Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Coronado and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Coronado: $1,362 a month against $1,607 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. The total is higher in Monterrey despite lower rent and utilities.

67

Cost of Living Index in Coronado
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Coronado Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Coronado

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,362

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,362 in Coronado versus $1,607 in Monterrey.

Coronado $1,362
Monterrey $1,607

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,195 in Coronado versus $2,512 in Monterrey.

Coronado $2,195
Monterrey $2,512

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,029 in Coronado versus $3,417 in Monterrey.

Coronado $3,029
Monterrey $3,417

Living in Coronado costs roughly 15% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Coronado 2% above, Monterrey 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.17 PAB 12.17

$13.75 MX$252

-11.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.0 PAB 56.0

$50.2 MX$921

11.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.50 PAB 8.50

$11.13 MX$204

-23.63%

Cappuccino

$3.75 PAB 3.75

$4.04 MX$74.2

-7.18%

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

$1.20 PAB 1.20

$1.70 MX$31.29

-29.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 PAB 0.90

$0.99 MX$18.17

-9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.98 PAB 0.98

$2.41 MX$44.21

-59.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 PAB 2.55

$4.48 MX$82.3

-43.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 PAB 1.93

$1.92 MX$35.31

0.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 PAB 1.59

$2.89 MX$53.1

-44.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.67

Eggs

$2.36 PAB 2.36

$2.50 MX$45.90

-5.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.68 PAB 11.68

$12.30 MX$226

-5.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.58 PAB 6.58

$9.33 MX$171

-29.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.18 PAB 9.18

$13.07 MX$240

-29.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.1

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 PAB 0.96

$1.58 MX$29.02

-39.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.07 PAB 3.07

$2.20 MX$40.45

39.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 PAB 2.87

$2.45 MX$44.89

17.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 PAB 1.84

$2.26 MX$41.47

-18.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 PAB 1.93

$2.74 MX$50.4

-29.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 PAB 2.46

$1.53 MX$28.09

60.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.16

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.84 MX$88.9

Wine (Bottle)

$8.60 PAB 8.60

$13.59 MX$249

-36.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 PAB 0.70

$1.91 MX$35.01

-63.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 PAB 0.71

$3.06 MX$56.3

-76.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PAB 0.68

$0.80 MX$14.60

-15.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.77 MX$583

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 PAB 1.46

$1.62 MX$29.78

-9.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 PAB 1.54

$1.10 MX$20.17

40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.97 MX$201

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 PAB 0.98

$1.52 MX$27.93

-35.53%

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

$21.4K MX$392.4K

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

$34.6K PAB 34.6K

$25.5K MX$467.6K

35.76%

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

$169 PAB 169

$120 MX$2,198

41.56%

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

$21.63 PAB 21.63

$27.08 MX$497

-20.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.1 PAB 59.1

$26.70 MX$490

121.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.4 PAB 59.4

$31.15 MX$572

90.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.95 MX$403

Cinema Ticket

$3.42 PAB 3.42

$5.14 MX$94.4

-33.46%

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

$688 MX$12.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$209.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.22 PAB 45.22

$71.9 MX$1,321

-37.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.30 MX$795

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,059

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.0 PAB 64.0

$122 MX$2,236

-47.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 PAB 750

$957 MX$17.6K

-21.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 PAB 559

$670 MX$12.3K

-16.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,253 PAB 1,253

$1,887 MX$34.7K

-33.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,262 PAB 1,262

$1,305 MX$24.0K

-3.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,159 MX$76.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,019 PAB 2,019

$2,437 MX$44.7K

-17.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$455 PAB 455

$1,133 MX$20.8K

-59.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

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

Last update for Coronado: October 3, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Coronado

$559 41.8%

Monterrey

$670 41.4% 19.9% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Coronado

$250 18.7%

Monterrey

$174 10.7% 30.7% $77

Groceries & Markets

Coronado

$214 * 16%

Monterrey

$312 19.3% 46.1% $99

Eating Out

Coronado

$186 13.9%

Monterrey

$224 13.8% 20.1% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Coronado

$66 5%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 37.5% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Coronado

$49 * 3.7%

Monterrey

$157 9.7% 220% $108

Getting Around

Coronado

$12 * 0.9%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 254% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $750 in Coronado and $957 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 149% 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: $56.0 in Coronado vs $50.0 in Monterrey. Groceries flip the comparison at $214 vs $312, with Coronado cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Coronado

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

07:58 7:58 AM

06:58 6:58 AM

1 h behind Coronado

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,444

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to PAB – Panamanian Balboa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇦 Panamanian Balboa (B/.)

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Coronado Monterrey 2,880 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Coronado
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

Coronado vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Coronado wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Monterrey. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Coronado the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 149% lower in Monterrey. 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: $750 in Coronado versus $957 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,362 per month in Coronado versus $1,607 in Monterrey – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Monterrey. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,362 in Coronado versus $1,607 in Monterrey, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Coronado but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Coronado the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Coronado delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,362 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Coronado hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Coronado and Monterrey are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Coronado gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.