Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Tulcán

For one person, living is cheaper in Tulcán: $842 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 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 Tulcán
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Tulcán Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Tulcán

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Tulcán

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Monterrey versus $842 in Tulcán.

Monterrey $1,608
Tulcán $842

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,521 in Monterrey versus $1,430 in Tulcán.

Monterrey $2,521
Tulcán $1,430

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

Monterrey $3,433
Tulcán $2,018

Living in Monterrey is roughly 91% more expensive than in Tulcán, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 MX$256

$6.12 $6.12

126.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 MX$918

$55.1 $55.1

-9.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 MX$204

$7.63 $7.63

44.82%

Cappuccino

$4.09 MX$75.6

$3.34 $3.34

22.46%

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

$1.09 $1.09

-5.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MX$44.28

$3.54 $3.54

-32.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.3

$5.98 $5.98

-27.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.55

$1.14 $1.14

68.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.2

$1.54 $1.54

90.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.66

$1.50 $1.50

25.33%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$47.06

$2.10 $2.10

21.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 MX$219

$6.50 $6.50

82.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 MX$173

$5.74 $5.74

63.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 MX$242

$7.79 $7.79

68.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$2.31 $2.31

46.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.19 $1.19

27.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.51

$1.29 $1.29

69.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.63

$1.08 $1.08

118.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.76

$1.18 $1.18

91.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.5

$1.03 $1.03

165.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.17

$0.85 $0.85

78.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.90

$1.07 $1.07

15.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$6.02 $6.02

-21.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 MX$252

$10.12 $10.12

34.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 MX$34.95

$1.53 $1.53

23.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MX$55.2

$3.03 $3.03

-1.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.78

$0.32 $0.32

165.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

$19.15 $19.15

61.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$30.98

$1.46 $1.46

15.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.87

$1.52 $1.52

-25.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 MX$206

$10.20 $10.20

9.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.91

$0.83 $0.83

87.95%

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

$21.4K MX$395.8K

$21.4K $21.4K

0.32%

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

$25.1K MX$463.2K

$28.4K $28.4K

-11.90%

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

$119 MX$2,206

$28.71 $28.71

315.85%

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

$26.21 MX$484

$18.06 $18.06

45.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 MX$495

$28.53 $28.53

-6.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 MX$573

$34.37 $34.37

-9.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

$17.79 $17.79

20.46%

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$97.7

$6.55 $6.55

-19.24%

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

$691 MX$12.8K

$229 $229

201.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$212.1K

$9,086 $9,086

26.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 MX$1,335

$70.4 $70.4

2.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 MX$789

$48.99 $48.99

-12.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,024

$115 $115

-4.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,158

$107 $107

9.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 MX$17.9K

$343 $343

182.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.3K

$187 $187

255.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 MX$34.3K

$829 $829

124.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 MX$23.8K

$394 $394

226.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$76.9K

$1,153 $1,153

261.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 MX$43.4K

$813 $813

188.90%

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 Tulcán: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

Tulcán

$187 22.2% 71.8% $477

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$310 19.3%

Tulcán

$198 23.5% 36.3% $113

Eating Out

Monterrey

$225 14%

Tulcán

$151 18% 32.5% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$172 10.7%

Tulcán

$75 8.9% 56.3% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$154 9.6%

Tulcán

$154 18.3% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Tulcán

$29 3.5% 29.3% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Tulcán

$47 5.6% 14.1% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $970 in Monterrey and $343 in Tulcán. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $50.0 in Monterrey vs $55.0 in Tulcán. Groceries flip the comparison at $310 vs $198, with Tulcán cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇪🇨 Tulcán

🕒 Local time

00:02 12:02 AM

01:02 1:02 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

82,734

💱 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 Tulcán 3,680 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Tulcán

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 Tulcán: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey and Tulcán differ by about 91% in total monthly costs ($1,608 vs $842 including rent). Tulcán 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 $1,263 in Tulcán 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 $343 in Tulcán. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Tulcán – 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 $842 in Tulcán – a 91% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $842 in Tulcán versus $1,608 in Monterrey, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tulcán but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Tulcán 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 Tulcán gentler on the wallet – expenses run 91% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.