Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zapopan and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Zapopan: $1,509 a month against $1,599 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Zapopan
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Zapopan Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Zapopan

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,509

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,509 in Zapopan versus $1,599 in Monterrey.

Zapopan $1,509
Monterrey $1,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,182 in Zapopan versus $2,493 in Monterrey.

Zapopan $2,182
Monterrey $2,493

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,856 in Zapopan versus $3,387 in Monterrey.

Zapopan $2,856
Monterrey $3,387

Living in Zapopan costs roughly 6% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Zapopan 11% above, Monterrey 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.79 MX$199

$13.80 MX$255

-21.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.37 MX$598

$47.99 MX$887

-32.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.03 MX$204

$10.65 MX$197

3.57%

Cappuccino

$3.63 MX$67.2

$3.99 MX$73.7

-9.02%

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

$1.16 MX$21.42

$1.66 MX$30.76

-30.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 MX$20.67

$0.99 MX$18.21

13.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 MX$40.62

$2.36 MX$43.64

-6.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 MX$81.1

$4.43 MX$81.8

-0.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.28

$1.82 MX$33.58

-18.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 MX$48.56

$2.83 MX$52.4

-7.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 MX$21.35

$1.92 MX$35.44

-39.58%

Eggs

$2.83 MX$52.3

$2.48 MX$45.78

14.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.28 MX$153

$11.74 MX$217

-29.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 MX$183

$9.10 MX$168

8.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.72 MX$180

$12.53 MX$232

-22.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 MX$53.7

$3.34 MX$61.6

-12.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.41

$1.57 MX$29.10

-12.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 MX$32.64

$2.16 MX$39.86

-18.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.85

$2.47 MX$45.65

-12.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 MX$41.36

$2.31 MX$42.64

-3.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 MX$45.84

$2.68 MX$49.47

-7.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 MX$34.38

$1.46 MX$26.90

27.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 MX$21.57

$1.19 MX$22.07

-1.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.54 MX$102

$4.75 MX$87.8

16.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.53 MX$121

$13.58 MX$251

-51.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 MX$32.89

$1.92 MX$35.52

-7.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 MX$52.7

$2.88 MX$53.2

-1.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MX$10.02

$0.79 MX$14.66

-31.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.91 MX$608

$31.36 MX$579

4.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.47 MX$45.58

$1.59 MX$29.44

55.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 MX$44.30

$1.06 MX$19.58

126.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.32 MX$172

$10.80 MX$200

-13.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 MX$27.55

$1.55 MX$28.59

-3.87%

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

$24.4K MX$450.2K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

0.86%

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

$24.0K MX$443.3K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

-1.35%

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

$123 MX$2,275

$117 MX$2,159

5.39%

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

$24.57 MX$454

$26.38 MX$488

-6.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.39 MX$543

$26.04 MX$481

12.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.59 MX$805

$30.26 MX$559

44.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.55 MX$250

$21.25 MX$393

-36.24%

Cinema Ticket

$5.56 MX$103

$5.23 MX$96.6

6.31%

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

$166 MX$3,061

$673 MX$12.4K

-75.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,914 MX$127.8K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

-37.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.52 MX$841

$72.1 MX$1,332

-36.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.36 MX$469

$42.38 MX$783

-40.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.6 MX$1,359

$112 MX$2,066

-34.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,170

$119 MX$2,200

-1.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 MX$18.2K

$949 MX$17.5K

3.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$656 MX$12.1K

$666 MX$12.3K

-1.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 MX$30.9K

$1,821 MX$33.7K

-8.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 MX$18.7K

$1,271 MX$23.5K

-20.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,703 MX$105.4K

$4,050 MX$74.8K

40.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,501 MX$27.7K

$2,348 MX$43.4K

-36.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$979 MX$18.1K

$1,155 MX$21.3K

-15.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

11.79

-4.16%

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

Last update for Zapopan: October 19, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zapopan

$656 43.5%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 1.6% $11

Groceries & Markets

Zapopan

$262 17.4%

Monterrey

$304 19% 16.3% $43

Eating Out

Zapopan

$192 12.7%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 15.4% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zapopan

$177 11.7%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 4.4% $7.8

Clothing & Footwear

Zapopan

$118 7.8%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 31.9% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Zapopan

$55 3.6%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 25.6% $14

Getting Around

Zapopan

$50 3.3%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 16.4% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Zapopan and $949 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 18% 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: $32.00 in Zapopan vs $48.00 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $262 vs $304 per month, with Zapopan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Zapopan

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

02:09 2:09 AM

Same time as Zapopan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,257,547

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Zapopan Monterrey 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Zapopan
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

Zapopan vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zapopan and Monterrey differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($1,509 vs $1,599 including rent). Zapopan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 18% 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: $985 in Zapopan versus $949 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Zapopan – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $48.00 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,509 per month in Zapopan versus $1,599 in Monterrey – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,509 in Zapopan versus $1,599 in Monterrey, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zapopan but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Zapopan 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, Zapopan 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 Zapopan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.