Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Quito

For one person, living is cheaper in Quito: $979 a month against $1,607 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Quito
Learn more

Quito Living Index

Jump to prices

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Quito

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,607 in Monterrey versus $979 in Quito.

Monterrey $1,607
Quito $979

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,512 in Monterrey versus $1,607 in Quito.

Monterrey $2,512
Quito $1,607

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,417 in Monterrey versus $2,234 in Quito.

Monterrey $3,417
Quito $2,234

Living in Monterrey is roughly 64% more expensive than in Quito, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 20% above, Quito is 27% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.75 MX$250

$6.14 $6.14

123.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 MX$913

$53.9 $53.9

-6.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 MX$203

$7.81 $7.81

42.51%

Cappuccino

$4.04 MX$73.5

$3.42 $3.42

18.13%

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

$1.70 MX$31.00

$1.44 $1.44

18.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.00

$1.14 $1.14

-13.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MX$43.80

$3.48 $3.48

-30.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MX$81.6

$5.89 $5.89

-23.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$34.98

$1.14 $1.14

68.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 MX$52.6

$1.54 $1.54

87.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.34

$1.51 $1.51

28.48%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$45.47

$2.16 $2.16

15.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.30 MX$224

$6.40 $6.40

92.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$170

$5.48 $5.48

70.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.07 MX$238

$7.81 $7.81

67.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$61.5

$2.33 $2.33

45.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 MX$28.75

$1.24 $1.24

27.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 MX$40.07

$1.31 $1.31

67.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 MX$44.48

$1.14 $1.14

114.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.09

$1.21 $1.21

86.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 MX$49.89

$1.02 $1.02

168.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 MX$27.83

$0.93 $0.93

64.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$22.94

$1.05 $1.05

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.84 MX$88.1

$6.02 $6.02

-19.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 MX$247

$9.93 $9.93

36.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 MX$34.69

$1.59 $1.59

20.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 MX$55.8

$3.08 $3.08

-0.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.47

$0.37 $0.37

116.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.77 MX$578

$20.95 $20.95

51.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 MX$29.50

$1.54 $1.54

5.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 MX$19.99

$1.53 $1.53

-28.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.97 MX$199

$10.01 $10.01

9.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.68

$0.87 $0.87

74.71%

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

$21.4K MX$388.7K

$21.0K $21.0K

1.84%

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

$25.5K MX$463.3K

$28.6K $28.6K

-10.80%

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

$120 MX$2,178

$28.97 $28.97

313.26%

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

$27.08 MX$493

$17.57 $17.57

54.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.70 MX$486

$28.14 $28.14

-5.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.15 MX$567

$46.48 $46.48

-32.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.95 MX$399

$17.70 $17.70

24.01%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$93.5

$6.38 $6.38

-19.44%

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

$688 MX$12.5K

$746 $746

-7.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$207.9K

$9,015 $9,015

26.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 MX$1,308

$68.8 $68.8

4.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.30 MX$788

$50.4 $50.4

-14.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,040

$117 $117

-4.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 MX$2,216

$109 $109

11.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 MX$17.4K

$478 $478

100.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 MX$12.2K

$313 $313

114.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 MX$34.3K

$967 $967

95.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 MX$23.7K

$549 $549

137.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,159 MX$75.7K

$1,763 $1,763

135.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,437 MX$44.3K

$720 $720

238.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,133 MX$20.6K

$597 $597

89.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

10.12

16.50%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Last update for Quito: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$670 41.4%

Quito

$313 31.8% 53.3% $357

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$312 19.3%

Quito

$198 20.1% 36.8% $115

Eating Out

Monterrey

$224 13.8%

Quito

$153 15.5% 31.6% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$174 10.7%

Quito

$75 7.6% 57% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$157 9.7%

Quito

$156 15.8% 1% $1.6

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Quito

$32 3.2% 24.8% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Quito

$59 6% 43% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $957 in Monterrey and $478 in Quito. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 90% 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 $54.0 in Quito. Groceries flip the comparison at $312 vs $198, with Quito cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇪🇨 Quito

🕒 Local time

23:26 11:26 PM

00:26 12:26 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

2,671,191 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Monterrey Quito 3,710 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Quito

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 Quito: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey and Quito differ by about 64% in total monthly costs ($1,607 vs $979 including rent). Quito is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 90% 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: $957 in Monterrey versus $478 in Quito. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Quito – a meal for two runs $54.0 versus $50.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,607 per month in Monterrey versus $979 in Quito – a 64% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $979 in Quito versus $1,607 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Quito but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Quito 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.

Expats usually find Quito gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.