Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cholula and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Cholula: $1,077 a month against $1,647 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Cholula
Learn more

Cholula Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index

Jump to prices

Cholula

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,077

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,077 per month in Cholula vs $1,647 in Monterrey, rent included.

Cholula $1,077
Monterrey $1,647

A couple spends around $1,703 per month in Cholula vs $2,591 in Monterrey, rent included.

Cholula $1,703
Monterrey $2,591

A family of three spends $2,329 per month in Cholula vs $3,536 in Monterrey, rent included.

Cholula $2,329
Monterrey $3,536

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.74 MX$201

$13.45 MX$252

-20.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 MX$882

$48.43 MX$908

-2.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.15 MX$171

$10.90 MX$204

-16.06%

Cappuccino

$3.13 MX$58.7

$3.82 MX$71.5

-18.06%

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

$1.51 MX$28.27

$1.67 MX$31.22

-9.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 MX$21.67

$0.98 MX$18.42

18.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 MX$49.71

$2.35 MX$44.04

12.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.72 MX$88.4

$4.41 MX$82.7

7.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MX$35.45

$1.80 MX$33.76

5.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 MX$57.4

$2.79 MX$52.3

9.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MX$32.40

$1.82 MX$34.20

-4.95%

Eggs

$2.65 MX$49.60

$2.51 MX$47.09

5.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.22 MX$117

$12.09 MX$227

-48.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.54 MX$104

$9.41 MX$176

-41.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 MX$204

$12.71 MX$238

-14.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 MX$47.91

$3.21 MX$60.1

-20.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 MX$32.65

$1.50 MX$28.07

16.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.68

$2.14 MX$40.19

-11.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.26

$2.32 MX$43.50

-16.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 MX$32.90

$2.20 MX$41.26

-20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 MX$33.21

$2.60 MX$48.69

-31.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 MX$27.42

$1.44 MX$26.99

1.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.59

$1.17 MX$21.99

3.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.47 MX$83.8

$4.79 MX$89.7

-6.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.71 MX$257

$13.22 MX$248

3.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 MX$25.88

$1.94 MX$36.40

-28.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 MX$48.38

$2.89 MX$54.1

-10.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 MX$8.98

$0.87 MX$16.34

-44.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.92 MX$355

$31.14 MX$584

-39.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 MX$61.7

$1.66 MX$31.04

98.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.53 MX$47.40

$1.09 MX$20.49

132.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.77 MX$296

$10.67 MX$200

47.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.38

$1.47 MX$27.61

-4.08%

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

$24.6K MX$461.6K

$24.2K MX$454.3K

1.61%

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

$22.9K MX$429.5K

$23.6K MX$441.4K

-2.69%

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

$58.1 MX$1,089

$118 MX$2,209

-50.71%

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

$18.53 MX$347

$25.55 MX$479

-27.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.47 MX$440

$26.43 MX$495

-11.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.3 MX$1,336

$30.77 MX$577

131.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.93 MX$373

$21.07 MX$395

-5.41%

Cinema Ticket

$5.45 MX$102

$5.09 MX$95.4

7.07%

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

$257 MX$4,820

$694 MX$13.0K

-62.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,548 MX$85.2K

$11.3K MX$212.1K

-59.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 MX$962

$72.5 MX$1,358

-29.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.70 MX$819

$41.51 MX$778

5.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 MX$1,911

$110 MX$2,056

-7.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.9 MX$1,798

$115 MX$2,154

-16.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$431 MX$8,079

$1,056 MX$19.8K

-59.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$286 MX$5,362

$721 MX$13.5K

-60.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 MX$10.9K

$1,999 MX$37.5K

-70.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$472 MX$8,848

$1,435 MX$26.9K

-67.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,927 MX$36.1K

$4,219 MX$79.1K

-54.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,145 MX$21.5K

$2,731 MX$51.2K

-58.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$792 MX$14.8K

$1,149 MX$21.5K

-31.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.96

11.79

-7.04%

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

Last update for Cholula: October 25, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cholula

$286 26.6%

Monterrey

$721 43.8% 152% $435

Groceries & Markets

Cholula

$255 23.7%

Monterrey

$303 18.4% 18.9% $48

Eating Out

Cholula

$184 17.1%

Monterrey

$217 13.2% 17.9% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Cholula

$132 12.2%

Monterrey

$152 9.3% 15.6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cholula

$100 9.3%

Monterrey

$170 10.3% 69.7% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Cholula

$82 7.6%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 50.2% $41

Getting Around

Cholula

$37 3.4%

Monterrey

$42 2.5% 13.5% $5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $431 in Cholula 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.

Salaries run about 45% 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 $47 in Cholula versus $48 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $303 – making Cholula the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cholula

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

20:42 8:42 PM

Same time as Cholula

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

908

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cholula Monterrey 760 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cholula
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

Cholula vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey costs about 53% more than Cholula, 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 $1,615 per month in Cholula 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 Cholula, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $431 there versus $1,056 in Monterrey.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,077 in Cholula and $1,647 in Monterrey. That makes Cholula about 35% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $257 per month in Cholula and $694 in Monterrey. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,077 in Cholula 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. Cholula costs $1,077 versus $1,647 in Monterrey. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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