Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Celaya and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Celaya: $903 a month against $1,647 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Celaya
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Celaya Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Celaya

🇲🇽 Mexico

$903

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $903 in Celaya versus $1,647 in Monterrey.

Celaya $903
Monterrey $1,647

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,423 in Celaya versus $2,591 in Monterrey.

Celaya $1,423
Monterrey $2,591

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,944 in Celaya versus $3,536 in Monterrey.

Celaya $1,944
Monterrey $3,536

Living in Celaya costs roughly 45% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Celaya is 34% below, Monterrey is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.40 MX$233

$13.45 MX$253

-7.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.66 MX$820

$48.43 MX$909

-9.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.98 MX$131

$10.90 MX$205

-35.96%

Cappuccino

$3.18 MX$59.7

$3.82 MX$71.7

-16.75%

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

$1.17 MX$21.99

$1.67 MX$31.28

-29.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$20.50

$0.98 MX$18.45

11.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.11 MX$39.66

$2.35 MX$44.12

-10.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 MX$58.9

$4.41 MX$82.8

-28.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 MX$26.57

$1.80 MX$33.82

-21.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 MX$40.07

$2.79 MX$52.4

-23.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.14

$1.82 MX$34.26

-17.58%

Eggs

$2.16 MX$40.62

$2.51 MX$47.17

-13.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.94 MX$149

$12.09 MX$227

-34.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.13 MX$153

$9.41 MX$177

-13.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.44 MX$215

$12.71 MX$239

-9.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 MX$40.77

$3.21 MX$60.2

-32.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 MX$20.03

$1.50 MX$28.12

-28.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 MX$27.31

$2.14 MX$40.26

-32.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 MX$20.06

$2.32 MX$43.58

-53.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.55

$2.20 MX$41.34

-28.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.66

$2.60 MX$48.78

-47.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 MX$19.01

$1.44 MX$27.04

-29.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 MX$14.55

$1.17 MX$22.03

-34.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$80.0

$4.79 MX$89.9

-11.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.56 MX$161

$13.22 MX$248

-35.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 MX$33.31

$1.94 MX$36.47

-8.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 MX$63.0

$2.89 MX$54.2

15.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 MX$11.60

$0.87 MX$16.37

-28.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.20 MX$511

$31.14 MX$585

-12.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 MX$23.03

$1.66 MX$31.10

-25.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 MX$20.17

$1.09 MX$20.53

-1.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.98 MX$206

$10.67 MX$200

2.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$27.26

$1.47 MX$27.66

-1.36%

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

$23.9K MX$449.3K

$24.2K MX$455.2K

-1.30%

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

$23.6K MX$442.1K

$23.6K MX$442.2K

-0.01%

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

$35.91 MX$674

$118 MX$2,213

-69.53%

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

$18.80 MX$353

$25.55 MX$480

-26.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.77 MX$352

$26.43 MX$496

-28.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.68 MX$595

$30.77 MX$578

2.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.10 MX$509

$21.07 MX$396

28.62%

Cinema Ticket

$4.88 MX$91.6

$5.09 MX$95.6

-4.13%

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

$213 MX$3,995

$694 MX$13.0K

-69.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,823 MX$53.0K

$11.3K MX$212.5K

-75.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 MX$1,000

$72.5 MX$1,360

-26.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.46 MX$722

$41.51 MX$779

-7.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MX$1,894

$110 MX$2,060

-8.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.5 MX$1,324

$115 MX$2,158

-38.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$247 MX$4,630

$1,056 MX$19.8K

-76.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$219 MX$4,105

$721 MX$13.5K

-69.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$376 MX$7,057

$1,999 MX$37.5K

-81.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$278 MX$5,221

$1,435 MX$26.9K

-80.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,219 MX$79.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,731 MX$51.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$806 MX$15.1K

$1,149 MX$21.6K

-29.84%

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 Celaya: October 26, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Celaya

$231 25.6%

Monterrey

$303 18.4% 31.4% $73

Accommodation & Living

Celaya

$219 24.2%

Monterrey

$721 43.8% 230% $503

Eating Out

Celaya

$184 20.4%

Monterrey

$217 13.2% 18% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Celaya

$118 13.1%

Monterrey

$152 9.3% 28.7% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Celaya

$73 8.1%

Monterrey

$170 10.3% 131% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Celaya

$41 4.6%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 1.2% $0.5

Getting Around

Celaya

$36 4%

Monterrey

$42 2.5% 15.1% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $247 in Celaya and $1,056 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 43% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $44 in Celaya vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $231 vs $303 per month, with Celaya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Celaya

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

08:07 8:07 AM

Same time as Celaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

378,143

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Celaya Monterrey 580 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Celaya
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

Celaya vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $903 in Celaya and $1,647 in Monterrey, so Celaya is about 45% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 30% lower in Celaya. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $247 in Celaya versus $1,056 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Celaya – a meal for two runs $44 versus $48 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $903 per month in Celaya versus $1,647 in Monterrey – Celaya is about 45% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $903 in Celaya versus $1,647 in Monterrey, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Celaya but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Celaya the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Celaya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.