Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riobamba and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Riobamba: $574 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Riobamba
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Riobamba Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

Jump to prices

Riobamba

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$574

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $574 in Riobamba versus $1,608 in Monterrey.

Riobamba $574
Monterrey $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $914 in Riobamba versus $2,521 in Monterrey.

Riobamba $914
Monterrey $2,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,253 in Riobamba versus $3,433 in Monterrey.

Riobamba $1,253
Monterrey $3,433

Living in Riobamba costs roughly 64% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Riobamba is 57% below, Monterrey is 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.43 $3.43

$13.85 MX$257

-75.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.99 $15.99

$49.70 MX$921

-67.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.48 $6.48

$11.05 MX$205

-41.36%

Cappuccino

$2.49 $2.49

$4.09 MX$75.8

-39.12%

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

$0.78 $0.78

$1.68 MX$31.06

-53.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 $0.74

$1.03 MX$19.03

-28.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.40 MX$44.40

-18.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 $3.06

$4.35 MX$80.6

-29.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.92 MX$35.64

-48.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.94 MX$54.4

-29.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.88 MX$34.76

-53.72%

Eggs

$1.70 $1.70

$2.55 MX$47.19

-33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$1.96 $1.96

$11.84 MX$219

-83.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.20 $3.20

$9.36 MX$173

-65.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$13.10 MX$243

-62.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$3.38 MX$62.7

-48.82%

Banana (1kg)

$0.51 $0.51

$1.52 MX$28.21

-66.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 $1.35

$2.19 MX$40.62

-38.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.01 $1.01

$2.36 MX$43.75

-57.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 $0.79

$2.26 MX$41.88

-65.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 $0.91

$2.73 MX$50.7

-66.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 $0.46

$1.52 MX$28.25

-69.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.24 MX$22.97

-20.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.20 $5.20

$4.75 MX$88.1

9.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.71 $5.71

$13.66 MX$253

-58.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.89 MX$35.05

-20.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.99 MX$55.3

1.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 $0.27

$0.85 MX$15.82

-68.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.65 $15.65

$30.95 MX$573

-49.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.68 MX$31.06

-27.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.13 MX$20.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.14 $11.14

$11.15 MX$207

-0.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.56 MX$28.99

-43.59%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$21.4K MX$396.9K

18.55%

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

$29.3K $29.3K

$25.1K MX$464.5K

16.96%

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

$20.13 $20.13

$119 MX$2,212

-83.14%

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

$7.06 $7.06

$26.21 MX$486

-73.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.44 $26.44

$26.78 MX$496

-1.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.23 $25.23

$31.03 MX$575

-18.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.97 $16.97

$21.43 MX$397

-20.81%

Cinema Ticket

$5.95 $5.95

$5.29 MX$98.0

12.48%

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

$81.4 $81.4

$691 MX$12.8K

-88.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,420 $1,420

$11.5K MX$212.7K

-87.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 $51.0

$72.3 MX$1,339

-29.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.07 $47.07

$42.72 MX$792

10.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 $105

$110 MX$2,030

-3.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.3 $72.3

$117 MX$2,164

-38.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$114 $114

$970 MX$18.0K

-88.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$94.8 $94.8

$664 MX$12.3K

-85.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$228 $228

$1,857 MX$34.4K

-87.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 $188

$1,287 MX$23.9K

-85.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,173 $1,173

$4,162 MX$77.1K

-71.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$738 $738

$2,349 MX$43.5K

-68.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$330 $330

$1,146 MX$21.2K

-71.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.16

11.79

-5.34%

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

Last update for Riobamba: October 11, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Riobamba

$142 24.8%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 118% $168

Clothing & Footwear

Riobamba

$124 21.6%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 23.8% $30

Eating Out

Riobamba

$99 17.2%

Monterrey

$225 14% 128% $126

Accommodation & Living

Riobamba

$95 16.5%

Monterrey

$664 41.3% 601% $569

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riobamba

$54 9.3%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 221% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Riobamba

$37 6.5%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 12.1% $4.5

Getting Around

Riobamba

$24 4.1%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 76.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $114 in Riobamba and $970 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 247% 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: $16.00 in Riobamba vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $142 vs $310 per month, with Riobamba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Riobamba

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

14:38 2:38 PM

13:38 1:38 PM

1 h behind Riobamba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

170,000

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

100 MXN = 5.4 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 15, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 18.53 MXN (100 MXN = 5.4 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Riobamba Monterrey 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Riobamba
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

Riobamba vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Riobamba and Monterrey differ by about 180% in total monthly costs ($574 vs $1,608 including rent). Riobamba is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 247% 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: $114 in Riobamba versus $970 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Riobamba – a meal for two runs $16.00 versus $50.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $574 per month in Riobamba versus $1,608 in Monterrey – a 180% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $574 in Riobamba versus $1,608 in Monterrey, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Riobamba but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Riobamba 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, Riobamba 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 Riobamba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 180% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.