Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Mexicali

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexicali: $927 a month against $1,647 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Mexicali
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Mexicali Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,647

/mo nomad

Mexicali

🇲🇽 Mexico

$927

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Mexicali

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Monterrey vs $927 in Mexicali, rent included.

Monterrey $1,647
Mexicali $927

A couple spends around $2,591 per month in Monterrey vs $1,485 in Mexicali, rent included.

Monterrey $2,591
Mexicali $1,485

A family of three spends $3,536 per month in Monterrey vs $2,042 in Mexicali, rent included.

Monterrey $3,536
Mexicali $2,042

Monterrey costs about 78% more than Mexicali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Monterrey sits 21% above the global median, while Mexicali is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.45 MX$253

$12.33 MX$232

9.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.43 MX$909

$33.01 MX$620

46.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$205

$6.49 MX$122

67.95%

Cappuccino

$3.82 MX$71.7

$3.33 MX$62.4

14.71%

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

$1.67 MX$31.28

$1.37 MX$25.80

21.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 MX$18.45

$1.07 MX$20.01

-8.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 MX$44.12

$3.21 MX$60.4

-26.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MX$82.8

$4.03 MX$75.6

9.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 MX$33.82

$1.20 MX$22.46

50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 MX$52.4

$2.32 MX$43.49

20.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.26

$1.44 MX$26.97

26.39%

Eggs

$2.51 MX$47.17

$2.67 MX$50.2

-5.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.09 MX$227

$2.40 MX$45.00

403.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 MX$177

$6.04 MX$113

55.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.71 MX$239

$6.60 MX$124

92.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 MX$60.2

$1.61 MX$30.17

99.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.12

$1.31 MX$24.64

14.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 MX$40.26

$1.37 MX$25.67

56.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 MX$43.58

$1.57 MX$29.42

47.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 MX$41.34

$1.37 MX$25.75

60.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 MX$48.78

$1.38 MX$25.93

88.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$27.04

$1.34 MX$25.13

7.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 MX$22.03

$0.77 MX$14.50

51.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.79 MX$89.9

$4.01 MX$75.3

19.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.22 MX$248

$7.99 MX$150

65.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 MX$36.47

$1.96 MX$36.84

-1.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 MX$54.2

$3.99 MX$74.9

-27.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 MX$16.37

$1.02 MX$19.19

-14.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.14 MX$585

$34.66 MX$651

-10.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MX$31.10

$2.80 MX$52.5

-40.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 MX$20.53

$2.19 MX$41.18

-50.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.67 MX$200

$19.17 MX$360

-44.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.66

$1.37 MX$25.76

7.30%

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

$24.2K MX$455.2K

$24.5K MX$460.8K

-1.22%

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

$23.6K MX$442.2K

$23.1K MX$433.7K

1.95%

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

$118 MX$2,213

$47.16 MX$885

149.94%

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

$25.55 MX$480

$21.80 MX$409

17.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.43 MX$496

$28.74 MX$540

-8.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.77 MX$578

$39.07 MX$733

-21.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 MX$396

$16.32 MX$306

29.11%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$95.6

$3.99 MX$74.8

27.57%

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

$694 MX$13.0K

$198 MX$3,722

250.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K MX$212.5K

$4,438 MX$83.3K

155.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 MX$1,360

$33.30 MX$625

117.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.51 MX$779

$32.11 MX$603

29.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,060

$75.5 MX$1,418

45.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MX$2,158

$37.44 MX$703

207.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 MX$19.8K

$967 MX$18.1K

9.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$721 MX$13.5K

$265 MX$4,970

172.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,999 MX$37.5K

$1,370 MX$25.7K

45.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 MX$26.9K

$534 MX$10.0K

168.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,219 MX$79.2K

$2,628 MX$49.3K

60.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,731 MX$51.3K

$1,427 MX$26.8K

91.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,149 MX$21.6K

$837 MX$15.7K

37.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

12.07

-2.32%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexicali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$721 43.8%

Mexicali

$265 28.5% 63.3% $457

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$303 18.4%

Mexicali

$193 20.8% 36.3% $110

Eating Out

Monterrey

$217 13.2%

Mexicali

$192 20.7% 11.7% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$170 10.3%

Mexicali

$98 10.5% 42.5% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$152 9.3%

Mexicali

$80 8.7% 47.3% $72

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.5%

Mexicali

$53 5.7% 25.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Mexicali

$47 5.1% 14.9% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,056 in Monterrey versus $967 in Mexicali. 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 37% 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 in Monterrey versus $33 in Mexicali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $303 vs $193 – making Mexicali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexicali

🕒 Local time

12:17 12:17 PM

10:17 10:17 AM

2 h behind Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

854,186

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Mexicali 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Mexicali

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 Mexicali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,647 in Monterrey, $927 in Mexicali – Mexicali comes out roughly 44% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,470 per month in Monterrey and $1,391 in Mexicali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,056 in Monterrey and $967 in Mexicali. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 57% more in Monterrey, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Monterrey and $33 in Mexicali. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Mexicali, where all-in costs run around $927, than in Monterrey at $1,647. In Mexicali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monterrey it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mexicali – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Mexicali. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Monterrey makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.