$0.98 MX$18.58
1.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.62 MX$49.49
$1.33 MX$25.17
96.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.27 MX$80.8
$4.02 MX$76
6.22%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Monterrey
Mexicali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.65 MX$31.24
$1.22 MX$22.97
35.25%
White Bread (500g)
$2.63 MX$49.78
$2.29 MX$43.22
14.85%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.86 MX$35.1
$1.42 MX$26.91
30.99%
Eggs
$2.72 MX$51.4
$2.75 MX$52
-1.09%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.13 MX$191
$2.41 MX$45.51
320.33%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.06 MX$171
$5.8 MX$110
56.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.66 MX$258
$6.49 MX$123
110.48%
Apples (1kg)
$3.04 MX$57.5
$1.56 MX$29.49
94.87%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 MX$27.52
$1.35 MX$25.51
8.15%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$38.39
$1.29 MX$24.42
57.36%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 MX$39.26
$1.6 MX$30.29
30.00%
Potato (1kg)
$2.23 MX$42.09
$1.34 MX$25.29
66.42%
Onion (1kg)
$2.53 MX$47.89
$1.34 MX$25.24
88.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.5 MX$28.33
$1.05 MX$19.83
42.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$20.4
$0.81 MX$15.26
33.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$80.8
$3.87 MX$73.2
10.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.62 MX$257
$7.91 MX$150
72.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.44
$1.94 MX$36.75
-11.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.16 MX$59.8
$3.26 MX$61.6
-3.07%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Monterrey
Mexicali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.83 MX$15.62
$0.95 MX$17.87
-12.63%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$40.3 MX$762
$33.79 MX$639
19.27%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.7 MX$32.18
$2.81 MX$53.2
-39.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.01 MX$19.06
$1.54 MX$29.17
-34.42%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.55 MX$199
$3.14 MX$59.5
235.99%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.3 MX$24.5
$1.3 MX$24.5
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.6K MX$502.3K
$23.5K MX$443.9K
13.16%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.6K MX$484.3K
$21K MX$396.4K
22.17%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monterrey
Mexicali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$121 MX$2,296
$57.2 MX$1,081
112.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.79 MX$525
$21.77 MX$412
27.65%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.17 MX$570
$30.94 MX$585
-2.49%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Monterrey
Mexicali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.83 MX$715
$38.06 MX$720
-0.60%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.73 MX$411
$15.58 MX$295
39.47%
Cinema Ticket
$5.99 MX$113
$3.86 MX$73
55.18%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Monterrey
Mexicali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$346 MX$6,550
$204 MX$3,863
69.56%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,005 MX$170.2K
$2,748 MX$51.9K
227.76%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Monterrey
Mexicali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.1 MX$1,099
$26.9 MX$509
116.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.69 MX$788
$32.34 MX$611
28.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 MX$2,030
$74.9 MX$1,417
43.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$127 MX$2,398
$70.3 MX$1,329
80.38%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Monterrey
Mexicali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$888 MX$16.8K
$624 MX$11.8K
42.34%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$654 MX$12.4K
$391 MX$7,396
67.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,585 MX$30K
$1,203 MX$22.8K
31.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,412 MX$26.7K
$665 MX$12.6K
112.22%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,043 MX$57.5K
$2,589 MX$48.9K
17.51%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,611 MX$68.3K
$1,447 MX$27.4K
149.46%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Monterrey
Mexicali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,026 MX$19.4K
$848 MX$16K
21.06%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.55
11.5
0.43%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Monterrey: October 28, 2025

Last update for Mexicali: October 27, 2025

Join the CityCost newsletter โ€“ low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.