Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alamos, Sonora and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Alamos, Sonora: $1,195 a month against $1,641 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Alamos, Sonora
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Alamos, Sonora Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Alamos, Sonora

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,195

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,195 per month in Alamos, Sonora vs $1,641 in Monterrey, rent included.

Alamos, Sonora $1,195
Monterrey $1,641

A couple spends around $1,875 per month in Alamos, Sonora vs $2,573 in Monterrey, rent included.

Alamos, Sonora $1,875
Monterrey $2,573

A family of three spends $2,555 per month in Alamos, Sonora vs $3,504 in Monterrey, rent included.

Alamos, Sonora $2,555
Monterrey $3,504

Alamos, Sonora is about 27% cheaper than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Alamos, Sonora sits 12% below the global median, while Monterrey is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.64 MX$198

$13.37 MX$248

-20.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.90 MX$796

$47.95 MX$890

-10.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.53 MX$158

$10.79 MX$200

-20.95%

Cappuccino

$3.57 MX$66.2

$3.77 MX$69.9

-5.31%

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

$1.38 MX$25.56

$1.51 MX$28.04

-8.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 MX$18.68

$1.03 MX$19.10

-1.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 MX$45.56

$2.48 MX$46.05

-1.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 MX$75.3

$4.36 MX$80.9

-6.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 MX$29.23

$1.89 MX$35.16

-16.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 MX$47.87

$2.85 MX$52.9

-9.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 MX$30.41

$1.86 MX$34.44

-11.83%

Eggs

$2.42 MX$44.91

$2.47 MX$45.77

-2.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.96 MX$148

$11.81 MX$219

-32.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.27 MX$153

$8.97 MX$166

-7.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.47 MX$213

$12.57 MX$233

-8.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 MX$51.4

$3.20 MX$59.3

-13.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 MX$28.98

$1.50 MX$27.90

4.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.66

$2.12 MX$39.43

-11.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 MX$32.50

$2.33 MX$43.30

-24.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 MX$37.97

$2.22 MX$41.26

-7.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.85

$2.58 MX$47.97

-29.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 MX$25.66

$1.45 MX$26.83

-4.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 MX$19.68

$1.22 MX$22.67

-13.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.3

$4.80 MX$89.0

-11.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 MX$188

$13.30 MX$247

-23.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 MX$32.08

$1.93 MX$35.86

-10.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 MX$56.2

$2.86 MX$53.0

5.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 MX$12.45

$0.80 MX$14.82

-16.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.33 MX$563

$30.94 MX$574

-1.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 MX$46.43

$1.83 MX$34.01

36.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 MX$36.52

$1.06 MX$19.62

85.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.56 MX$196

$10.82 MX$201

-2.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.13

$1.47 MX$27.33

-4.08%

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

$24.1K MX$446.6K

$24.1K MX$446.9K

-0.08%

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

$23.4K MX$434.7K

$23.5K MX$436.8K

-0.47%

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

$57.5 MX$1,067

$115 MX$2,127

-49.84%

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

$22.04 MX$409

$26.37 MX$489

-16.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.66 MX$550

$25.70 MX$477

15.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 MX$600

$30.53 MX$567

5.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.77 MX$367

$21.27 MX$395

-7.05%

Cinema Ticket

$5.17 MX$96.0

$4.96 MX$92.0

4.23%

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

$217 MX$4,025

$679 MX$12.6K

-68.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,458 MX$82.7K

$14.2K MX$263.2K

-68.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 MX$988

$72.2 MX$1,340

-26.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.50 MX$733

$41.94 MX$778

-5.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 MX$1,837

$107 MX$1,995

-7.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.0 MX$1,652

$119 MX$2,202

-25.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$607 MX$11.3K

$1,018 MX$18.9K

-40.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 MX$7,944

$722 MX$13.4K

-40.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,040 MX$19.3K

$1,966 MX$36.5K

-47.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$765 MX$14.2K

$1,416 MX$26.3K

-45.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,885 MX$35.0K

$4,203 MX$78.0K

-55.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,142 MX$21.2K

$2,782 MX$51.6K

-58.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.31

11.79

-4.07%

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

Last update for Alamos, Sonora: October 31, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alamos, Sonora

$428 35.8%

Monterrey

$722 44% 68.6% $294

Groceries & Markets

Alamos, Sonora

$260 21.8%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 16.3% $42

Eating Out

Alamos, Sonora

$183 15.4%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 17.6% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Alamos, Sonora

$126 10.6%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 21.2% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alamos, Sonora

$109 9.1%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 52.7% $57

Getting Around

Alamos, Sonora

$45 3.8%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 9% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Alamos, Sonora

$43 3.6%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 5.2% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $607 in Alamos, Sonora versus $1,018 in Monterrey. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Alamos, Sonora versus $48 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $302 – making Alamos, Sonora the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Alamos, Sonora

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

12:06 12:06 PM

13:06 1:06 PM

1 h ahead of Alamos, Sonora

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,961

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Alamos, Sonora Monterrey 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Alamos, Sonora
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

Alamos, Sonora vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Monterrey is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,792 per month in Alamos, Sonora and $2,461 in Monterrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alamos, Sonora, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $607 there versus $1,018 in Monterrey.

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

Groceries cost about 16% more in Monterrey, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Alamos, Sonora, where all-in costs run around $1,195, than in Monterrey at $1,641. In Alamos, Sonora it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monterrey it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Alamos, Sonora – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.