Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cusco and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Cusco: $688 a month against $1,607 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
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Cusco Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$688

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $688 in Cusco versus $1,607 in Monterrey.

Cusco $688
Monterrey $1,607

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,096 in Cusco versus $2,512 in Monterrey.

Cusco $1,096
Monterrey $2,512

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,505 in Cusco versus $3,417 in Monterrey.

Cusco $1,505
Monterrey $3,417

Living in Cusco costs roughly 57% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cusco is 49% below, Monterrey is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.99 PEN 6.85

$13.75 MX$250

-85.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.55 PEN 70.7

$50.2 MX$913

-59.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.70 PEN 23.04

$11.13 MX$203

-39.80%

Cappuccino

$2.11 PEN 7.24

$4.04 MX$73.5

-47.77%

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

$0.78 PEN 2.69

$1.70 MX$31.00

-54.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 PEN 1.13

$0.99 MX$18.00

-66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 PEN 5.92

$2.41 MX$43.80

-28.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 PEN 14.90

$4.48 MX$81.6

-3.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 PEN 4.27

$1.92 MX$34.98

-35.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 PEN 7.97

$2.89 MX$52.6

-19.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 PEN 4.43

$1.94 MX$35.34

-33.51%

Eggs

$3.63 PEN 12.48

$2.50 MX$45.47

45.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.69 PEN 16.14

$12.30 MX$224

-61.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.43 PEN 15.24

$9.33 MX$170

-52.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.37 PEN 25.35

$13.07 MX$238

-43.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 PEN 8.78

$3.38 MX$61.5

-24.56%

Banana (1kg)

$0.77 PEN 2.63

$1.58 MX$28.75

-51.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 PEN 5.04

$2.20 MX$40.07

-33.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.94

$2.45 MX$44.48

-65.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 PEN 3.52

$2.26 MX$41.09

-54.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 PEN 3.80

$2.74 MX$49.89

-59.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 PEN 1.67

$1.53 MX$27.83

-67.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 PEN 2.58

$1.26 MX$22.94

-40.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.84 MX$88.1

Wine (Bottle)

$5.93 PEN 20.41

$13.59 MX$247

-56.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 PEN 6.38

$1.91 MX$34.69

-3.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 PEN 14.16

$3.06 MX$55.8

34.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 PEN 1.04

$0.80 MX$14.47

-62.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.77 MX$578

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.62 MX$29.50

6.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 PEN 6.65

$1.10 MX$19.99

75.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.82 PEN 9.69

$10.97 MX$199

-74.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 PEN 5.42

$1.52 MX$27.68

3.29%

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

$21.4K MX$388.7K

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

$28.9K PEN 99.5K

$25.5K MX$463.3K

13.62%

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

$29.31 PEN 101

$120 MX$2,178

-75.52%

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

$14.31 PEN 49.22

$27.08 MX$493

-47.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.13 PEN 152

$26.70 MX$486

65.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.51 PEN 98.1

$31.15 MX$567

-8.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.95 MX$399

Cinema Ticket

$4.26 PEN 14.64

$5.14 MX$93.5

-17.12%

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

$688 MX$12.5K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$207.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.39 PEN 129

$71.9 MX$1,308

-48.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.43 PEN 115

$43.30 MX$788

-22.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.4 PEN 187

$112 MX$2,040

-51.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.2 PEN 248

$122 MX$2,216

-40.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$218 PEN 748

$957 MX$17.4K

-77.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 PEN 657

$670 MX$12.2K

-71.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$538 PEN 1,849

$1,887 MX$34.3K

-71.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 PEN 1,431

$1,305 MX$23.7K

-68.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,249 PEN 11.2K

$4,159 MX$75.7K

-21.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,823 PEN 6,270

$2,437 MX$44.3K

-25.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$433 PEN 1,490

$1,133 MX$20.6K

-61.77%

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 Cusco: 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

Cusco

$191 27.8%

Monterrey

$670 41.4% 251% $479

Groceries & Markets

Cusco

$187 27.2%

Monterrey

$312 19.3% 67.4% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Cusco

$89 12.9%

Monterrey

$157 9.7% 76.9% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cusco

$88 12.8%

Monterrey

$174 10.7% 97.7% $86

Eating Out

Cusco

$83 12.1%

Monterrey

$224 13.8% 170% $141

Sport & Entertainment

Cusco

$37 5.4%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 11.9% $4.4

Getting Around

Cusco

$13 * 1.8%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 234% $29

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 $218 in Cusco and $957 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 162% 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: $21.00 in Cusco vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $187 vs $312 per month, with Cusco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Cusco

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

00:03 12:03 AM

23:03 11:03 PM

1 h behind Cusco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

428,450

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cusco Monterrey 5,330 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Cusco
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

Cusco vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cusco is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 134% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 162% 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: $218 in Cusco versus $957 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 67% higher in Monterrey. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cusco – a meal for two runs $21.00 versus $50.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $688 in Cusco versus $1,607 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cusco but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Cusco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cusco 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 Cusco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 134% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.