Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Zacatecas

For one person, living is cheaper in Zacatecas: $730 a month against $1,647 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Zacatecas
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Zacatecas Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,647

/mo nomad

Zacatecas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$730

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Zacatecas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,647 in Monterrey versus $730 in Zacatecas.

Monterrey $1,647
Zacatecas $730

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,591 in Monterrey versus $1,155 in Zacatecas.

Monterrey $2,591
Zacatecas $1,155

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,536 in Monterrey versus $1,580 in Zacatecas.

Monterrey $3,536
Zacatecas $1,580

Living in Monterrey is roughly 125% more expensive than in Zacatecas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 21% above, Zacatecas is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.45 MX$252

$6.06 MX$114

121.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.43 MX$908

$31.91 MX$598

51.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$204

$7.17 MX$134

52.02%

Cappuccino

$3.82 MX$71.6

$3.01 MX$56.5

26.91%

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

$1.67 MX$31.24

$1.25 MX$23.47

33.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 MX$18.43

$0.72 MX$13.45

36.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 MX$44.06

$1.84 MX$34.43

27.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MX$82.7

$4.13 MX$77.4

6.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 MX$33.78

$1.35 MX$25.32

33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 MX$52.4

$2.15 MX$40.22

29.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.22

$1.53 MX$28.60

18.95%

Eggs

$2.51 MX$47.11

$2.21 MX$41.39

13.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.09 MX$227

$7.28 MX$137

66.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 MX$176

$5.96 MX$112

57.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.71 MX$238

$9.62 MX$180

32.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 MX$60.1

$1.78 MX$33.33

80.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.08

$1.59 MX$29.82

-5.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 MX$40.21

$1.93 MX$36.11

10.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 MX$43.53

$1.46 MX$27.33

58.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 MX$41.28

$1.99 MX$37.23

10.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 MX$48.71

$1.77 MX$33.20

46.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$27.01

$1.58 MX$29.65

-8.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 MX$22.00

$0.80 MX$14.97

46.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.79 MX$89.8

$4.25 MX$79.7

12.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.22 MX$248

$10.27 MX$193

28.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 MX$36.42

$1.60 MX$29.96

21.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 MX$54.1

$3.35 MX$62.8

-13.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 MX$16.35

$0.53 MX$9.89

64.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.14 MX$584

$16.07 MX$301

93.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MX$31.06

$2.13 MX$39.98

-22.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 MX$20.51

$1.11 MX$20.79

-1.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.67 MX$200

$9.49 MX$178

12.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.63

$1.46 MX$27.36

0.68%

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

$24.2K MX$454.6K

$20.9K MX$392.2K

15.91%

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

$23.6K MX$441.6K

$23.8K MX$445.9K

-0.95%

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

$118 MX$2,210

$22.72 MX$426

418.79%

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

$25.55 MX$479

$7.97 MX$149

220.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.43 MX$496

$24.73 MX$464

6.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.77 MX$577

$24.23 MX$454

26.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 MX$395

$7.96 MX$149

164.70%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$95.5

$4.24 MX$79.6

20.05%

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

$694 MX$13.0K

$235 MX$4,405

195.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K MX$212.3K

$3,243 MX$60.8K

249.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 MX$1,359

$44.83 MX$841

61.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.51 MX$778

$40.16 MX$753

3.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,058

$90.7 MX$1,700

21.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MX$2,155

$42.77 MX$802

168.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 MX$19.8K

$241 MX$4,524

337.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$721 MX$13.5K

$162 MX$3,042

344.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,999 MX$37.5K

$381 MX$7,137

425.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 MX$26.9K

$241 MX$4,515

495.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,219 MX$79.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,731 MX$51.2K

$563 MX$10.6K

384.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,149 MX$21.5K

$408 MX$7,648

181.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

10.8

9.17%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 25, 2026

Last update for Zacatecas: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$721 43.8%

Zacatecas

$162 22.2% 77.5% $559

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$303 18.4%

Zacatecas

$224 30.7% 26% $79

Eating Out

Monterrey

$217 13.2%

Zacatecas

$131 18% 39.5% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$170 10.3%

Zacatecas

$55 7.6% 67.4% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$152 9.3%

Zacatecas

$98 13.5% 35.5% $54

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.5%

Zacatecas

$26 3.5% 38.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Zacatecas

$33 4.5% 20.1% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,056 in Monterrey and $241 in Zacatecas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Monterrey vs $32 in Zacatecas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $303 vs $224 per month, with Zacatecas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇲🇽 Zacatecas

🕒 Local time

14:12 2:12 PM

Same time as Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

138,444

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Zacatecas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,647 in Monterrey and $730 in Zacatecas, so Zacatecas is about 56% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Monterrey is about 2.8 times higher, 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 $241 in Zacatecas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Zacatecas – a meal for two runs $32 versus $48 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,647 per month in Monterrey versus $730 in Zacatecas – Zacatecas is about 56% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $730 in Zacatecas versus $1,647 in Monterrey, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Zacatecas but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Zacatecas 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 Zacatecas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.