Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cucuta and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Cucuta: $1,335 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Cucuta
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Cucuta Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Cucuta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,335

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,335 in Cucuta versus $1,608 in Monterrey.

Cucuta $1,335
Monterrey $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,003 in Cucuta versus $2,521 in Monterrey.

Cucuta $2,003
Monterrey $2,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,670 in Cucuta versus $3,433 in Monterrey.

Cucuta $2,670
Monterrey $3,433

Living in Cucuta costs roughly 17% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cucuta is 1% below, Monterrey is 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.44 COP 23.6K

$13.85 MX$256

-46.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.54 COP 153.9K

$49.70 MX$918

-2.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.16 COP 29.1K

$11.05 MX$204

-17.10%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,235

$4.09 MX$75.6

-28.85%

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

$1.43 COP 4,544

$1.68 MX$30.97

-14.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 COP 3,420

$1.03 MX$18.98

4.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 COP 9,785

$2.40 MX$44.28

28.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 COP 11.7K

$4.35 MX$80.3

-14.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 COP 5,112

$1.92 MX$35.55

-16.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 COP 7,844

$2.94 MX$54.2

-15.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 COP 4,893

$1.88 MX$34.66

-18.09%

Eggs

$2.99 COP 9,488

$2.55 MX$47.06

17.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.00 COP 28.5K

$11.84 MX$219

-23.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.58 COP 27.2K

$9.36 MX$173

-8.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.41 COP 36.2K

$13.10 MX$242

-12.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 COP 11.2K

$3.38 MX$62.5

4.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 COP 5,061

$1.52 MX$28.13

5.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 COP 6,574

$2.19 MX$40.51

-5.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,139

$2.36 MX$43.63

-17.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 COP 4,071

$2.26 MX$41.76

-43.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 COP 4,149

$2.73 MX$50.5

-52.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 COP 3,497

$1.52 MX$28.17

-27.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 COP 3,221

$1.24 MX$22.90

-17.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 COP 13.8K

$4.75 MX$87.8

-8.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.74 COP 46.7K

$13.66 MX$252

7.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 COP 5,217

$1.89 MX$34.95

-12.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 COP 7,271

$2.99 MX$55.2

-23.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 COP 3,783

$0.85 MX$15.78

40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 COP 4,830

$1.68 MX$30.98

-9.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 COP 6,624

$1.13 MX$20.87

84.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.90 COP 31.4K

$11.15 MX$206

-11.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,055

$1.56 MX$28.91

-17.95%

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

$28.7K COP 90.9M

$21.4K MX$395.8K

33.80%

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

$40.2K COP 127.6M

$25.1K MX$463.2K

60.54%

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

$126 COP 397.9K

$119 MX$2,206

5.12%

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

$13.88 COP 44.0K

$26.21 MX$484

-47.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.14 COP 92.4K

$26.78 MX$495

8.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.45 COP 106.1K

$31.03 MX$573

7.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$6.95 COP 22.0K

$5.29 MX$97.7

31.38%

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

$647 COP 2.1M

$691 MX$12.8K

-6.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,396 COP 20.3M

$11.5K MX$212.1K

-44.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 273.8K

$72.3 MX$1,335

19.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.97 COP 158.4K

$42.72 MX$789

16.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$154 COP 489.8K

$110 MX$2,024

41.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 COP 323.2K

$117 MX$2,158

-12.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$643 COP 2.0M

$970 MX$17.9K

-33.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 COP 1.6M

$664 MX$12.3K

-25.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,017 COP 3.2M

$1,857 MX$34.3K

-45.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$792 COP 2.5M

$1,287 MX$23.8K

-38.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,980 COP 6.3M

$4,162 MX$76.9K

-52.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,498 COP 4.7M

$2,349 MX$43.4K

-36.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$565 COP 1.8M

$1,146 MX$21.2K

-50.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.58

11.79

-1.78%

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

Last update for Cucuta: October 11, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cucuta

$497 37.2%

Monterrey

$664 41.3% 33.5% $167

Groceries & Markets

Cucuta

$274 20.5%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 13.4% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Cucuta

$177 13.2%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 13.1% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cucuta

$169 12.6%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 2.3% $3.9

Eating Out

Cucuta

$155 11.6%

Monterrey

$225 14% 45% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Cucuta

$47 3.6%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 12.1% $5.7

Getting Around

Cucuta

$17 * 1.3%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 149% $25

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 $643 in Cucuta and $970 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 103% 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: $49.00 in Cucuta vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $274 vs $310 per month, with Cucuta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cucuta

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

19:48 7:48 PM

18:48 6:48 PM

1 h behind Cucuta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

777,106

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cucuta Monterrey 3,550 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Cucuta
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

Cucuta vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cucuta is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 20% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 103% 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: $643 in Cucuta versus $970 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $647 in Cucuta 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 Cucuta – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $50.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,335 in Cucuta versus $1,608 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cucuta but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Cucuta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cucuta 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 Cucuta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.