Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cancun and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Cancun: $1,398 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cancun
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Cancun Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Cancun

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,398

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,398 per month in Cancun vs $1,608 in Monterrey, rent included.

Cancun $1,398
Monterrey $1,608

A couple spends around $2,267 per month in Cancun vs $2,521 in Monterrey, rent included.

Cancun $2,267
Monterrey $2,521

A family of three spends $3,136 per month in Cancun vs $3,433 in Monterrey, rent included.

Cancun $3,136
Monterrey $3,433

Cancun is about 13% cheaper than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Cancun and Monterrey sit above the global median – Cancun by 4%, Monterrey by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.84 MX$200

$13.85 MX$256

-21.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.8 MX$994

$49.70 MX$918

8.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.55 MX$213

$11.05 MX$204

4.52%

Cappuccino

$3.86 MX$71.4

$4.09 MX$75.6

-5.62%

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

$1.34 MX$24.78

$1.68 MX$30.97

-20.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.57

$1.03 MX$18.98

-18.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.40 MX$44.28

27.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 MX$76.3

$4.35 MX$80.3

-5.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 MX$30.29

$1.92 MX$35.55

-14.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 MX$47.72

$2.94 MX$54.2

-12.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MX$31.12

$1.88 MX$34.66

-10.64%

Eggs

$2.80 MX$51.7

$2.55 MX$47.06

9.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.89 MX$183

$11.84 MX$219

-16.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.81 MX$163

$9.36 MX$173

-5.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.21 MX$263

$13.10 MX$242

8.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 MX$54.1

$3.38 MX$62.5

-13.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.88

$1.52 MX$28.13

9.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 MX$55.5

$2.19 MX$40.51

37.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.55

$2.36 MX$43.63

-7.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.91

$2.26 MX$41.76

-14.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.26

$2.73 MX$50.5

-28.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.23

$1.52 MX$28.17

-24.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.51

$1.24 MX$22.90

-1.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.34 MX$80.3

$4.75 MX$87.8

-8.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 MX$185

$13.66 MX$252

-26.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.38

$1.89 MX$34.95

-15.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 MX$51.8

$2.99 MX$55.2

-6.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.66

$0.85 MX$15.78

-20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.10 MX$538

$30.95 MX$572

-5.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 MX$79.9

$1.68 MX$30.98

157.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.82 MX$52.1

$1.13 MX$20.87

149.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.71 MX$253

$11.15 MX$206

22.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.28

$1.56 MX$28.91

-1.92%

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

$21.3K MX$394.3K

$21.4K MX$395.8K

-0.39%

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

$23.8K MX$439.8K

$25.1K MX$463.2K

-5.05%

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

$170 MX$3,149

$119 MX$2,206

42.73%

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

$23.44 MX$433

$26.21 MX$484

-10.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.92 MX$719

$26.78 MX$495

45.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.26 MX$596

$31.03 MX$573

3.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.21 MX$244

$21.43 MX$396

-38.36%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 MX$135

$5.29 MX$97.7

37.81%

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

$204 MX$3,761

$691 MX$12.8K

-70.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,396 MX$99.7K

$11.5K MX$212.1K

-52.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 MX$999

$72.3 MX$1,335

-25.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 MX$1,021

$42.72 MX$789

29.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.0 MX$1,368

$110 MX$2,024

-32.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.0 MX$1,737

$117 MX$2,158

-19.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$660 MX$12.2K

$970 MX$17.9K

-31.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$457 MX$8,445

$664 MX$12.3K

-31.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 MX$26.0K

$1,857 MX$34.3K

-24.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,059 MX$19.6K

$1,287 MX$23.8K

-17.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,266 MX$23.4K

$4,162 MX$76.9K

-69.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,945 MX$35.9K

$2,349 MX$43.4K

-17.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$801 MX$14.8K

$1,146 MX$21.2K

-30.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.79

-2.88%

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

Last update for Cancun: October 13, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cancun

$457 32.7%

Monterrey

$664 41.3% 45.2% $207

Groceries & Markets

Cancun

$287 20.5%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 8.3% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cancun

$233 16.6%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 25.9% $60

Eating Out

Cancun

$200 14.3%

Monterrey

$225 14% 12.3% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Cancun

$125 8.9%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 23% $29

Getting Around

Cancun

$50 3.6%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 17.1% $8.6

Sport & Entertainment

Cancun

$47 3.4%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 11.2% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $660 in Cancun versus $970 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 43% higher in Monterrey, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54.0 in Cancun versus $50.0 in Monterrey. Groceries tell a different story – $287 in Cancun vs $310 in Monterrey – so Cancun wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cancun

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

14:59 2:59 PM

13:59 1:59 PM

1 h behind Cancun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

888,797

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

Cancun Monterrey 1,460 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cancun
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

Cancun vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,398 in Cancun, $1,608 in Monterrey – roughly 15% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,098 per month in Cancun and $2,412 in Monterrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $204 per month in Cancun and $691 in Monterrey. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% 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 Cancun, where all-in costs run around $1,398, than in Monterrey at $1,608. In Cancun it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monterrey it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cancun has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,398 in Cancun to $1,608 in Monterrey. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Cancun. 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.