Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Escondido and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Escondido: $1,151 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Escondido
Learn more

Puerto Escondido Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index

Jump to prices

Puerto Escondido

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,151

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Puerto Escondido and in Monterrey

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Puerto Escondido and in Monterrey actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,151 in Puerto Escondido versus $1,608 in Monterrey.

Puerto Escondido $1,151
Monterrey $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,856 in Puerto Escondido versus $2,521 in Monterrey.

Puerto Escondido $1,856
Monterrey $2,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,561 in Puerto Escondido versus $3,433 in Monterrey.

Puerto Escondido $2,561
Monterrey $3,433

Living in Puerto Escondido costs roughly 28% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Puerto Escondido is 15% below, Monterrey is 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.52 MX$194

$13.85 MX$256

-24.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.96 MX$794

$49.70 MX$918

-13.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.65 MX$160

$11.05 MX$204

-21.72%

Cappuccino

$3.58 MX$66.1

$4.09 MX$75.6

-12.47%

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

$1.42 MX$26.25

$1.68 MX$30.97

-15.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 MX$19.38

$1.03 MX$18.98

1.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 MX$56.2

$2.40 MX$44.28

26.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 MX$74.9

$4.35 MX$80.3

-6.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 MX$34.14

$1.92 MX$35.55

-3.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.84 MX$52.5

$2.94 MX$54.2

-3.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 MX$30.22

$1.88 MX$34.66

-12.77%

Eggs

$2.80 MX$51.7

$2.55 MX$47.06

9.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.20 MX$152

$11.84 MX$219

-30.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.98 MX$203

$9.36 MX$173

17.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.54 MX$213

$13.10 MX$242

-11.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 MX$49.45

$3.38 MX$62.5

-20.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 MX$29.42

$1.52 MX$28.13

4.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.42

$2.19 MX$40.51

-15.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 MX$32.01

$2.36 MX$43.63

-26.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 MX$29.46

$2.26 MX$41.76

-29.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.35

$2.73 MX$50.5

-26.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.28

$1.52 MX$28.17

-2.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 MX$21.15

$1.24 MX$22.90

-8.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.48 MX$82.7

$4.75 MX$87.8

-5.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 MX$191

$13.66 MX$252

-24.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 MX$45.43

$1.89 MX$34.95

30.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 MX$57.1

$2.99 MX$55.2

3.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 MX$15.35

$0.85 MX$15.78

-2.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 MX$51.7

$1.68 MX$30.98

66.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 MX$32.92

$1.13 MX$20.87

57.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.89 MX$183

$11.15 MX$206

-11.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 MX$25.14

$1.56 MX$28.91

-12.82%

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

$18.7K MX$344.9K

$21.4K MX$395.8K

-12.86%

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

$25.2K MX$465.2K

$25.1K MX$463.2K

0.44%

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

$64.7 MX$1,196

$119 MX$2,206

-45.81%

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

$22.92 MX$424

$26.21 MX$484

-12.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.45 MX$674

$26.78 MX$495

36.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.77 MX$513

$31.03 MX$573

-10.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.89 MX$368

$21.43 MX$396

-7.19%

Cinema Ticket

$4.56 MX$84.2

$5.29 MX$97.7

-13.80%

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

$220 MX$4,069

$691 MX$12.8K

-68.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,364 MX$80.6K

$11.5K MX$212.1K

-61.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.88 MX$922

$72.3 MX$1,335

-30.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.79 MX$791

$42.72 MX$789

0.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 MX$1,693

$110 MX$2,024

-16.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.0 MX$1,553

$117 MX$2,158

-28.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$601 MX$11.1K

$970 MX$17.9K

-38.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,061

$664 MX$12.3K

-42.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$960 MX$17.7K

$1,857 MX$34.3K

-48.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$778 MX$14.4K

$1,287 MX$23.8K

-39.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,036 MX$37.6K

$4,162 MX$76.9K

-51.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,289 MX$23.8K

$2,349 MX$43.4K

-45.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$327 MX$6,035

$1,146 MX$21.2K

-71.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

11.79

-4.16%

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

Last update for Puerto Escondido: October 12, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Puerto Escondido

$382 33.2%

Monterrey

$664 41.3% 73.7% $282

Groceries & Markets

Puerto Escondido

$285 24.8%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 8.8% $25

Eating Out

Puerto Escondido

$186 16.2%

Monterrey

$225 14% 20.6% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto Escondido

$124 10.8%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 38.9% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto Escondido

$121 10.5%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 27.2% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto Escondido

$37 3.2%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 12.8% $4.7

Getting Around

Puerto Escondido

$15 * 1.3%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 177% $27

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $601 in Puerto Escondido and $970 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 251% 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: $43.00 in Puerto Escondido vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $310 per month, with Puerto Escondido cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Puerto Escondido

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

20:04 8:04 PM

Same time as Puerto Escondido

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,902

1,142,994

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Puerto Escondido Monterrey 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Puerto Escondido
Monterrey

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

Puerto Escondido vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puerto Escondido and Monterrey differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($1,151 vs $1,608 including rent). Puerto Escondido is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 251% lower in Monterrey. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $601 in Puerto Escondido versus $970 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $220 in Puerto Escondido versus $691 in Monterrey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Puerto Escondido – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $50.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,151 in Puerto Escondido versus $1,608 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Puerto Escondido but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Puerto Escondido 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, Puerto Escondido and Monterrey 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 Puerto Escondido gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.