Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Zacapoaxtla

For one person, living is cheaper in Zacapoaxtla: $1,055 a month against $1,647 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Zacapoaxtla
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Zacapoaxtla Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,647

/mo nomad

Zacapoaxtla

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,055

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Zacapoaxtla

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,647 in Monterrey versus $1,055 in Zacapoaxtla.

Monterrey $1,647
Zacapoaxtla $1,055

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,591 in Monterrey versus $1,651 in Zacapoaxtla.

Monterrey $2,591
Zacapoaxtla $1,651

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,536 in Monterrey versus $2,246 in Zacapoaxtla.

Monterrey $3,536
Zacapoaxtla $2,246

Living in Monterrey is roughly 56% more expensive than in Zacapoaxtla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 21% above, Zacapoaxtla is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.45 MX$251

$4.67 MX$87.3

188.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.43 MX$905

$48.73 MX$911

-0.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$204

$5.50 MX$103

98.18%

Cappuccino

$3.82 MX$71.3

$1.92 MX$35.79

98.96%

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

$1.67 MX$31.14

$0.95 MX$17.84

75.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 MX$18.37

$1.22 MX$22.73

-19.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 MX$43.91

$1.20 MX$22.45

95.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MX$82.4

$2.14 MX$39.96

106.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 MX$33.66

$1.25 MX$23.40

44.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 MX$52.2

$1.12 MX$20.88

149.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.10

$1.06 MX$19.89

71.70%

Eggs

$2.51 MX$46.95

$1.65 MX$30.90

52.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.09 MX$226

$11.41 MX$213

5.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 MX$176

$4.56 MX$85.2

106.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.71 MX$237

$4.96 MX$92.7

156.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 MX$59.9

$1.59 MX$29.69

101.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$27.99

$1.26 MX$23.63

19.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 MX$40.07

$0.52 MX$9.68

311.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 MX$43.38

$0.72 MX$13.45

222.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 MX$41.14

$0.77 MX$14.39

185.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 MX$48.55

$1.05 MX$19.63

147.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$0.92 MX$17.26

56.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 MX$21.93

$0.96 MX$17.93

21.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.79 MX$89.5

$4.19 MX$78.3

14.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.22 MX$247

$13.02 MX$243

1.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 MX$36.30

$1.11 MX$20.78

74.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 MX$53.9

$4.44 MX$82.9

-34.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 MX$16.30

$0.62 MX$11.65

40.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.14 MX$582

$30.07 MX$562

3.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MX$30.96

$1.07 MX$19.90

55.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 MX$20.44

$0.53 MX$9.93

105.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.67 MX$199

$5.48 MX$102

94.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.53

$1.41 MX$26.36

4.26%

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

$24.2K MX$453.0K

$13.8K MX$257.9K

75.66%

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

$23.6K MX$440.1K

$24.3K MX$453.3K

-2.91%

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

$118 MX$2,202

$43.05 MX$804

173.80%

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

$25.55 MX$477

$26.42 MX$494

-3.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.43 MX$494

$31.94 MX$597

-17.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.77 MX$575

$30.23 MX$565

1.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 MX$394

$17.11 MX$320

23.14%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$95.1

$6.33 MX$118

-19.59%

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

$694 MX$13.0K

$439 MX$8,212

57.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K MX$211.5K

$4,535 MX$84.7K

149.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 MX$1,354

$68.5 MX$1,279

5.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.51 MX$776

$52.9 MX$988

-21.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,050

$106 MX$1,974

3.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MX$2,148

$114 MX$2,139

0.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 MX$19.7K

$607 MX$11.3K

73.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$721 MX$13.5K

$437 MX$8,170

64.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,999 MX$37.4K

$1,014 MX$18.9K

97.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 MX$26.8K

$752 MX$14.1K

90.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,219 MX$78.8K

$1,853 MX$34.6K

127.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,731 MX$51.0K

$1,018 MX$19.0K

168.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,149 MX$21.5K

$597 MX$11.2K

92.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

11.35

3.88%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 25, 2026

Last update for Zacapoaxtla: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$721 43.8%

Zacapoaxtla

$437 41.4% 39.4% $284

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$303 18.4%

Zacapoaxtla

$188 17.8% 38.1% $116

Eating Out

Monterrey

$217 13.2%

Zacapoaxtla

$96 9.1% 55.9% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$170 10.3%

Zacapoaxtla

$101 9.6% 40.3% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$152 9.3%

Zacapoaxtla

$154 14.6% 0.8% $1.3

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.5%

Zacapoaxtla

$36 3.4% 13.1% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Zacapoaxtla

$43 4.1% 4.8% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,056 in Monterrey and $607 in Zacapoaxtla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 92% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Monterrey vs $49 in Zacapoaxtla. Groceries flip the comparison at $303 vs $188, with Zacapoaxtla cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇲🇽 Zacapoaxtla

🕒 Local time

04:06 4:06 AM

Same time as Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

8,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Zacapoaxtla 700 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Zacapoaxtla

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 Zacapoaxtla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey and Zacapoaxtla differ by about 56% in total monthly costs ($1,647 vs $1,055 including rent). Zacapoaxtla is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 92% 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: $1,056 in Monterrey versus $607 in Zacapoaxtla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $694 in Monterrey versus $439 in Zacapoaxtla. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Zacapoaxtla runs roughly 3% less than in Monterrey. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Zacapoaxtla is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Zacapoaxtla wins on affordability, Monterrey on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.