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

😐 Solo nomad: Monterrey is 26.5% more expensive than Mexicali without rent, and 49.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Monterrey is 62.6% more expensive than Mexicali without rent, and 67.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Monterrey
Mexicali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.21 MX$228
$11.90 MX$206
11.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$52.0 MX$899
$31.15 MX$539
66.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.11 MX$175
$6.33 MX$109
59.72%
Cappuccino
$3.59 MX$62.0
$2.62 MX$45.37
37.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$25.15
$1.14 MX$19.73
27.19%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.05 MX$18.14
$0.98 MX$16.91
7.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.61 MX$45.08
$1.29 MX$22.37
102.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.28 MX$74.1
$4.07 MX$70.3
5.16%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Monterrey
Mexicali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.59 MX$27.55
$1.22 MX$21.07
30.33%
White Bread (500g)
$2.68 MX$46.39
$2.28 MX$39.49
17.54%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.90 MX$32.81
$1.47 MX$25.48
29.25%
Eggs
$2.66 MX$46.06
$2.61 MX$45.16
1.92%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.14 MX$175
$2.32 MX$40.13
337.07%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.16 MX$158
$5.76 MX$99.6
59.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.73 MX$237
$6.19 MX$107
121.81%
Apples (1kg)
$3.06 MX$52.8
$1.56 MX$26.89
96.15%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 MX$25.18
$1.35 MX$23.39
8.15%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$35.16
$1.34 MX$23.24
51.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 MX$35.96
$1.61 MX$27.84
29.19%
Potato (1kg)
$2.30 MX$39.77
$1.35 MX$23.38
70.37%
Onion (1kg)
$2.48 MX$42.96
$1.34 MX$23.11
85.07%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.53 MX$26.39
$1.06 MX$18.36
44.34%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$18.77
$0.81 MX$13.98
34.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.13 MX$71.4
$3.96 MX$68.5
4.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.73 MX$203
$8.92 MX$154
31.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 MX$30.68
$1.93 MX$33.29
-8.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.20 MX$55.4
$3.37 MX$58.3
-5.04%
🚌 Getting Around
Monterrey
Mexicali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.76 MX$13.21
$0.99 MX$17.12
-23.23%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$40.42 MX$699
$33.25 MX$575
21.56%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.74 MX$30.07
$2.79 MX$48.26
-37.63%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.01 MX$17.46
$1.56 MX$26.95
-35.26%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.63 MX$184
$3.16 MX$54.6
236.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 MX$22.77
$1.31 MX$22.57
0.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.7K MX$461.6K
$23.2K MX$400.7K
15.21%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.7K MX$444.8K
$21.0K MX$362.3K
22.77%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monterrey
Mexicali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$121 MX$2,094
$55.8 MX$964
117.24%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.93 MX$483
$22.38 MX$387
24.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.23 MX$523
$31.66 MX$547
-4.52%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Monterrey
Mexicali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.55 MX$649
$37.82 MX$654
-0.71%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.67 MX$375
$16.01 MX$277
35.35%
Cinema Ticket
$5.73 MX$99.0
$4.05 MX$70.0
41.48%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Monterrey
Mexicali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$348 MX$6,011
$206 MX$3,554
69.14%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,022 MX$156.0K
$2,711 MX$46.9K
232.79%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Monterrey
Mexicali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.0 MX$1,020
$26.67 MX$461
121.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.88 MX$724
$31.38 MX$543
33.46%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$109 MX$1,880
$73.6 MX$1,272
47.81%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$128 MX$2,213
$69.5 MX$1,202
84.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Monterrey
Mexicali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$910 MX$15.7K
$646 MX$11.2K
40.92%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$648 MX$11.2K
$399 MX$6,893
62.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,604 MX$27.7K
$1,171 MX$20.2K
36.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,416 MX$24.5K
$668 MX$11.6K
111.92%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,142 MX$71.6K
$2,815 MX$48.7K
47.10%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,925 MX$50.6K
$1,533 MX$26.5K
90.82%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Monterrey
Mexicali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,141 MX$19.7K
$896 MX$15.5K
27.34%
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: April 11, 2026

Last update for Mexicali: April 12, 2026

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

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