Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zacatecas and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Zacatecas: $730 a month against $1,647 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Zacatecas
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Zacatecas Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Zacatecas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$730

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $730 in Zacatecas versus $1,647 in Monterrey.

Zacatecas $730
Monterrey $1,647

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,155 in Zacatecas versus $2,591 in Monterrey.

Zacatecas $1,155
Monterrey $2,591

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,580 in Zacatecas versus $3,536 in Monterrey.

Zacatecas $1,580
Monterrey $3,536

Living in Zacatecas costs roughly 56% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Zacatecas is 46% below, Monterrey is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.06 MX$113

$13.45 MX$251

-54.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.91 MX$595

$48.43 MX$903

-34.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.17 MX$134

$10.90 MX$203

-34.22%

Cappuccino

$3.01 MX$56.2

$3.82 MX$71.2

-21.20%

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

$1.25 MX$23.33

$1.67 MX$31.06

-25.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 MX$13.37

$0.98 MX$18.32

-26.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$2.35 MX$43.81

-21.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 MX$77.0

$4.41 MX$82.2

-6.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 MX$25.17

$1.80 MX$33.58

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 MX$39.99

$2.79 MX$52.1

-22.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 MX$28.43

$1.82 MX$34.02

-15.93%

Eggs

$2.21 MX$41.15

$2.51 MX$46.84

-11.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.28 MX$136

$12.09 MX$225

-39.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.96 MX$111

$9.41 MX$175

-36.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.62 MX$179

$12.71 MX$237

-24.31%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 MX$33.14

$3.21 MX$59.8

-44.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 MX$29.65

$1.50 MX$27.92

6.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.90

$2.14 MX$39.97

-9.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 MX$27.17

$2.32 MX$43.28

-37.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 MX$37.01

$2.20 MX$41.04

-9.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 MX$33.00

$2.60 MX$48.43

-31.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 MX$29.48

$1.44 MX$26.85

9.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 MX$14.89

$1.17 MX$21.88

-31.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$4.79 MX$89.3

-11.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.27 MX$191

$13.22 MX$247

-22.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 MX$29.78

$1.94 MX$36.21

-17.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 MX$62.5

$2.89 MX$53.8

15.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.83

$0.87 MX$16.26

-39.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.07 MX$299

$31.14 MX$581

-48.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.13 MX$39.75

$1.66 MX$30.88

28.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 MX$20.67

$1.09 MX$20.39

1.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.49 MX$177

$10.67 MX$199

-11.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$27.20

$1.47 MX$27.47

-0.68%

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

$20.9K MX$389.9K

$24.2K MX$451.9K

-13.73%

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

$23.8K MX$443.3K

$23.6K MX$439.1K

0.96%

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

$22.72 MX$424

$118 MX$2,197

-80.72%

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

$7.97 MX$149

$25.55 MX$476

-68.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.73 MX$461

$26.43 MX$493

-6.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.23 MX$452

$30.77 MX$574

-21.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.96 MX$148

$21.07 MX$393

-62.22%

Cinema Ticket

$4.24 MX$79.1

$5.09 MX$94.9

-16.70%

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

$235 MX$4,379

$694 MX$12.9K

-66.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,243 MX$60.5K

$11.3K MX$211.0K

-71.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.83 MX$836

$72.5 MX$1,351

-38.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.16 MX$749

$41.51 MX$774

-3.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.7 MX$1,690

$110 MX$2,046

-17.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.77 MX$797

$115 MX$2,143

-62.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$241 MX$4,498

$1,056 MX$19.7K

-77.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$162 MX$3,024

$721 MX$13.4K

-77.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$1,999 MX$37.3K

-80.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 MX$4,489

$1,435 MX$26.7K

-83.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,219 MX$78.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$563 MX$10.5K

$2,731 MX$50.9K

-79.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$408 MX$7,603

$1,149 MX$21.4K

-64.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.8

11.79

-8.40%

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

Last update for Zacatecas: October 26, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zacatecas

$224 30.7%

Monterrey

$303 18.4% 35.2% $79

Accommodation & Living

Zacatecas

$162 22.2%

Monterrey

$721 43.8% 345% $559

Eating Out

Zacatecas

$131 18%

Monterrey

$217 13.2% 65.3% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Zacatecas

$98 13.5%

Monterrey

$152 9.3% 55% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zacatecas

$55 7.6%

Monterrey

$170 10.3% 207% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Zacatecas

$33 4.5%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 25.2% $8.2

Getting Around

Zacatecas

$26 3.5%

Monterrey

$42 2.5% 61.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $241 in Zacatecas and $1,056 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Zacatecas vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $224 vs $303 per month, with Zacatecas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Zacatecas

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

14:48 2:48 PM

Same time as Zacatecas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,444

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Zacatecas vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $730 in Zacatecas and $1,647 in Monterrey, so Zacatecas is about 56% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 64% lower in Zacatecas. 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: $241 in Zacatecas versus $1,056 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Zacatecas – a meal for two runs $32 versus $48 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $730 per month in Zacatecas versus $1,647 in Monterrey – Zacatecas is about 56% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $730 in Zacatecas versus $1,647 in Monterrey, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Zacatecas but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Zacatecas 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 Zacatecas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.