Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Sayulita

For one person, living is cheaper in Sayulita: $1,135 a month against $1,641 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Sayulita
Learn more

Sayulita Living Index

Jump to prices

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Sayulita

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,135

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Sayulita

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,641 in Monterrey versus $1,135 in Sayulita.

Monterrey $1,641
Sayulita $1,135

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,573 in Monterrey versus $1,806 in Sayulita.

Monterrey $2,573
Sayulita $1,806

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,504 in Monterrey versus $2,476 in Sayulita.

Monterrey $3,504
Sayulita $2,476

Living in Monterrey is roughly 45% more expensive than in Sayulita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 21% above, Sayulita is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.37 MX$248

$10.37 MX$192

28.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.95 MX$890

$39.43 MX$732

21.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 MX$200

$8.13 MX$151

32.72%

Cappuccino

$3.77 MX$69.9

$3.26 MX$60.4

15.64%

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

$1.51 MX$28.04

$1.29 MX$23.91

17.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.10

$0.91 MX$16.98

13.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 MX$46.05

$2.15 MX$39.91

15.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MX$80.9

$3.99 MX$74.1

9.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.43 MX$26.57

32.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 MX$52.9

$2.63 MX$48.90

8.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.44

$1.63 MX$30.27

14.11%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$45.77

$2.34 MX$43.40

5.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.81 MX$219

$8.23 MX$153

43.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 MX$166

$7.96 MX$148

12.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$233

$10.64 MX$197

18.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 MX$59.3

$2.61 MX$48.51

22.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$27.90

$1.40 MX$25.92

7.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.43

$1.78 MX$33.03

19.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 MX$43.30

$1.69 MX$31.43

37.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$41.26

$1.85 MX$34.36

20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 MX$47.97

$1.94 MX$35.95

32.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$26.83

$1.22 MX$22.62

18.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.67

$0.98 MX$18.12

24.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 MX$89.0

$4.17 MX$77.3

15.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 MX$247

$10.93 MX$203

21.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MX$35.86

$1.61 MX$29.81

19.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 MX$53.0

$2.87 MX$53.3

-0.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.82

$0.66 MX$12.20

21.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$574

$30.75 MX$571

0.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 MX$34.01

$2.66 MX$49.34

-31.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.62

$1.61 MX$29.84

-34.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.82 MX$201

$8.08 MX$150

33.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.33

$1.27 MX$23.49

15.75%

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

$24.1K MX$446.9K

$21.0K MX$390.2K

14.54%

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

$23.5K MX$436.8K

$22.0K MX$409.2K

6.74%

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

$115 MX$2,127

$56.7 MX$1,052

102.13%

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

$26.37 MX$489

$22.35 MX$415

17.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.70 MX$477

$28.37 MX$527

-9.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.53 MX$567

$36.51 MX$678

-16.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$395

$16.17 MX$300

31.54%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 MX$92.0

$4.53 MX$84.0

9.49%

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

$679 MX$12.6K

$207 MX$3,851

227.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K MX$263.2K

$3,622 MX$67.2K

291.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MX$1,340

$52.6 MX$976

37.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 MX$778

$38.96 MX$723

7.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$1,995

$92.1 MX$1,710

16.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,202

$78.6 MX$1,459

50.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 MX$18.9K

$513 MX$9,524

98.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 MX$13.4K

$395 MX$7,326

82.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 MX$36.5K

$942 MX$17.5K

108.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 MX$26.3K

$762 MX$14.1K

85.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.0K

$1,781 MX$33.0K

136.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$51.6K

$1,154 MX$21.4K

141.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

11.48

2.70%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sayulita: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$722 44%

Sayulita

$395 34.8% 45.3% $327

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$302 18.4%

Sayulita

$252 22.2% 16.7% $50

Eating Out

Monterrey

$216 13.2%

Sayulita

$174 15.3% 19.4% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$167 10.2%

Sayulita

$107 9.5% 35.6% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$153 9.3%

Sayulita

$118 10.4% 22.9% $35

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Sayulita

$44 3.9% 6.9% $2.8

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$40 2.5%

Sayulita

$46 4% 12.6% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,018 in Monterrey and $513 in Sayulita. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Monterrey vs $39 in Sayulita for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $252 per month, with Sayulita cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇲🇽 Sayulita

🕒 Local time

09:33 9:33 AM

Same time as Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

5,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Monterrey Sayulita 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Sayulita

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 Sayulita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,641 in Monterrey and $1,135 in Sayulita, so Sayulita is about 31% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,461 in Monterrey and $1,703 in Sayulita to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,018 in Monterrey versus $513 in Sayulita. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $679 in Monterrey versus $207 in Sayulita. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sayulita – a meal for two runs $39 versus $48 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Sayulita gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.