Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ciudad Juarez and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Ciudad Juarez: $1,139 a month against $1,599 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Ciudad Juarez
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Ciudad Juarez Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Ciudad Juarez

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,139

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,139 per month in Ciudad Juarez vs $1,599 in Monterrey, rent included.

Ciudad Juarez $1,139
Monterrey $1,599

A couple spends around $1,836 per month in Ciudad Juarez vs $2,493 in Monterrey, rent included.

Ciudad Juarez $1,836
Monterrey $2,493

A family of three spends $2,534 per month in Ciudad Juarez vs $3,387 in Monterrey, rent included.

Ciudad Juarez $2,534
Monterrey $3,387

Ciudad Juarez is about 29% cheaper than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ciudad Juarez sits 16% below the global median, while Monterrey is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.31 MX$172

$13.80 MX$255

-32.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.29 MX$597

$47.99 MX$887

-32.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.49 MX$194

$10.65 MX$197

-1.50%

Cappuccino

$2.84 MX$52.4

$3.99 MX$73.7

-28.82%

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

$1.09 MX$20.13

$1.66 MX$30.76

-34.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 MX$13.03

$0.99 MX$18.21

-28.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 MX$37.94

$2.36 MX$43.64

-13.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 MX$78.3

$4.43 MX$81.8

-4.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 MX$31.10

$1.82 MX$33.58

-7.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 MX$42.51

$2.83 MX$52.4

-18.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 MX$28.57

$1.92 MX$35.44

-19.27%

Eggs

$2.25 MX$41.54

$2.48 MX$45.78

-9.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 MX$228

$11.74 MX$217

5.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 MX$126

$9.10 MX$168

-24.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.76 MX$217

$12.53 MX$232

-6.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 MX$47.28

$3.34 MX$61.6

-23.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 MX$38.63

$1.57 MX$29.10

33.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 MX$33.99

$2.16 MX$39.86

-14.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$2.47 MX$45.65

-19.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 MX$29.97

$2.31 MX$42.64

-29.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.95

$2.68 MX$49.47

-19.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 MX$27.98

$1.46 MX$26.90

3.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 MX$20.45

$1.19 MX$22.07

-6.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.39 MX$81.1

$4.75 MX$87.8

-7.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.07 MX$204

$13.58 MX$251

-18.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.53

$1.92 MX$35.52

-36.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 MX$59.7

$2.88 MX$53.2

12.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 MX$11.47

$0.79 MX$14.66

-21.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.43 MX$507

$31.36 MX$579

-12.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 MX$73.0

$1.59 MX$29.44

148.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 MX$20.38

$1.06 MX$19.58

3.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.32 MX$302

$10.80 MX$200

51.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 MX$24.01

$1.55 MX$28.59

-16.13%

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

$21.1K MX$389.9K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

-12.66%

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

$24.4K MX$451.6K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

0.50%

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

$82.6 MX$1,526

$117 MX$2,159

-29.29%

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

$22.22 MX$411

$26.38 MX$488

-15.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.03 MX$536

$26.04 MX$481

11.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.19 MX$595

$30.26 MX$559

6.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.17 MX$280

$21.25 MX$393

-28.61%

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 MX$81.0

$5.23 MX$96.6

-16.25%

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

$219 MX$4,052

$673 MX$12.4K

-67.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,828 MX$52.3K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

-74.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 MX$1,079

$72.1 MX$1,332

-19.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.12 MX$593

$42.38 MX$783

-24.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 MX$1,347

$112 MX$2,066

-34.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.8 MX$1,475

$119 MX$2,200

-32.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$604 MX$11.2K

$949 MX$17.5K

-36.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,051

$666 MX$12.3K

-42.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 MX$18.9K

$1,821 MX$33.7K

-43.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$847 MX$15.7K

$1,271 MX$23.5K

-33.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$940 MX$17.4K

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-76.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$687 MX$12.7K

$2,348 MX$43.4K

-70.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$571 MX$10.6K

$1,155 MX$21.3K

-50.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.32

11.79

-3.99%

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

Last update for Ciudad Juarez: October 17, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ciudad Juarez

$382 33.5%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 74.6% $285

Groceries & Markets

Ciudad Juarez

$267 23.5%

Monterrey

$304 19% 13.9% $37

Eating Out

Ciudad Juarez

$166 14.6%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 33.5% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ciudad Juarez

$134 11.8%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 26.4% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Ciudad Juarez

$109 9.6%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 42% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Ciudad Juarez

$41 3.6%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 0.6% $0.3

Getting Around

Ciudad Juarez

$39 3.5%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 5.2% $2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $604 in Ciudad Juarez 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 102% 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 $32.00 in Ciudad Juarez versus $48.00 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $304 – making Ciudad Juarez the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Ciudad Juarez

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

17:51 5:51 PM

Same time as Ciudad Juarez

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,501,551

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

Ciudad Juarez Monterrey 900 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ciudad Juarez
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

Ciudad Juarez vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,139 in Ciudad Juarez, $1,599 in Monterrey – roughly 40% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,708 per month in Ciudad Juarez 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 Ciudad Juarez, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Ciudad Juarez and $48.00 in Monterrey. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,139 in Ciudad Juarez and $1,599 in Monterrey. That's a gap of about 40%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ciudad Juarez, where all-in costs run around $1,139, than in Monterrey at $1,599. In Ciudad Juarez it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monterrey it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Monterrey has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,139 in Ciudad Juarez to $1,599 in Monterrey. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Ciudad Juarez. 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.