Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quito and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Quito: $979 a month against $1,607 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Quito
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Quito Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$979

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Quito 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 Quito and in Monterrey actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $979 in Quito versus $1,607 in Monterrey.

Quito $979
Monterrey $1,607

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,607 in Quito versus $2,512 in Monterrey.

Quito $1,607
Monterrey $2,512

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,234 in Quito versus $3,417 in Monterrey.

Quito $2,234
Monterrey $3,417

Living in Quito costs roughly 39% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Quito is 27% below, Monterrey is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.14 $6.14

$13.75 MX$250

-55.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.9 $53.9

$50.2 MX$913

7.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.81 $7.81

$11.13 MX$203

-29.83%

Cappuccino

$3.42 $3.42

$4.04 MX$73.5

-15.35%

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

$1.44 $1.44

$1.70 MX$31.00

-15.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 $1.14

$0.99 MX$18.00

15.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.41 MX$43.80

44.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 $5.89

$4.48 MX$81.6

31.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.92 MX$34.98

-40.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.89 MX$52.6

-46.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.94 MX$35.34

-22.16%

Eggs

$2.16 $2.16

$2.50 MX$45.47

-13.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.40 $6.40

$12.30 MX$224

-47.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$9.33 MX$170

-41.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.81 $7.81

$13.07 MX$238

-40.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$3.38 MX$61.5

-31.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.58 MX$28.75

-21.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 $1.31

$2.20 MX$40.07

-40.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 $1.14

$2.45 MX$44.48

-53.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 $1.21

$2.26 MX$41.09

-46.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.74 MX$49.89

-62.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.53 MX$27.83

-39.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.26 MX$22.94

-16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 $6.02

$4.84 MX$88.1

24.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.93 $9.93

$13.59 MX$247

-26.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.91 MX$34.69

-16.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$3.06 MX$55.8

0.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 $0.37

$0.80 MX$14.47

-53.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.95 $20.95

$31.77 MX$578

-34.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.62 MX$29.50

-4.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.10 MX$19.99

39.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.01 $10.01

$10.97 MX$199

-8.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.52 MX$27.68

-42.76%

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

$21.0K $21.0K

$21.4K MX$388.7K

-1.81%

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

$28.6K $28.6K

$25.5K MX$463.3K

12.11%

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

$28.97 $28.97

$120 MX$2,178

-75.80%

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

$17.57 $17.57

$27.08 MX$493

-35.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.14 $28.14

$26.70 MX$486

5.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.48 $46.48

$31.15 MX$567

49.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.70 $17.70

$21.95 MX$399

-19.36%

Cinema Ticket

$6.38 $6.38

$5.14 MX$93.5

24.12%

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

$746 $746

$688 MX$12.5K

8.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,015 $9,015

$11.4K MX$207.9K

-21.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 $68.8

$71.9 MX$1,308

-4.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 $50.4

$43.30 MX$788

16.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$112 MX$2,040

4.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$122 MX$2,216

-10.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 $478

$957 MX$17.4K

-50.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$313 $313

$670 MX$12.2K

-53.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$967 $967

$1,887 MX$34.3K

-48.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$549 $549

$1,305 MX$23.7K

-57.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,763 $1,763

$4,159 MX$75.7K

-57.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$720 $720

$2,437 MX$44.3K

-70.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 $597

$1,133 MX$20.6K

-47.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

11.79

-14.16%

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

Last update for Quito: October 4, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quito

$313 31.8%

Monterrey

$670 41.4% 114% $357

Groceries & Markets

Quito

$198 20.1%

Monterrey

$312 19.3% 58.2% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Quito

$156 15.8%

Monterrey

$157 9.7% 1% $1.6

Eating Out

Quito

$153 15.5%

Monterrey

$224 13.8% 46.2% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quito

$75 7.6%

Monterrey

$174 10.7% 132% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Quito

$59 6%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 30.1% $18

Getting Around

Quito

$32 3.2%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 33% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $478 in Quito and $957 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 90% 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: $54.0 in Quito vs $50.0 in Monterrey. Groceries flip the comparison at $198 vs $312, with Quito cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Quito

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

22:41 10:41 PM

21:41 9:41 PM

1 h behind Quito

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,671,191 Capital

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Quito Monterrey 3,710 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Quito
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

Quito vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quito and Monterrey differ by about 64% in total monthly costs ($979 vs $1,607 including rent). Quito is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 90% 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: $478 in Quito versus $957 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Quito – a meal for two runs $54.0 versus $50.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $979 per month in Quito versus $1,607 in Monterrey – a 64% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $979 in Quito versus $1,607 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Quito but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Quito 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 Quito gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.