Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenaventura and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenaventura: $1,308 a month against $1,599 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Buenaventura
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Buenaventura Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Buenaventura

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,308

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,308 per month in Buenaventura vs $1,599 in Monterrey, rent included.

Buenaventura $1,308
Monterrey $1,599

A couple spends around $2,012 per month in Buenaventura vs $2,493 in Monterrey, rent included.

Buenaventura $2,012
Monterrey $2,493

A family of three spends $2,716 per month in Buenaventura vs $3,387 in Monterrey, rent included.

Buenaventura $2,716
Monterrey $3,387

Buenaventura is about 18% cheaper than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Buenaventura sits 3% below the global median, while Monterrey is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.61 COP 24.1K

$13.80 MX$255

-44.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.62 COP 135.1K

$47.99 MX$887

-11.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.41 COP 29.8K

$10.65 MX$197

-11.64%

Cappuccino

$2.59 COP 8,225

$3.99 MX$73.7

-35.09%

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

$1.38 COP 4,370

$1.66 MX$30.76

-16.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 COP 2,835

$0.99 MX$18.21

-10.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.14 COP 9,959

$2.36 MX$43.64

33.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 COP 11.8K

$4.43 MX$81.8

-15.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 COP 4,538

$1.82 MX$33.58

-21.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 COP 7,642

$2.83 MX$52.4

-14.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,169

$1.92 MX$35.44

-15.10%

Eggs

$2.95 COP 9,353

$2.48 MX$45.78

18.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.86 COP 24.9K

$11.74 MX$217

-33.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 COP 30.5K

$9.10 MX$168

5.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.27 COP 38.9K

$12.53 MX$232

-2.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 COP 11.4K

$3.34 MX$61.6

7.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 COP 4,665

$1.57 MX$29.10

-6.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,047

$2.16 MX$39.86

-11.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 COP 5,696

$2.47 MX$45.65

-27.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 COP 4,737

$2.31 MX$42.64

-35.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,694

$2.68 MX$49.47

-44.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 COP 3,758

$1.46 MX$26.90

-18.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 COP 3,811

$1.19 MX$22.07

0.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.95 COP 12.5K

$4.75 MX$87.8

-16.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.14 COP 41.7K

$13.58 MX$251

-3.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,474

$1.92 MX$35.52

-26.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 COP 7,555

$2.88 MX$53.2

-17.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 COP 3,450

$0.79 MX$14.66

37.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 COP 5,079

$1.59 MX$29.44

0.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 COP 6,457

$1.06 MX$19.58

92.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.02 COP 28.6K

$10.80 MX$200

-16.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 COP 4,080

$1.55 MX$28.59

-16.77%

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

$24.7K COP 78.5M

$24.2K MX$446.4K

2.43%

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

$35.4K COP 112.2M

$24.3K MX$449.4K

45.47%

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

$126 COP 399.9K

$117 MX$2,159

7.98%

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

$13.14 COP 41.7K

$26.38 MX$488

-50.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.17 COP 92.5K

$26.04 MX$481

12.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.15 COP 120.9K

$30.26 MX$559

26.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 COP 20.6K

$5.23 MX$96.6

24.28%

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

$630 COP 2.0M

$673 MX$12.4K

-6.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,516 COP 23.8M

$11.1K MX$205.2K

-32.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.9 COP 269.2K

$72.1 MX$1,332

17.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 COP 172.5K

$42.38 MX$783

28.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.5K

$112 MX$2,066

24.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 COP 328.1K

$119 MX$2,200

-13.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$653 COP 2.1M

$949 MX$17.5K

-31.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$475 COP 1.5M

$666 MX$12.3K

-28.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$997 COP 3.2M

$1,821 MX$33.7K

-45.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$875 COP 2.8M

$1,271 MX$23.5K

-31.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,966 COP 6.2M

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-51.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,628 COP 5.2M

$2,348 MX$43.4K

-30.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.58

11.79

-1.78%

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

Last update for Buenaventura: October 18, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenaventura

$475 36.3%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 40.3% $191

Groceries & Markets

Buenaventura

$273 20.9%

Monterrey

$304 19% 11.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Buenaventura

$172 13.1%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 9.5% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenaventura

$168 12.9%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 0.5% $0.8

Eating Out

Buenaventura

$153 11.7%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 45.2% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Buenaventura

$51 3.9%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 20.4% $10

Getting Around

Buenaventura

$16 * 1.2%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 157% $25

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $653 in Buenaventura versus $949 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 $43.00 in Buenaventura versus $48.00 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $304 – making Buenaventura the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Buenaventura

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

12:58 12:58 PM

11:58 11:58 AM

1 h behind Buenaventura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

365,607

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Buenaventura Monterrey 3,470 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Buenaventura
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

Buenaventura vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,308 in Buenaventura, $1,599 in Monterrey – roughly 22% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,962 per month in Buenaventura and $2,399 in Monterrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Buenaventura, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Buenaventura and $48.00 in Monterrey. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Monterrey, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Buenaventura, where all-in costs run around $1,308, than in Monterrey at $1,599. In Buenaventura it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monterrey it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Monterrey has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,308 in Buenaventura to $1,599 in Monterrey. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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