Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chapala and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Chapala: $1,067 a month against $1,647 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Chapala
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Chapala Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Chapala

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,067

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,067 per month in Chapala vs $1,647 in Monterrey, rent included.

Chapala $1,067
Monterrey $1,647

A couple spends around $1,595 per month in Chapala vs $2,591 in Monterrey, rent included.

Chapala $1,595
Monterrey $2,591

A family of three spends $2,122 per month in Chapala vs $3,536 in Monterrey, rent included.

Chapala $2,122
Monterrey $3,536

Chapala is about 35% cheaper than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chapala sits 22% below the global median, while Monterrey is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.52 MX$216

$13.45 MX$253

-14.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.67 MX$464

$48.43 MX$910

-49.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.18 MX$135

$10.90 MX$205

-34.13%

Cappuccino

$3.20 MX$60.2

$3.82 MX$71.8

-16.23%

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

$1.64 MX$30.82

$1.67 MX$31.31

-1.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.59

$0.98 MX$18.47

22.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.10 MX$39.53

$2.35 MX$44.17

-10.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 MX$59.1

$4.41 MX$82.9

-28.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$27.42

$1.80 MX$33.86

-18.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 MX$41.52

$2.79 MX$52.5

-20.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.11

$1.82 MX$34.30

-17.58%

Eggs

$2.32 MX$43.69

$2.51 MX$47.22

-7.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.82 MX$147

$12.09 MX$227

-35.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.35 MX$101

$9.41 MX$177

-43.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.89 MX$148

$12.71 MX$239

-37.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 MX$42.08

$3.21 MX$60.3

-30.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 MX$23.39

$1.50 MX$28.15

-17.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 MX$27.33

$2.14 MX$40.30

-32.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 MX$32.67

$2.32 MX$43.63

-25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.61

$2.20 MX$41.38

-30.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.69

$2.60 MX$48.83

-47.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 MX$18.44

$1.44 MX$27.07

-31.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.59

$1.17 MX$22.05

-29.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 MX$78.9

$4.79 MX$90.0

-12.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.02 MX$151

$13.22 MX$249

-39.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.39

$1.94 MX$36.51

-57.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 MX$62.9

$2.89 MX$54.2

15.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MX$13.50

$0.87 MX$16.39

-17.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.14 MX$585

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 MX$22.98

$1.66 MX$31.13

-26.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.28 MX$61.7

$1.09 MX$20.55

200.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.36 MX$308

$10.67 MX$201

53.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 MX$26.28

$1.47 MX$27.69

-4.76%

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

$24.3K MX$456.1K

$24.2K MX$455.6K

0.11%

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

$23.7K MX$446.0K

$23.6K MX$442.7K

0.76%

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

$48.73 MX$916

$118 MX$2,215

-58.66%

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

$16.52 MX$311

$25.55 MX$480

-35.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.05 MX$452

$26.43 MX$497

-9.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.79 MX$447

$30.77 MX$578

-22.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$2.95 MX$55.5

$5.09 MX$95.7

-42.04%

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

$213 MX$3,996

$694 MX$13.0K

-69.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,826 MX$53.1K

$11.3K MX$212.7K

-75.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 MX$1,032

$72.5 MX$1,362

-24.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.31 MX$720

$41.51 MX$780

-7.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.5 MX$948

$110 MX$2,062

-54.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.79 MX$654

$115 MX$2,160

-69.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$575 MX$10.8K

$1,056 MX$19.8K

-45.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 MX$8,646

$721 MX$13.6K

-36.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 MX$19.1K

$1,999 MX$37.6K

-49.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$768 MX$14.4K

$1,435 MX$27.0K

-46.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$692 MX$13.0K

$4,219 MX$79.3K

-83.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$698 MX$13.1K

$2,731 MX$51.3K

-74.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,149 MX$21.6K

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 Chapala: October 24, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chapala

$460 43.1%

Monterrey

$721 43.8% 56.8% $261

Groceries & Markets

Chapala

$207 19.4%

Monterrey

$303 18.4% 46.6% $96

Eating Out

Chapala

$180 16.9%

Monterrey

$217 13.2% 20.5% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chapala

$89 8.4%

Monterrey

$170 10.3% 90.2% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Chapala

$80 7.5%

Monterrey

$152 9.3% 89.8% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Chapala

$30 2.8%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 37.9% $11

Getting Around

Chapala

$21 * 1.9%

Monterrey

$42 2.5% 104% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $575 in Chapala versus $1,056 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 $25 in Chapala versus $48 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $207 vs $303 – making Chapala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Chapala

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

21:44 9:44 PM

Same time as Chapala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,596

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chapala Monterrey 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chapala
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

Chapala vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey costs about 54% more than Chapala, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,601 per month in Chapala and $2,470 in Monterrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chapala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $575 there versus $1,056 in Monterrey.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Chapala and $48 in Monterrey. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 47% more in Monterrey, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,067 in Chapala and $1,647 in Monterrey. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chapala costs $1,067 versus $1,647 in Monterrey. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.