Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Culiacan and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Culiacan: $965 a month against $1,599 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Culiacan
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Culiacan Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Culiacan

🇲🇽 Mexico

$965

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $965 per month in Culiacan vs $1,599 in Monterrey, rent included.

Culiacan $965
Monterrey $1,599

A couple spends around $1,631 per month in Culiacan vs $2,493 in Monterrey, rent included.

Culiacan $1,631
Monterrey $2,493

A family of three spends $2,298 per month in Culiacan vs $3,387 in Monterrey, rent included.

Culiacan $2,298
Monterrey $3,387

Culiacan is about 40% cheaper than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Culiacan sits 29% below the global median, while Monterrey is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 MX$229

$13.80 MX$255

-10.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.93 MX$701

$47.99 MX$887

-20.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.10 MX$150

$10.65 MX$197

-23.94%

Cappuccino

$4.18 MX$77.2

$3.99 MX$73.7

4.76%

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

$1.39 MX$25.75

$1.66 MX$30.76

-16.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.10

$0.99 MX$18.21

4.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MX$44.61

$2.36 MX$43.64

2.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 MX$66.5

$4.43 MX$81.8

-18.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 MX$30.34

$1.82 MX$33.58

-9.89%

White Bread (500g)

$3.20 MX$59.1

$2.83 MX$52.4

13.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 MX$21.52

$1.92 MX$35.44

-39.58%

Eggs

$2.34 MX$43.22

$2.48 MX$45.78

-5.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.83 MX$145

$11.74 MX$217

-33.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 MX$169

$9.10 MX$168

0.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.69 MX$198

$12.53 MX$232

-14.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 MX$44.26

$3.34 MX$61.6

-28.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$27.79

$1.57 MX$29.10

-4.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 MX$27.89

$2.16 MX$39.86

-30.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 MX$23.41

$2.47 MX$45.65

-48.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 MX$30.67

$2.31 MX$42.64

-28.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 MX$31.45

$2.68 MX$49.47

-36.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 MX$31.54

$1.46 MX$26.90

17.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 MX$25.80

$1.19 MX$22.07

17.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.70 MX$86.9

$4.75 MX$87.8

-1.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.49 MX$249

$13.58 MX$251

-0.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 MX$25.87

$1.92 MX$35.52

-27.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$2.88 MX$53.2

-3.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MX$13.77

$0.79 MX$14.66

-5.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.50 MX$249

$31.36 MX$579

-56.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 MX$58.8

$1.59 MX$29.44

100.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 MX$32.80

$1.06 MX$19.58

67.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.73 MX$198

$10.80 MX$200

-0.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 MX$25.81

$1.55 MX$28.59

-9.68%

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

$21.3K MX$393.8K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

-11.77%

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

$24.2K MX$447.4K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

-0.43%

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

$54.2 MX$1,002

$117 MX$2,159

-53.57%

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

$21.34 MX$394

$26.38 MX$488

-19.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.59 MX$510

$26.04 MX$481

5.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.52 MX$545

$30.26 MX$559

-2.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.88 MX$404

$21.25 MX$393

2.96%

Cinema Ticket

$4.45 MX$82.3

$5.23 MX$96.6

-14.91%

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

$109 MX$2,018

$673 MX$12.4K

-83.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,284 MX$60.7K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

-70.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 MX$1,153

$72.1 MX$1,332

-13.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.79 MX$606

$42.38 MX$783

-22.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 MX$1,708

$112 MX$2,066

-17.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.6 MX$1,804

$119 MX$2,200

-18.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,894

$949 MX$17.5K

-60.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 MX$3,609

$666 MX$12.3K

-70.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$789 MX$14.6K

$1,821 MX$33.7K

-56.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$521 MX$9,620

$1,271 MX$23.5K

-59.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,157 MX$39.9K

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-46.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,099 MX$20.3K

$2,348 MX$43.4K

-53.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$714 MX$13.2K

$1,155 MX$21.3K

-38.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.4

11.79

-3.31%

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

Last update for Culiacan: October 20, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Culiacan

$268 27.8%

Monterrey

$304 19% 13.4% $36

Eating Out

Culiacan

$202 21%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 9.4% $19

Accommodation & Living

Culiacan

$195 20.2%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 241% $471

Clothing & Footwear

Culiacan

$128 13.3%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 21.1% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Culiacan

$103 10.7%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 64% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Culiacan

$38 4%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 6% $2.3

Getting Around

Culiacan

$29 3%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 45.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $373 in Culiacan 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 62% 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 $38.00 in Culiacan versus $48.00 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $304 – making Culiacan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Culiacan

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

04:37 4:37 AM

05:37 5:37 AM

1 h ahead of Culiacan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

808,416

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

Lowest

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Between locations

Culiacan Monterrey 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Culiacan
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

Culiacan vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $965 in Culiacan, $1,599 in Monterrey – roughly 66% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,447 per month in Culiacan 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 Culiacan, 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 $38.00 in Culiacan 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 $965 in Culiacan and $1,599 in Monterrey. That's a gap of about 66%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Culiacan, where all-in costs run around $965, than in Monterrey at $1,599. In Culiacan 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 $965 in Culiacan to $1,599 in Monterrey. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Culiacan. 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.