Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Tena

For one person, living is cheaper in Tena: $831 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Tena
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Tena Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Tena

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$831

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Tena

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Monterrey versus $831 in Tena.

Monterrey $1,608
Tena $831

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,521 in Monterrey versus $1,425 in Tena.

Monterrey $2,521
Tena $1,425

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,433 in Monterrey versus $2,018 in Tena.

Monterrey $3,433
Tena $2,018

Living in Monterrey is roughly 93% more expensive than in Tena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 19% above, Tena is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 MX$256

$6.03 $6.03

129.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 MX$918

$54.9 $54.9

-9.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 MX$204

$7.61 $7.61

45.20%

Cappuccino

$4.09 MX$75.6

$3.39 $3.39

20.65%

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

$1.68 MX$30.97

$1.38 $1.38

21.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$18.98

$1.10 $1.10

-6.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MX$44.28

$3.45 $3.45

-30.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.3

$6.09 $6.09

-28.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.55

$1.15 $1.15

66.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.2

$1.53 $1.53

92.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.66

$1.56 $1.56

20.51%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$47.06

$2.16 $2.16

18.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 MX$219

$6.41 $6.41

84.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 MX$173

$5.63 $5.63

66.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 MX$242

$7.77 $7.77

68.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$2.22 $2.22

52.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.18 $1.18

28.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.51

$1.27 $1.27

72.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.63

$1.13 $1.13

108.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.76

$1.19 $1.19

89.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.5

$1.07 $1.07

155.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.17

$0.92 $0.92

65.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.90

$1.05 $1.05

18.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$5.87 $5.87

-19.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 MX$252

$9.91 $9.91

37.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 MX$34.95

$1.59 $1.59

18.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MX$55.2

$3.17 $3.17

-5.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.78

$0.33 $0.33

157.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

$16.94 $16.94

82.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$30.98

$1.51 $1.51

11.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.87

$0.76 $0.76

48.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 MX$206

$9.95 $9.95

12.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.91

$0.80 $0.80

95.00%

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

$21.4K MX$395.8K

$21.3K $21.3K

0.71%

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

$25.1K MX$463.2K

$28.5K $28.5K

-12.08%

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

$119 MX$2,206

$29.16 $29.16

309.43%

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

$26.21 MX$484

$17.66 $17.66

48.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 MX$495

$28.72 $28.72

-6.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 MX$573

$32.43 $32.43

-4.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

$15.44 $15.44

38.80%

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$97.7

$6.45 $6.45

-17.98%

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

$691 MX$12.8K

$226 $226

205.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$212.1K

$8,840 $8,840

29.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 MX$1,335

$69.8 $69.8

3.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 MX$789

$50.4 $50.4

-15.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,024

$114 $114

-3.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,158

$106 $106

10.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 MX$17.9K

$300 $300

222.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.3K

$186 $186

257.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 MX$34.3K

$728 $728

155.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 MX$23.8K

$417 $417

208.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$76.9K

$1,120 $1,120

271.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 MX$43.4K

$717 $717

227.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

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 10, 2026

Last update for Tena: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

Tena

$186 22.3% 72% $478

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$310 19.3%

Tena

$197 23.8% 36.4% $113

Eating Out

Monterrey

$225 14%

Tena

$151 18.2% 32.7% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$172 10.7%

Tena

$76 9.1% 56.2% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$154 9.6%

Tena

$153 18.4% 0.4% $0.6

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Tena

$24 2.8% 43.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Tena

$45 5.5% 8.9% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $970 in Monterrey and $300 in Tena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $50.0 in Monterrey vs $55.0 in Tena. Groceries flip the comparison at $310 vs $197, with Tena cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇪🇨 Tena

🕒 Local time

03:26 3:26 AM

04:26 4:26 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

16,669

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Tena 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Tena

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 Tena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey and Tena differ by about 93% in total monthly costs ($1,608 vs $831 including rent). Tena is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,412 in Monterrey and $1,247 in Tena 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: $970 in Monterrey versus $300 in Tena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Tena – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $50.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,608 per month in Monterrey versus $831 in Tena – a 93% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $831 in Tena versus $1,608 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Tena but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Tena 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 Tena 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 Tena gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.