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

😐 Solo nomad: Monterrey is 59.8% more expensive than Mexicali without rent, and 49.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Monterrey is 48.7% more expensive than Mexicali without rent, and 65.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Monterrey
Mexicali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.16 MX$232
$12.02 MX$211
9.48%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$52.2 MX$918
$32.32 MX$569
61.45%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.35 MX$182
$6.36 MX$112
62.74%
Cappuccino
$3.62 MX$63.6
$2.70 MX$47.46
34.07%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.46 MX$25.61
$1.16 MX$20.40
25.86%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.99 MX$17.41
$0.97 MX$17.13
2.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.72 MX$47.81
$1.35 MX$23.67
101.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 MX$74.8
$3.99 MX$70.1
6.52%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Monterrey
Mexicali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 MX$29.22
$1.16 MX$20.36
43.10%
White Bread (500g)
$2.63 MX$46.31
$2.28 MX$40.19
15.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.86 MX$32.70
$1.48 MX$26.08
25.68%
Eggs
$2.57 MX$45.16
$2.60 MX$45.65
-1.15%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.41 MX$183
$2.43 MX$42.79
328.40%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.89 MX$156
$5.63 MX$99.1
57.90%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.37 MX$235
$6.27 MX$110
113.24%
Apples (1kg)
$3.04 MX$53.5
$1.60 MX$28.17
90.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.47 MX$25.81
$1.33 MX$23.48
10.53%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.08 MX$36.65
$1.35 MX$23.80
54.07%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.07 MX$36.38
$1.61 MX$28.25
28.57%
Potato (1kg)
$2.33 MX$40.95
$1.30 MX$22.81
79.23%
Onion (1kg)
$2.53 MX$44.57
$1.34 MX$23.55
88.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.51 MX$26.62
$1.05 MX$18.54
43.81%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.12 MX$19.65
$0.77 MX$13.55
45.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.11 MX$72.3
$3.94 MX$69.3
4.31%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.76 MX$207
$8.84 MX$155
33.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 MX$29.86
$1.94 MX$34.15
-12.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.17 MX$55.8
$3.21 MX$56.4
-1.25%
🚌 Getting Around
Monterrey
Mexicali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.76 MX$13.35
$1.00 MX$17.64
-24.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$40.42 MX$711
$33.75 MX$594
19.76%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.76 MX$30.94
$2.83 MX$49.70
-37.81%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.99 MX$17.44
$1.59 MX$28.04
-37.74%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.52 MX$185
$3.26 MX$57.4
222.70%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$23.05
$1.26 MX$22.11
3.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.3K MX$462.1K
$22.9K MX$403.3K
14.58%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.2K MX$460.7K
$20.4K MX$358.8K
28.39%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monterrey
Mexicali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$121 MX$2,121
$55.6 MX$978
116.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.41 MX$482
$22.20 MX$391
23.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.53 MX$520
$31.55 MX$555
-6.40%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Monterrey
Mexicali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.37 MX$657
$38.85 MX$683
-3.81%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.92 MX$386
$15.99 MX$281
37.09%
Cinema Ticket
$5.90 MX$104
$3.99 MX$70.1
47.87%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Monterrey
Mexicali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$342 MX$6,016
$205 MX$3,610
66.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,875 MX$156.1K
$2,713 MX$47.7K
227.14%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Monterrey
Mexicali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.8 MX$1,052
$26.48 MX$466
125.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.21 MX$760
$32.15 MX$566
34.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 MX$1,907
$75.0 MX$1,320
44.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$127 MX$2,235
$69.6 MX$1,225
82.44%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Monterrey
Mexicali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$886 MX$15.6K
$625 MX$11.0K
41.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$667 MX$11.7K
$401 MX$7,050
66.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,556 MX$27.4K
$1,206 MX$21.2K
29.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,383 MX$24.3K
$649 MX$11.4K
113.03%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,354 MX$76.6K
$2,823 MX$49.7K
54.20%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,842 MX$50.0K
$1,519 MX$26.7K
87.11%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Monterrey
Mexicali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,059 MX$18.6K
$909 MX$16.0K
16.52%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.55
11.5
0.43%

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

Last update for Monterrey: March 3, 2026

Last update for Mexicali: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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