Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santo Domingo and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Santo Domingo: $660 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Santo Domingo
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Santo Domingo Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Santo Domingo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$660

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $660 in Santo Domingo versus $1,608 in Monterrey.

Santo Domingo $660
Monterrey $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,141 in Santo Domingo versus $2,521 in Monterrey.

Santo Domingo $1,141
Monterrey $2,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,622 in Santo Domingo versus $3,433 in Monterrey.

Santo Domingo $1,622
Monterrey $3,433

Living in Santo Domingo costs roughly 59% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santo Domingo is 51% below, Monterrey is 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.02 $4.02

$13.85 MX$255

-70.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.2 $53.2

$49.70 MX$914

7.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 $9.14

$11.05 MX$203

-17.29%

Cappuccino

$1.97 $1.97

$4.09 MX$75.3

-51.83%

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

$0.91 $0.91

$1.68 MX$30.84

-45.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 $0.70

$1.03 MX$18.90

-32.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.40 MX$44.09

-17.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 $4.16

$4.35 MX$80.0

-4.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.92 MX$35.39

-48.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.92 $1.92

$2.94 MX$54.0

-34.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.88 MX$34.51

-31.38%

Eggs

$1.99 $1.99

$2.55 MX$46.86

-21.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$11.84 MX$218

-63.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$9.36 MX$172

-67.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.41 $3.41

$13.10 MX$241

-73.97%

Apples (1kg)

$1.48 $1.48

$3.38 MX$62.2

-56.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.52 MX$28.01

-33.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.19 MX$40.33

-54.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.89 $0.89

$2.36 MX$43.44

-62.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 $0.98

$2.26 MX$41.58

-56.64%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 $0.96

$2.73 MX$50.3

-64.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.52 MX$28.04

-42.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.24 MX$22.81

-24.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.98 $5.98

$4.75 MX$87.5

25.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.87 $4.87

$13.66 MX$251

-64.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.89 MX$34.80

-20.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.99 MX$54.9

-28.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

$0.85 MX$15.71

-57.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.55 $17.55

$30.95 MX$569

-43.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.68 MX$30.84

-17.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.13 MX$20.78

57.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.05 $12.05

$11.15 MX$205

8.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.56 MX$28.79

-44.23%

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

$20.7K $20.7K

$21.4K MX$394.1K

-3.38%

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

$30.8K $30.8K

$25.1K MX$461.2K

22.99%

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

$40.18 $40.18

$119 MX$2,197

-66.35%

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

$9.86 $9.86

$26.21 MX$482

-62.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.82 $22.82

$26.78 MX$493

-14.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.64 $33.64

$31.03 MX$571

8.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.85 $16.85

$21.43 MX$394

-21.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.45 $7.45

$5.29 MX$97.3

40.83%

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

$371 $371

$691 MX$12.7K

-46.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,686 $5,686

$11.5K MX$211.2K

-50.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.91 $19.91

$72.3 MX$1,329

-72.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.90 $29.90

$42.72 MX$786

-30.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.9 $50.9

$110 MX$2,015

-53.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.14 $49.14

$117 MX$2,148

-57.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$305 $305

$970 MX$17.8K

-68.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 $191

$664 MX$12.2K

-71.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$712 $712

$1,857 MX$34.2K

-61.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$420 $420

$1,287 MX$23.7K

-67.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,353 $1,353

$4,162 MX$76.6K

-67.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$781 $781

$2,349 MX$43.2K

-66.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$404 $404

$1,146 MX$21.1K

-64.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.05

11.79

-14.76%

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

Last update for Santo Domingo: October 10, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santo Domingo

$191 28.9%

Monterrey

$664 41.3% 248% $473

Groceries & Markets

Santo Domingo

$144 21.8%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 116% $167

Eating Out

Santo Domingo

$108 16.3%

Monterrey

$225 14% 108% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santo Domingo

$73 11%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 137% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Santo Domingo

$67 10.2%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 128% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Santo Domingo

$49 7.4%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 14.3% $6.9

Getting Around

Santo Domingo

$29 4.4%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 42.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $305 in Santo Domingo and $970 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 184% 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: $53.0 in Santo Domingo vs $50.0 in Monterrey. Groceries flip the comparison at $144 vs $310, with Santo Domingo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Santo Domingo

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

12:53 12:53 PM

11:53 11:53 AM

1 h behind Santo Domingo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

270,875

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.44 USD

100 MXN = 4.85 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 16, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 18.4 MXN (100 MXN = 5.44 USD). 1 EUR = 20.64 MXN (100 MXN = 4.85 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Santo Domingo Monterrey 3,670 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Santo Domingo
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

Santo Domingo vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santo Domingo and Monterrey differ by about 143% in total monthly costs ($660 vs $1,608 including rent). Santo Domingo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 184% 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: $305 in Santo Domingo versus $970 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Santo Domingo – a meal for two runs $53.0 versus $50.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $660 per month in Santo Domingo versus $1,608 in Monterrey – a 143% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $660 in Santo Domingo versus $1,608 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santo Domingo but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Santo Domingo 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 Santo Domingo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 143% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.