Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aguascalientes and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Aguascalientes: $1,079 a month against $1,599 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Aguascalientes
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Aguascalientes Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Aguascalientes

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,079

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,079 in Aguascalientes versus $1,599 in Monterrey.

Aguascalientes $1,079
Monterrey $1,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,721 in Aguascalientes versus $2,493 in Monterrey.

Aguascalientes $1,721
Monterrey $2,493

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,362 in Aguascalientes versus $3,387 in Monterrey.

Aguascalientes $2,362
Monterrey $3,387

Living in Aguascalientes costs roughly 33% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Aguascalientes is 20% below, Monterrey is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.28 MX$227

$13.80 MX$255

-11.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.99 MX$794

$47.99 MX$887

-10.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.20 MX$133

$10.65 MX$197

-32.39%

Cappuccino

$3.74 MX$69.1

$3.99 MX$73.7

-6.27%

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

$1.67 MX$30.85

$1.66 MX$30.76

0.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 MX$21.70

$0.99 MX$18.21

18.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 MX$39.62

$2.36 MX$43.64

-9.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 MX$60.7

$4.43 MX$81.8

-25.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.44

$1.82 MX$33.58

-18.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 MX$41.49

$2.83 MX$52.4

-20.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 MX$26.73

$1.92 MX$35.44

-24.48%

Eggs

$2.43 MX$44.86

$2.48 MX$45.78

-2.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.75 MX$143

$11.74 MX$217

-33.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.52 MX$157

$9.10 MX$168

-6.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.26 MX$208

$12.53 MX$232

-10.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.84

$3.34 MX$61.6

-32.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 MX$23.43

$1.57 MX$29.10

-19.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.39

$2.16 MX$39.86

-31.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.70 MX$31.35

$2.47 MX$45.65

-31.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 MX$28.62

$2.31 MX$42.64

-32.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 MX$24.51

$2.68 MX$49.47

-50.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 MX$18.13

$1.46 MX$26.90

-32.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 MX$14.93

$1.19 MX$22.07

-31.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$79.4

$4.75 MX$87.8

-9.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.45 MX$156

$13.58 MX$251

-37.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 MX$33.08

$1.92 MX$35.52

-6.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 MX$61.1

$2.88 MX$53.2

14.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.58

$0.79 MX$14.66

-20.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.32 MX$449

$31.36 MX$579

-22.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 MX$22.78

$1.59 MX$29.44

-22.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.97

$1.06 MX$19.58

6.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.80 MX$200

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.90

$1.55 MX$28.59

-5.81%

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

$24.4K MX$450.0K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

0.80%

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

$23.3K MX$430.4K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

-4.22%

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

$54.3 MX$1,004

$117 MX$2,159

-53.51%

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

$24.27 MX$448

$26.38 MX$488

-8.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.89 MX$441

$26.04 MX$481

-8.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.44 MX$562

$30.26 MX$559

0.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.08 MX$408

$21.25 MX$393

3.91%

Cinema Ticket

$5.06 MX$93.4

$5.23 MX$96.6

-3.25%

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

$214 MX$3,951

$673 MX$12.4K

-68.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,854 MX$52.7K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

-74.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 MX$1,000

$72.1 MX$1,332

-24.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.52 MX$693

$42.38 MX$783

-11.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 MX$1,899

$112 MX$2,066

-8.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.2 MX$1,278

$119 MX$2,200

-41.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$510 MX$9,431

$949 MX$17.5K

-46.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$351 MX$6,489

$666 MX$12.3K

-47.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$778 MX$14.4K

$1,821 MX$33.7K

-57.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 MX$11.8K

$1,271 MX$23.5K

-49.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,150 MX$21.2K

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-71.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,165 MX$21.5K

$2,348 MX$43.4K

-50.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$853 MX$15.8K

$1,155 MX$21.3K

-26.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.2

11.79

-5.00%

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

Last update for Aguascalientes: 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

Aguascalientes

$351 32.5%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 89.7% $315

Groceries & Markets

Aguascalientes

$239 22.2%

Monterrey

$304 19% 27.3% $65

Eating Out

Aguascalientes

$193 17.9%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 14.6% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Aguascalientes

$119 11%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 31% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aguascalientes

$102 9.5%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 65.2% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Aguascalientes

$41 3.8%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 0.4% $0.2

Getting Around

Aguascalientes

$34 3.1%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 22.8% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $510 in Aguascalientes and $949 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 36% 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: $43.00 in Aguascalientes vs $48.00 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $239 vs $304 per month, with Aguascalientes cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Aguascalientes

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

09:15 9:15 AM

Same time as Aguascalientes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

863,893

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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Aguascalientes Monterrey 470 km

From you

Aguascalientes
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

Aguascalientes vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aguascalientes is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 48% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 36% 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: $510 in Aguascalientes versus $949 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Aguascalientes runs roughly 29% less than in Monterrey. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $214 in Aguascalientes versus $673 in Monterrey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,079 in Aguascalientes versus $1,599 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Aguascalientes but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Aguascalientes the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Aguascalientes is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Monterrey, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Aguascalientes 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 Aguascalientes gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.