Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Duitama and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Duitama: $1,282 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Duitama
Learn more

Duitama Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index

Jump to prices

Duitama

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,282

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,282 in Duitama versus $1,608 in Monterrey.

Duitama $1,282
Monterrey $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,026 in Duitama versus $2,521 in Monterrey.

Duitama $2,026
Monterrey $2,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,770 in Duitama versus $3,433 in Monterrey.

Duitama $2,770
Monterrey $3,433

Living in Duitama costs roughly 20% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Duitama is 5% below, Monterrey is 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.92 COP 25.1K

$13.85 MX$256

-42.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.97 COP 136.3K

$49.70 MX$918

-13.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.28 COP 32.6K

$11.05 MX$204

-6.97%

Cappuccino

$2.60 COP 8,254

$4.09 MX$75.6

-36.43%

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

$1.35 COP 4,280

$1.68 MX$30.97

-19.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 COP 2,681

$1.03 MX$18.98

-17.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 COP 6,401

$2.40 MX$44.28

-15.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 COP 12.6K

$4.35 MX$80.3

-8.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 COP 5,251

$1.92 MX$35.55

-13.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 COP 8,007

$2.94 MX$54.2

-13.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,175

$1.88 MX$34.66

-13.30%

Eggs

$3.51 COP 11.1K

$2.55 MX$47.06

37.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.77 COP 24.6K

$11.84 MX$219

-34.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.37 COP 23.4K

$9.36 MX$173

-21.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.00 COP 31.7K

$13.10 MX$242

-23.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.56 COP 11.3K

$3.38 MX$62.5

5.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 COP 5,553

$1.52 MX$28.13

15.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 COP 6,040

$2.19 MX$40.51

-13.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 COP 5,635

$2.36 MX$43.63

-24.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 COP 4,516

$2.26 MX$41.76

-37.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 COP 4,367

$2.73 MX$50.5

-49.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 COP 4,238

$1.52 MX$28.17

-11.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 COP 3,745

$1.24 MX$22.90

-4.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 COP 14.0K

$4.75 MX$87.8

-6.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.62 COP 40.0K

$13.66 MX$252

-7.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 COP 4,397

$1.89 MX$34.95

-26.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 COP 9,080

$2.99 MX$55.2

-4.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 COP 3,612

$0.85 MX$15.78

34.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.41 COP 7,641

$1.68 MX$30.98

43.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.31 COP 7,336

$1.13 MX$20.87

104.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.41 COP 29.8K

$11.15 MX$206

-15.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 COP 4,263

$1.56 MX$28.91

-14.10%

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

$23.3K COP 74.0M

$21.4K MX$395.8K

8.91%

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

$34.8K COP 110.4M

$25.1K MX$463.2K

38.93%

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

$126 COP 399.4K

$119 MX$2,206

5.52%

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

$16.01 COP 50.8K

$26.21 MX$484

-38.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.98 COP 95.1K

$26.78 MX$495

11.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.07 COP 133.4K

$31.03 MX$573

35.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$8.02 COP 25.4K

$5.29 MX$97.7

51.61%

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

$500 COP 1.6M

$691 MX$12.8K

-27.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,438 COP 23.6M

$11.5K MX$212.1K

-35.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.2 COP 263.7K

$72.3 MX$1,335

15.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.43 COP 153.6K

$42.72 MX$789

13.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 COP 448.9K

$110 MX$2,024

29.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 COP 333.2K

$117 MX$2,158

-9.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$591 COP 1.9M

$970 MX$17.9K

-39.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 COP 1.4M

$664 MX$12.3K

-32.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 COP 3.3M

$1,857 MX$34.3K

-43.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 COP 3.0M

$1,287 MX$23.8K

-27.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,232 COP 7.1M

$4,162 MX$76.9K

-46.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 COP 5.7M

$2,349 MX$43.4K

-23.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.81

11.79

8.65%

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

Last update for Duitama: October 10, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Duitama

$449 35%

Monterrey

$664 41.3% 47.7% $214

Groceries & Markets

Duitama

$262 20.4%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 18.6% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Duitama

$172 13.4%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 0.2% $0.4

Clothing & Footwear

Duitama

$170 13.3%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 9.8% $17

Eating Out

Duitama

$152 11.9%

Monterrey

$225 14% 47.5% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Duitama

$58 4.5%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 28.4% $16

Getting Around

Duitama

$19 * 1.5%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 125% $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 $591 in Duitama and $970 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43.00 in Duitama vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $262 vs $310 per month, with Duitama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Duitama

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

23:50 11:50 PM

22:50 10:50 PM

1 h behind Duitama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

126,670

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 19, 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 19, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Duitama Monterrey 3,640 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Duitama
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

Duitama vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Duitama wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Monterrey. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Duitama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,923 in Duitama 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: $591 in Duitama versus $970 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Monterrey. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,282 per month in Duitama versus $1,608 in Monterrey – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,282 in Duitama versus $1,608 in Monterrey, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Duitama but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Duitama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Duitama delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,282 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Duitama hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Duitama 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 Duitama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.