Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zacapoaxtla and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Zacapoaxtla: $1,055 a month against $1,647 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Zacapoaxtla
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Zacapoaxtla Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Zacapoaxtla

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,055

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,055 in Zacapoaxtla versus $1,647 in Monterrey.

Zacapoaxtla $1,055
Monterrey $1,647

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,651 in Zacapoaxtla versus $2,591 in Monterrey.

Zacapoaxtla $1,651
Monterrey $2,591

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,246 in Zacapoaxtla versus $3,536 in Monterrey.

Zacapoaxtla $2,246
Monterrey $3,536

Living in Zacapoaxtla costs roughly 36% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Zacapoaxtla is 22% below, Monterrey is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.67 MX$87.3

$13.45 MX$251

-65.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.73 MX$911

$48.43 MX$905

0.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.50 MX$103

$10.90 MX$204

-49.54%

Cappuccino

$1.92 MX$35.79

$3.82 MX$71.3

-49.74%

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

$0.95 MX$17.84

$1.67 MX$31.14

-43.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.73

$0.98 MX$18.37

24.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.20 MX$22.45

$2.35 MX$43.91

-48.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 MX$39.96

$4.41 MX$82.4

-51.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 MX$23.40

$1.80 MX$33.66

-30.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 MX$20.88

$2.79 MX$52.2

-59.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 MX$19.89

$1.82 MX$34.10

-41.76%

Eggs

$1.65 MX$30.90

$2.51 MX$46.95

-34.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 MX$213

$12.09 MX$226

-5.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.56 MX$85.2

$9.41 MX$176

-51.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.96 MX$92.7

$12.71 MX$237

-60.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 MX$29.69

$3.21 MX$59.9

-50.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 MX$23.63

$1.50 MX$27.99

-16.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.52 MX$9.68

$2.14 MX$40.07

-75.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.72 MX$13.45

$2.32 MX$43.38

-68.97%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 MX$14.39

$2.20 MX$41.14

-65.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 MX$19.63

$2.60 MX$48.55

-59.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 MX$17.26

$1.44 MX$26.92

-36.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 MX$17.93

$1.17 MX$21.93

-17.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.19 MX$78.3

$4.79 MX$89.5

-12.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.02 MX$243

$13.22 MX$247

-1.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 MX$20.78

$1.94 MX$36.30

-42.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 MX$82.9

$2.89 MX$53.9

53.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 MX$11.65

$0.87 MX$16.30

-28.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.07 MX$562

$31.14 MX$582

-3.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 MX$19.90

$1.66 MX$30.96

-35.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.93

$1.09 MX$20.44

-51.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.48 MX$102

$10.67 MX$199

-48.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.36

$1.47 MX$27.53

-4.08%

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

$13.8K MX$257.9K

$24.2K MX$453.0K

-43.07%

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

$24.3K MX$453.3K

$23.6K MX$440.1K

2.99%

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

$43.05 MX$804

$118 MX$2,202

-63.48%

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

$26.42 MX$494

$25.55 MX$477

3.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.94 MX$597

$26.43 MX$494

20.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.23 MX$565

$30.77 MX$575

-1.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.11 MX$320

$21.07 MX$394

-18.79%

Cinema Ticket

$6.33 MX$118

$5.09 MX$95.1

24.36%

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

$439 MX$8,212

$694 MX$13.0K

-36.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,535 MX$84.7K

$11.3K MX$211.5K

-59.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.5 MX$1,279

$72.5 MX$1,354

-5.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.9 MX$988

$41.51 MX$776

27.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,974

$110 MX$2,050

-3.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 MX$2,139

$115 MX$2,148

-0.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$607 MX$11.3K

$1,056 MX$19.7K

-42.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 MX$8,170

$721 MX$13.5K

-39.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 MX$18.9K

$1,999 MX$37.4K

-49.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$752 MX$14.1K

$1,435 MX$26.8K

-47.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,853 MX$34.6K

$4,219 MX$78.8K

-56.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,018 MX$19.0K

$2,731 MX$51.0K

-62.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 MX$11.2K

$1,149 MX$21.5K

-48.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.79

-3.73%

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

Last update for Zacapoaxtla: October 25, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zacapoaxtla

$437 41.4%

Monterrey

$721 43.8% 65% $284

Groceries & Markets

Zacapoaxtla

$188 17.8%

Monterrey

$303 18.4% 61.6% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Zacapoaxtla

$154 14.6%

Monterrey

$152 9.3% 0.8% $1.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zacapoaxtla

$101 9.6%

Monterrey

$170 10.3% 67.5% $68

Eating Out

Zacapoaxtla

$96 9.1%

Monterrey

$217 13.2% 127% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Zacapoaxtla

$43 4.1%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 4.5% $1.9

Getting Around

Zacapoaxtla

$36 3.4%

Monterrey

$42 2.5% 15.1% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $607 in Zacapoaxtla and $1,056 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 92% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $49 in Zacapoaxtla vs $48 in Monterrey. Groceries flip the comparison at $188 vs $303, with Zacapoaxtla cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Zacapoaxtla

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

03:12 3:12 AM

Same time as Zacapoaxtla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Zacapoaxtla Monterrey 700 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Zacapoaxtla
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

Zacapoaxtla vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zacapoaxtla and Monterrey differ by about 56% in total monthly costs ($1,055 vs $1,647 including rent). Zacapoaxtla is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 48% lower in Zacapoaxtla. 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: $607 in Zacapoaxtla versus $1,056 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $439 in Zacapoaxtla versus $694 in Monterrey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Zacapoaxtla runs roughly 3% less than in Monterrey. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Zacapoaxtla is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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