Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tena and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Tena: $831 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Tena
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Tena Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Tena

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$831

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $831 in Tena versus $1,608 in Monterrey.

Tena $831
Monterrey $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,425 in Tena versus $2,521 in Monterrey.

Tena $1,425
Monterrey $2,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,018 in Tena versus $3,433 in Monterrey.

Tena $2,018
Monterrey $3,433

Living in Tena costs roughly 48% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tena is 38% below, Monterrey is 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.03 $6.03

$13.85 MX$256

-56.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 $54.9

$49.70 MX$918

10.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.61 $7.61

$11.05 MX$204

-31.13%

Cappuccino

$3.39 $3.39

$4.09 MX$75.6

-17.11%

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

$1.38 $1.38

$1.68 MX$30.97

-17.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.03 MX$18.98

6.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.45 $3.45

$2.40 MX$44.28

43.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 $6.09

$4.35 MX$80.3

40.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.92 MX$35.55

-40.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.94 MX$54.2

-47.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.88 MX$34.66

-17.02%

Eggs

$2.16 $2.16

$2.55 MX$47.06

-15.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.41 $6.41

$11.84 MX$219

-45.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$9.36 MX$173

-39.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.77 $7.77

$13.10 MX$242

-40.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$3.38 MX$62.5

-34.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.52 MX$28.13

-22.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$2.19 MX$40.51

-42.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.36 MX$43.63

-52.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$2.26 MX$41.76

-47.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 $1.07

$2.73 MX$50.5

-60.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.52 MX$28.17

-39.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.24 MX$22.90

-15.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.87 $5.87

$4.75 MX$87.8

23.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.91 $9.91

$13.66 MX$252

-27.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.89 MX$34.95

-15.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 $3.17

$2.99 MX$55.2

6.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 $0.33

$0.85 MX$15.78

-61.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.94 $16.94

$30.95 MX$572

-45.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.68 MX$30.98

-10.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.13 MX$20.87

-32.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.95 $9.95

$11.15 MX$206

-10.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 $0.80

$1.56 MX$28.91

-48.72%

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

$21.3K $21.3K

$21.4K MX$395.8K

-0.71%

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

$28.5K $28.5K

$25.1K MX$463.2K

13.74%

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

$29.16 $29.16

$119 MX$2,206

-75.58%

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

$17.66 $17.66

$26.21 MX$484

-32.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.72 $28.72

$26.78 MX$495

7.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.43 $32.43

$31.03 MX$573

4.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.44 $15.44

$21.43 MX$396

-27.95%

Cinema Ticket

$6.45 $6.45

$5.29 MX$97.7

21.93%

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

$226 $226

$691 MX$12.8K

-67.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,840 $8,840

$11.5K MX$212.1K

-22.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.8 $69.8

$72.3 MX$1,335

-3.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 $50.4

$42.72 MX$789

17.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$110 MX$2,024

3.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$117 MX$2,158

-9.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$300 $300

$970 MX$17.9K

-69.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$186 $186

$664 MX$12.3K

-72.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$728 $728

$1,857 MX$34.3K

-60.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$417 $417

$1,287 MX$23.8K

-67.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,120 $1,120

$4,162 MX$76.9K

-73.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$717 $717

$2,349 MX$43.4K

-69.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

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 Tena: October 10, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tena

$197 23.8%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 57.3% $113

Accommodation & Living

Tena

$186 22.3%

Monterrey

$664 41.3% 258% $478

Clothing & Footwear

Tena

$153 18.4%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 0.4% $0.6

Eating Out

Tena

$151 18.2%

Monterrey

$225 14% 48.6% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tena

$76 9.1%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 128% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Tena

$45 5.5%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 8.2% $3.7

Getting Around

Tena

$24 2.8%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 76.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $300 in Tena and $970 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55.0 in Tena vs $50.0 in Monterrey. Groceries flip the comparison at $197 vs $310, with Tena cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Tena

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

02:19 2:19 AM

01:19 1:19 AM

1 h behind Tena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,669

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tena Monterrey 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Tena
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

Tena vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tena and Monterrey differ by about 93% in total monthly costs ($831 vs $1,608 including rent). Tena is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,247 in Tena and $2,412 in Monterrey to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $300 in Tena versus $970 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Tena – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $50.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $831 per month in Tena versus $1,608 in Monterrey – a 93% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $831 in Tena versus $1,608 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Tena but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Tena 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, Tena 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 Tena gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.