Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ajijic and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Ajijic: $1,327 a month against $1,647 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Ajijic
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Ajijic Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Ajijic

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,327

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,327 per month in Ajijic vs $1,647 in Monterrey, rent included.

Ajijic $1,327
Monterrey $1,647

A couple spends around $2,083 per month in Ajijic vs $2,591 in Monterrey, rent included.

Ajijic $2,083
Monterrey $2,591

A family of three spends $2,840 per month in Ajijic vs $3,536 in Monterrey, rent included.

Ajijic $2,840
Monterrey $3,536

Ajijic is about 19% cheaper than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ajijic sits 3% below the global median, while Monterrey is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.36 MX$175

$13.45 MX$251

-30.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.80 MX$798

$48.43 MX$903

-11.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 MX$128

$10.90 MX$203

-36.79%

Cappuccino

$3.53 MX$65.9

$3.82 MX$71.2

-7.59%

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

$1.58 MX$29.39

$1.67 MX$31.06

-5.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 MX$21.60

$0.98 MX$18.32

18.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 MX$40.70

$2.35 MX$43.81

-7.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 MX$61.3

$4.41 MX$82.2

-25.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$26.63

$1.80 MX$33.58

-20.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 MX$40.67

$2.79 MX$52.1

-21.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 MX$20.41

$1.82 MX$34.02

-40.11%

Eggs

$2.25 MX$41.90

$2.51 MX$46.84

-10.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.96 MX$148

$12.09 MX$225

-34.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.19 MX$153

$9.41 MX$175

-12.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.07 MX$132

$12.71 MX$237

-44.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 MX$40.47

$3.21 MX$59.8

-32.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 MX$24.31

$1.50 MX$27.92

-13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.42

$2.14 MX$39.97

-28.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 MX$31.26

$2.32 MX$43.28

-27.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 MX$28.05

$2.20 MX$41.04

-31.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 MX$25.84

$2.60 MX$48.43

-46.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 MX$19.03

$1.44 MX$26.85

-29.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 MX$16.39

$1.17 MX$21.88

-24.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 MX$82.6

$4.79 MX$89.3

-7.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.58 MX$160

$13.22 MX$247

-35.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 MX$27.97

$1.94 MX$36.21

-22.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.17

$2.89 MX$53.8

-55.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.60

$0.87 MX$16.26

-21.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.9 MX$1,079

$31.14 MX$581

85.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MX$23.14

$1.66 MX$30.88

-25.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.23 MX$78.8

$1.09 MX$20.39

288.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.75 MX$200

$10.67 MX$199

0.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.51

$1.47 MX$27.47

0.68%

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

$24.6K MX$459.4K

$24.2K MX$451.9K

1.65%

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

$23.6K MX$440.7K

$23.6K MX$439.1K

0.38%

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

$55.2 MX$1,030

$118 MX$2,197

-53.13%

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

$14.17 MX$264

$25.55 MX$476

-44.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.59 MX$458

$26.43 MX$493

-6.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.01 MX$448

$30.77 MX$574

-21.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.27 MX$98.2

$21.07 MX$393

-74.99%

Cinema Ticket

$4.77 MX$88.9

$5.09 MX$94.9

-6.29%

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

$211 MX$3,935

$694 MX$12.9K

-69.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,800 MX$52.2K

$11.3K MX$211.0K

-75.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.69 MX$796

$72.5 MX$1,351

-41.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.24 MX$303

$41.51 MX$774

-60.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.4 MX$1,238

$110 MX$2,046

-39.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.5 MX$1,296

$115 MX$2,143

-39.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$844 MX$15.7K

$1,056 MX$19.7K

-20.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$644 MX$12.0K

$721 MX$13.4K

-10.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 MX$28.1K

$1,999 MX$37.3K

-24.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,248 MX$23.3K

$1,435 MX$26.7K

-13.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,324 MX$62.0K

$4,219 MX$78.7K

-21.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,782 MX$33.2K

$2,731 MX$50.9K

-34.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$548 MX$10.2K

$1,149 MX$21.4K

-52.33%

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 Ajijic: 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

Ajijic

$644 48.6%

Monterrey

$721 43.8% 12% $77

Groceries & Markets

Ajijic

$218 16.4%

Monterrey

$303 18.4% 39.3% $86

Eating Out

Ajijic

$166 12.5%

Monterrey

$217 13.2% 30.6% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ajijic

$94 7.1%

Monterrey

$170 10.3% 80.7% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Ajijic

$88 6.6%

Monterrey

$152 9.3% 73.7% $65

Getting Around

Ajijic

$83 6.3%

Monterrey

$42 2.5% 49.7% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Ajijic

$34 2.5%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 22.1% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $844 in Ajijic versus $1,056 in Monterrey. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Monterrey are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Ajijic versus $48 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $218 vs $303 – making Ajijic the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Ajijic

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

14:47 2:47 PM

Same time as Ajijic

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,439

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

On the map

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Between locations

Ajijic Monterrey 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ajijic
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

Ajijic vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Monterrey is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,990 per month in Ajijic and $2,470 in Monterrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ajijic, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $844 there versus $1,056 in Monterrey.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Ajijic and $48 in Monterrey. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,327 in Ajijic and $1,647 in Monterrey. That makes Ajijic about 19% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ajijic, where all-in costs run around $1,327, than in Monterrey at $1,647. In Ajijic it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monterrey it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ajijic costs $1,327 versus $1,647 in Monterrey. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Ajijic. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Monterrey makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.