Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cuautla and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuautla: $1,253 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Cuautla
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Cuautla Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Cuautla

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,253

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,253 in Cuautla versus $1,608 in Monterrey.

Cuautla $1,253
Monterrey $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Cuautla versus $2,521 in Monterrey.

Cuautla $1,999
Monterrey $2,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,745 in Cuautla versus $3,433 in Monterrey.

Cuautla $2,745
Monterrey $3,433

Living in Cuautla costs roughly 22% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cuautla is 7% below, Monterrey is 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.03 MX$204

$13.85 MX$256

-20.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.2 MX$1,186

$49.70 MX$918

29.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.42 MX$174

$11.05 MX$204

-14.75%

Cappuccino

$3.71 MX$68.5

$4.09 MX$75.6

-9.29%

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

$1.63 MX$30.20

$1.68 MX$30.97

-2.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$19.22

$1.03 MX$18.98

0.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.27 MX$60.5

$2.40 MX$44.28

36.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$4.35 MX$80.3

27.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.52

$1.92 MX$35.55

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 MX$51.6

$2.94 MX$54.2

-5.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.82

$1.88 MX$34.66

3.19%

Eggs

$2.75 MX$50.8

$2.55 MX$47.06

7.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.75 MX$162

$11.84 MX$219

-26.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.17 MX$169

$9.36 MX$173

-2.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.77 MX$255

$13.10 MX$242

5.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 MX$62.7

$3.38 MX$62.5

0.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 MX$29.55

$1.52 MX$28.13

5.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.45

$2.19 MX$40.51

-2.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.78

$2.36 MX$43.63

-17.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.37

$2.26 MX$41.76

-17.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 MX$32.51

$2.73 MX$50.5

-35.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 MX$27.96

$1.52 MX$28.17

-0.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$22.07

$1.24 MX$22.90

-4.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 MX$83.2

$4.75 MX$87.8

-5.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.50 MX$323

$13.66 MX$252

28.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 MX$41.32

$1.89 MX$34.95

18.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 MX$73.0

$2.99 MX$55.2

32.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.60

$0.85 MX$15.78

-25.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 MX$59.6

$1.68 MX$30.98

92.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.54 MX$47.02

$1.13 MX$20.87

124.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 MX$205

$11.15 MX$206

-0.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 MX$24.22

$1.56 MX$28.91

-16.03%

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

$20.8K MX$384.9K

$21.4K MX$395.8K

-2.75%

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

$24.0K MX$444.0K

$25.1K MX$463.2K

-4.13%

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

$58.8 MX$1,087

$119 MX$2,206

-50.73%

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

$26.84 MX$496

$26.21 MX$484

2.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.52 MX$453

$26.78 MX$495

-8.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.29 MX$671

$31.03 MX$573

16.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.97 MX$387

$21.43 MX$396

-2.15%

Cinema Ticket

$7.36 MX$136

$5.29 MX$97.7

39.13%

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

$263 MX$4,865

$691 MX$12.8K

-61.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,033 MX$93.0K

$11.5K MX$212.1K

-56.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.9 MX$959

$72.3 MX$1,335

-28.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.28 MX$837

$42.72 MX$789

5.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 MX$1,844

$110 MX$2,024

-8.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.4 MX$1,817

$117 MX$2,158

-15.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 MX$11.9K

$970 MX$17.9K

-33.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$434 MX$8,019

$664 MX$12.3K

-34.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,182 MX$21.8K

$1,857 MX$34.3K

-36.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$736 MX$13.6K

$1,287 MX$23.8K

-42.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,712 MX$31.6K

$4,162 MX$76.9K

-58.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,075 MX$19.9K

$2,349 MX$43.4K

-54.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.99

11.79

1.70%

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

Last update for Cuautla: October 13, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cuautla

$434 34.6%

Monterrey

$664 41.3% 53% $230

Groceries & Markets

Cuautla

$308 24.6%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 0.9% $2.9

Eating Out

Cuautla

$199 15.9%

Monterrey

$225 14% 12.8% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Cuautla

$133 10.6%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 15.6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cuautla

$110 8.8%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 56.4% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Cuautla

$51 4.1%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 18.4% $9.4

Getting Around

Cuautla

$18 * 1.5%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 126% $23

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 $645 in Cuautla and $970 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $64.0 in Cuautla vs $50.0 in Monterrey. Groceries flip the comparison at $308 vs $310, with Cuautla cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cuautla

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

05:46 5:46 AM

Same time as Cuautla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,336

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

Cuautla Monterrey 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cuautla
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

Cuautla vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cuautla is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 28% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,880 in Cuautla and $2,412 in Monterrey to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $645 in Cuautla versus $970 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $263 in Cuautla versus $691 in Monterrey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cuautla – a meal for two runs $64.0 versus $50.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,253 in Cuautla versus $1,608 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cuautla but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Cuautla the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cuautla is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Monterrey, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Cuautla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.