Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and Monterrey

For one person, living costs are similar in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and in Monterrey: $1,611 and $1,599 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
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Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,611

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur 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 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and in Monterrey actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,611 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs $1,599 in Monterrey, rent included.

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $1,611
Monterrey $1,599

A couple spends around $2,409 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs $2,493 in Monterrey, rent included.

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $2,409
Monterrey $2,493

A family of three spends $3,207 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs $3,387 in Monterrey, rent included.

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $3,207
Monterrey $3,387

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur costs about 1% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and Monterrey sit above the global median – Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur by 19%, Monterrey by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.35 MX$191

$13.80 MX$255

-25.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.09 MX$889

$47.99 MX$887

0.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.88 MX$182

$10.65 MX$197

-7.23%

Cappuccino

$3.37 MX$62.2

$3.99 MX$73.7

-15.54%

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

$1.44 MX$26.54

$1.66 MX$30.76

-13.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 MX$16.86

$0.99 MX$18.21

-8.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 MX$44.20

$2.36 MX$43.64

1.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MX$81.5

$4.43 MX$81.8

-0.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 MX$32.84

$1.82 MX$33.58

-2.20%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 MX$55.9

$2.83 MX$52.4

7.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 MX$43.92

$1.92 MX$35.44

23.96%

Eggs

$2.35 MX$43.47

$2.48 MX$45.78

-5.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 MX$212

$11.74 MX$217

-2.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 MX$178

$9.10 MX$168

6.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.41 MX$248

$12.53 MX$232

7.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 MX$47.82

$3.34 MX$61.6

-22.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 MX$28.94

$1.57 MX$29.10

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 MX$29.98

$2.16 MX$39.86

-25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 MX$31.57

$2.47 MX$45.65

-30.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 MX$22.29

$2.31 MX$42.64

-47.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 MX$33.99

$2.68 MX$49.47

-31.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.77 MX$51.3

$1.46 MX$26.90

89.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.31

$1.19 MX$22.07

1.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.81 MX$88.9

$4.75 MX$87.8

1.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 MX$201

$13.58 MX$251

-19.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.53

$1.92 MX$35.52

-19.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 MX$64.3

$2.88 MX$53.2

20.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 MX$16.59

$0.79 MX$14.66

13.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.4 MX$968

$31.36 MX$579

67.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 MX$80.8

$1.59 MX$29.44

174.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.97 MX$54.9

$1.06 MX$19.58

180.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.43 MX$193

$10.80 MX$200

-3.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.14

$1.55 MX$28.59

-9.03%

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

$21.3K MX$394.1K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

-11.72%

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

$23.9K MX$441.5K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

-1.76%

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

$84.4 MX$1,560

$117 MX$2,159

-27.73%

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

$24.86 MX$459

$26.38 MX$488

-5.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.45 MX$581

$26.04 MX$481

20.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.08 MX$833

$30.26 MX$559

48.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.06 MX$556

$21.25 MX$393

41.46%

Cinema Ticket

$4.13 MX$76.3

$5.23 MX$96.6

-21.03%

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

$226 MX$4,180

$673 MX$12.4K

-66.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,280 MX$153.0K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

-25.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.3 MX$1,317

$72.1 MX$1,332

-1.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.5 MX$970

$42.38 MX$783

23.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 MX$1,759

$112 MX$2,066

-14.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.0 MX$1,257

$119 MX$2,200

-42.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 MX$22.0K

$949 MX$17.5K

25.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$733 MX$13.5K

$666 MX$12.3K

9.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,509 MX$46.4K

$1,821 MX$33.7K

37.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.8K

$1,271 MX$23.5K

-7.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,827 MX$70.7K

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-5.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,210 MX$40.8K

$2,348 MX$43.4K

-5.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$750 MX$13.9K

$1,155 MX$21.3K

-35.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.6

11.79

-1.61%

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

Last update for Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur: 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

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$733 45.5%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 9.1% $66

Groceries & Markets

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$297 18.4%

Monterrey

$304 19% 2.7% $7.9

Eating Out

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$183 11.4%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 21% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$141 8.7%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 20.3% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$129 8%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 20.3% $26

Getting Around

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$75 4.7%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 44.9% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

$53 3.3%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 23.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,190 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur 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.

Salaries run about 54% higher in Monterrey, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur versus $48.00 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $304 – making Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

20:18 8:18 PM

21:18 9:18 PM

1 h ahead of Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

202,694

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

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur Monterrey 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
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

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,416 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur 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 Monterrey, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 67% less in Monterrey. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $226 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and $673 in Monterrey. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,599, than in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur at $1,611. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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