Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Zapopan

For one person, living is cheaper in Zapopan: $1,509 a month against $1,599 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Zapopan
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Zapopan Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Zapopan

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Zapopan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,599 in Monterrey versus $1,509 in Zapopan.

Monterrey $1,599
Zapopan $1,509

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,493 in Monterrey versus $2,182 in Zapopan.

Monterrey $2,493
Zapopan $2,182

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Monterrey versus $2,856 in Zapopan.

Monterrey $3,387
Zapopan $2,856

Living in Monterrey is roughly 6% more expensive than in Zapopan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 18% above, Zapopan 11% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 MX$255

$10.79 MX$199

27.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.99 MX$887

$32.37 MX$598

48.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 MX$197

$11.03 MX$204

-3.45%

Cappuccino

$3.99 MX$73.7

$3.63 MX$67.2

9.92%

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

$1.66 MX$30.76

$1.16 MX$21.42

43.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.21

$1.12 MX$20.67

-11.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 MX$43.64

$2.20 MX$40.62

7.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 MX$81.8

$4.39 MX$81.1

0.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MX$33.58

$1.48 MX$27.28

22.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 MX$52.4

$2.63 MX$48.56

7.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.44

$1.16 MX$21.35

65.52%

Eggs

$2.48 MX$45.78

$2.83 MX$52.3

-12.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.74 MX$217

$8.28 MX$153

41.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.10 MX$168

$9.90 MX$183

-8.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.53 MX$232

$9.72 MX$180

28.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 MX$61.6

$2.91 MX$53.7

14.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.10

$1.37 MX$25.41

14.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.86

$1.77 MX$32.64

22.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 MX$45.65

$2.16 MX$39.85

14.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.64

$2.24 MX$41.36

3.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 MX$49.47

$2.48 MX$45.84

8.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 MX$26.90

$1.86 MX$34.38

-21.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$22.07

$1.17 MX$21.57

1.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$5.54 MX$102

-14.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 MX$251

$6.53 MX$121

107.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 MX$35.52

$1.78 MX$32.89

7.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 MX$53.2

$2.85 MX$52.7

1.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.66

$0.54 MX$10.02

46.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

$32.91 MX$608

-4.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 MX$29.44

$2.47 MX$45.58

-35.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.58

$2.40 MX$44.30

-55.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.80 MX$200

$9.32 MX$172

15.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$28.59

$1.49 MX$27.55

4.03%

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

$24.2K MX$446.4K

$24.4K MX$450.2K

-0.86%

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

$24.3K MX$449.4K

$24.0K MX$443.3K

1.37%

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

$117 MX$2,159

$123 MX$2,275

-5.12%

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

$26.38 MX$488

$24.57 MX$454

7.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.04 MX$481

$29.39 MX$543

-11.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.26 MX$559

$43.59 MX$805

-30.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

$13.55 MX$250

56.83%

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 MX$96.6

$5.56 MX$103

-5.94%

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

$673 MX$12.4K

$166 MX$3,061

306.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K MX$205.2K

$6,914 MX$127.8K

60.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 MX$1,332

$45.52 MX$841

58.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.38 MX$783

$25.36 MX$469

67.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,066

$73.6 MX$1,359

51.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,200

$117 MX$2,170

1.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$949 MX$17.5K

$985 MX$18.2K

-3.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$666 MX$12.3K

$656 MX$12.1K

1.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,821 MX$33.7K

$1,671 MX$30.9K

9.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 MX$23.5K

$1,014 MX$18.7K

25.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$74.8K

$5,703 MX$105.4K

-28.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,348 MX$43.4K

$1,501 MX$27.7K

56.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

$979 MX$18.1K

17.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

11.3

4.34%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Last update for Zapopan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$666 41.7%

Zapopan

$656 43.5% 1.6% $11

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$304 19%

Zapopan

$262 17.4% 14% $43

Eating Out

Monterrey

$221 13.9%

Zapopan

$192 12.7% 13.4% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$169 10.6%

Zapopan

$177 11.7% 4.6% $7.8

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$155 9.7%

Zapopan

$118 7.8% 24.2% $38

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Zapopan

$50 3.3% 19.6% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Zapopan

$55 3.6% 34.4% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $949 in Monterrey and $985 in Zapopan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 18% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $48.00 in Monterrey vs $32.00 in Zapopan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $304 vs $262 per month, with Zapopan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇲🇽 Zapopan

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

Same time as Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

1,257,547

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Zapopan 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Zapopan

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 Zapopan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey and Zapopan differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($1,599 vs $1,509 including rent). Zapopan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 18% 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: $949 in Monterrey versus $985 in Zapopan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Zapopan – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $48.00 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,599 per month in Monterrey versus $1,509 in Zapopan – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,509 in Zapopan versus $1,599 in Monterrey, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zapopan but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Zapopan 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 Zapopan 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 Zapopan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.