Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Puerto Escondido

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Escondido: $1,151 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Escondido
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Puerto Escondido Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Puerto Escondido

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,151

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Puerto Escondido

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Monterrey versus $1,151 in Puerto Escondido.

Monterrey $1,608
Puerto Escondido $1,151

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,521 in Monterrey versus $1,856 in Puerto Escondido.

Monterrey $2,521
Puerto Escondido $1,856

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,433 in Monterrey versus $2,561 in Puerto Escondido.

Monterrey $3,433
Puerto Escondido $2,561

Living in Monterrey is roughly 40% more expensive than in Puerto Escondido, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 19% above, Puerto Escondido is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 MX$256

$10.52 MX$194

31.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 MX$918

$42.96 MX$794

15.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 MX$204

$8.65 MX$160

27.75%

Cappuccino

$4.09 MX$75.6

$3.58 MX$66.1

14.25%

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

$1.68 MX$30.97

$1.42 MX$26.25

18.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$18.98

$1.05 MX$19.38

-1.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MX$44.28

$3.04 MX$56.2

-21.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.3

$4.05 MX$74.9

7.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.55

$1.85 MX$34.14

3.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.2

$2.84 MX$52.5

3.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.66

$1.64 MX$30.22

14.63%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$47.06

$2.80 MX$51.7

-8.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 MX$219

$8.20 MX$152

44.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 MX$173

$10.98 MX$203

-14.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 MX$242

$11.54 MX$213

13.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$2.68 MX$49.45

26.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.59 MX$29.42

-4.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.51

$1.86 MX$34.42

17.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.63

$1.73 MX$32.01

36.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.76

$1.59 MX$29.46

42.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.02 MX$37.35

35.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.17

$1.48 MX$27.28

2.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.90

$1.14 MX$21.15

8.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$4.48 MX$82.7

6.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 MX$252

$10.36 MX$191

31.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 MX$34.95

$2.46 MX$45.43

-23.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MX$55.2

$3.09 MX$57.1

-3.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.78

$0.83 MX$15.35

2.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$30.98

$2.80 MX$51.7

-40.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.87

$1.78 MX$32.92

-36.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 MX$206

$9.89 MX$183

12.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.91

$1.36 MX$25.14

14.71%

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

$21.4K MX$395.8K

$18.7K MX$344.9K

14.76%

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

$25.1K MX$463.2K

$25.2K MX$465.2K

-0.44%

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

$119 MX$2,206

$64.7 MX$1,196

84.53%

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

$26.21 MX$484

$22.92 MX$424

14.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 MX$495

$36.45 MX$674

-26.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 MX$573

$27.77 MX$513

11.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

$19.89 MX$368

7.74%

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$97.7

$4.56 MX$84.2

16.01%

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

$691 MX$12.8K

$220 MX$4,069

213.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$212.1K

$4,364 MX$80.6K

162.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 MX$1,335

$49.88 MX$922

44.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 MX$789

$42.79 MX$791

-0.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,024

$91.6 MX$1,693

19.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,158

$84.0 MX$1,553

38.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 MX$17.9K

$601 MX$11.1K

61.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.3K

$382 MX$7,061

73.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 MX$34.3K

$960 MX$17.7K

93.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 MX$23.8K

$778 MX$14.4K

65.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$76.9K

$2,036 MX$37.6K

104.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 MX$43.4K

$1,289 MX$23.8K

82.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

$327 MX$6,035

251.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

11.3

4.34%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Last update for Puerto Escondido: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

Puerto Escondido

$382 33.2% 42.4% $282

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$310 19.3%

Puerto Escondido

$285 24.8% 8.1% $25

Eating Out

Monterrey

$225 14%

Puerto Escondido

$186 16.2% 17.1% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$172 10.7%

Puerto Escondido

$124 10.8% 28% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$154 9.6%

Puerto Escondido

$121 10.5% 21.4% $33

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Puerto Escondido

$15 * 1.3% 63.9% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Puerto Escondido

$37 3.2% 11.4% $4.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $970 in Monterrey and $601 in Puerto Escondido. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 251% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $50.0 in Monterrey vs $43.00 in Puerto Escondido for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $285 per month, with Puerto Escondido cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇲🇽 Puerto Escondido

🕒 Local time

21:42 9:42 PM

Same time as Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

25,902

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Puerto Escondido 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Puerto Escondido

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 Puerto Escondido: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey and Puerto Escondido differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($1,608 vs $1,151 including rent). Puerto Escondido is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 251% higher in Monterrey, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $970 in Monterrey versus $601 in Puerto Escondido. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $691 in Monterrey versus $220 in Puerto Escondido. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Puerto Escondido – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $50.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,151 in Puerto Escondido versus $1,608 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Puerto Escondido but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Puerto Escondido the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Monterrey and Puerto Escondido are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Puerto Escondido gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.