Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tepic and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Tepic: $1,221 a month against $1,647 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Tepic
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Tepic Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Tepic

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,221

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,221 in Tepic versus $1,647 in Monterrey.

Tepic $1,221
Monterrey $1,647

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,884 in Tepic versus $2,591 in Monterrey.

Tepic $1,884
Monterrey $2,591

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,548 in Tepic versus $3,536 in Monterrey.

Tepic $2,548
Monterrey $3,536

Living in Tepic costs roughly 26% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tepic is 10% below, Monterrey is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.22 MX$247

$13.45 MX$251

-1.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.16 MX$806

$48.43 MX$905

-10.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 MX$169

$10.90 MX$204

-17.16%

Cappuccino

$3.17 MX$59.2

$3.82 MX$71.3

-17.02%

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

$1.58 MX$29.49

$1.67 MX$31.14

-5.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 MX$21.28

$0.98 MX$18.37

16.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 MX$50.5

$2.35 MX$43.91

14.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 MX$93.1

$4.41 MX$82.4

12.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$29.02

$1.80 MX$33.66

-13.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 MX$43.97

$2.79 MX$52.2

-15.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.42

$1.82 MX$34.10

-13.74%

Eggs

$2.12 MX$39.62

$2.51 MX$46.95

-15.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.91 MX$91.8

$12.09 MX$226

-59.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.69 MX$181

$9.41 MX$176

2.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.54 MX$216

$12.71 MX$237

-9.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 MX$50.0

$3.21 MX$59.9

-16.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 MX$28.77

$1.50 MX$27.99

2.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.20

$2.14 MX$40.07

-9.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 MX$32.93

$2.32 MX$43.38

-24.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.56

$2.20 MX$41.14

-6.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 MX$34.44

$2.60 MX$48.55

-29.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 MX$29.12

$1.44 MX$26.92

8.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$19.39

$1.17 MX$21.93

-11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.36 MX$81.5

$4.79 MX$89.5

-8.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.38 MX$194

$13.22 MX$247

-21.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.51

$1.94 MX$36.30

-59.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 MX$62.5

$2.89 MX$53.9

15.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 MX$14.42

$0.87 MX$16.30

-11.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.37 MX$567

$31.14 MX$582

-2.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 MX$40.99

$1.66 MX$30.96

31.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 MX$28.22

$1.09 MX$20.44

38.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.30 MX$174

$10.67 MX$199

-12.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 MX$26.24

$1.47 MX$27.53

-4.76%

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

$21.2K MX$395.5K

$24.2K MX$453.0K

-12.70%

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

$23.7K MX$442.9K

$23.6K MX$440.1K

0.62%

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

$43.90 MX$820

$118 MX$2,202

-62.76%

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

$12.02 MX$225

$25.55 MX$477

-52.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.28 MX$547

$26.43 MX$494

10.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.78 MX$594

$30.77 MX$575

3.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.42 MX$326

$21.07 MX$394

-17.32%

Cinema Ticket

$5.92 MX$111

$5.09 MX$95.1

16.31%

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

$237 MX$4,426

$694 MX$13.0K

-65.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,948 MX$185.9K

$11.3K MX$211.5K

-12.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 MX$1,049

$72.5 MX$1,354

-22.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.24 MX$752

$41.51 MX$776

-3.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 MX$1,944

$110 MX$2,050

-5.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.6 MX$1,469

$115 MX$2,148

-31.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$567 MX$10.6K

$1,056 MX$19.7K

-46.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$467 MX$8,727

$721 MX$13.5K

-35.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,115 MX$20.8K

$1,999 MX$37.4K

-44.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$766 MX$14.3K

$1,435 MX$26.8K

-46.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,934 MX$36.1K

$4,219 MX$78.8K

-54.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,128 MX$21.1K

$2,731 MX$51.0K

-58.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 MX$12.2K

$1,149 MX$21.5K

-43.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.53

11.79

-2.21%

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

Last update for Tepic: October 26, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tepic

$467 38.3%

Monterrey

$721 43.8% 54.4% $254

Groceries & Markets

Tepic

$251 20.5%

Monterrey

$303 18.4% 21% $53

Eating Out

Tepic

$205 16.8%

Monterrey

$217 13.2% 5.9% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Tepic

$126 10.3%

Monterrey

$152 9.3% 21.4% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tepic

$85 7%

Monterrey

$170 10.3% 99.4% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Tepic

$44 3.6%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 6.1% $2.7

Getting Around

Tepic

$43 3.5%

Monterrey

$42 2.5% 3.3% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $567 in Tepic and $1,056 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 76% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Tepic vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $303 per month, with Tepic cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Tepic

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

21:08 9:08 PM

22:08 10:08 PM

1 h ahead of Tepic

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

371,387

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Tepic Monterrey 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tepic
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

Tepic vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tepic and Monterrey differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($1,221 vs $1,647 including rent). Tepic is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 43% lower in Tepic. 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: $567 in Tepic versus $1,056 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $237 in Tepic versus $694 in Monterrey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tepic – a meal for two runs $43 versus $48 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Tepic gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Tepic wins on affordability, Monterrey on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.