Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guanajuato and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Guanajuato: $1,054 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Guanajuato
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Guanajuato Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

Jump to prices

Guanajuato

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,054

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,054 in Guanajuato versus $1,608 in Monterrey.

Guanajuato $1,054
Monterrey $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,619 in Guanajuato versus $2,521 in Monterrey.

Guanajuato $1,619
Monterrey $2,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,185 in Guanajuato versus $3,433 in Monterrey.

Guanajuato $2,185
Monterrey $3,433

Living in Guanajuato costs roughly 34% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Guanajuato is 22% below, Monterrey is 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.62 MX$252

$13.85 MX$256

-1.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.07 MX$814

$49.70 MX$918

-11.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.59 MX$140

$11.05 MX$204

-31.31%

Cappuccino

$3.86 MX$71.3

$4.09 MX$75.6

-5.62%

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

$1.67 MX$30.87

$1.68 MX$30.97

-0.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.28

$1.03 MX$18.98

-3.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 MX$49.29

$2.40 MX$44.28

11.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.84 MX$89.4

$4.35 MX$80.3

11.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.92 MX$35.55

-17.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 MX$48.21

$2.94 MX$54.2

-11.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.68

$1.88 MX$34.66

-23.40%

Eggs

$2.38 MX$44.03

$2.55 MX$47.06

-6.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.84 MX$89.5

$11.84 MX$219

-59.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.57 MX$177

$9.36 MX$173

2.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.88 MX$219

$13.10 MX$242

-9.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 MX$50.2

$3.38 MX$62.5

-19.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 MX$30.31

$1.52 MX$28.13

7.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.59

$2.19 MX$40.51

-7.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 MX$28.73

$2.36 MX$43.63

-34.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.64

$2.26 MX$41.76

-12.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 MX$33.75

$2.73 MX$50.5

-32.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.00

$1.52 MX$28.17

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 MX$19.65

$1.24 MX$22.90

-14.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.83 MX$89.3

$4.75 MX$87.8

1.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.74 MX$198

$13.66 MX$252

-21.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 MX$34.77

$1.89 MX$34.95

-0.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 MX$64.0

$2.99 MX$55.2

15.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 MX$10.64

$0.85 MX$15.78

-31.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.18 MX$502

$30.95 MX$572

-12.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 MX$40.16

$1.68 MX$30.98

29.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 MX$25.53

$1.13 MX$20.87

22.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.94 MX$165

$11.15 MX$206

-19.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.33

$1.56 MX$28.91

-5.13%

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

$20.4K MX$376.1K

$21.4K MX$395.8K

-4.97%

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

$24.0K MX$443.1K

$25.1K MX$463.2K

-4.34%

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

$50.7 MX$937

$119 MX$2,206

-57.53%

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

$20.05 MX$371

$26.21 MX$484

-23.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.98 MX$517

$26.78 MX$495

4.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.52 MX$582

$31.03 MX$573

1.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.44 MX$507

$21.43 MX$396

28.04%

Cinema Ticket

$6.63 MX$122

$5.29 MX$97.7

25.33%

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

$209 MX$3,862

$691 MX$12.8K

-69.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,492 MX$101.5K

$11.5K MX$212.1K

-52.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 MX$1,096

$72.3 MX$1,335

-17.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.24 MX$688

$42.72 MX$789

-12.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.5 MX$1,432

$110 MX$2,024

-29.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.3 MX$1,058

$117 MX$2,158

-50.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$518 MX$9,579

$970 MX$17.9K

-46.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$295 MX$5,460

$664 MX$12.3K

-55.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$779 MX$14.4K

$1,857 MX$34.3K

-58.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$388 MX$7,179

$1,287 MX$23.8K

-69.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,346 MX$24.9K

$4,162 MX$76.9K

-67.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,086 MX$20.1K

$2,349 MX$43.4K

-53.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$712 MX$13.1K

$1,146 MX$21.2K

-37.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

11.79

-4.16%

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

Last update for Guanajuato: 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

Guanajuato

$295 28%

Monterrey

$664 41.3% 125% $368

Groceries & Markets

Guanajuato

$261 24.8%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 19% $50

Eating Out

Guanajuato

$212 20.1%

Monterrey

$225 14% 6.1% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Guanajuato

$104 9.9%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 47.5% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guanajuato

$99 9.4%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 74.6% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Guanajuato

$45 4.3%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 7.1% $3.2

Getting Around

Guanajuato

$39 3.7%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 8.1% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $518 in Guanajuato and $970 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 61% 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: $44.00 in Guanajuato vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $261 vs $310 per month, with Guanajuato cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Guanajuato

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

13:36 1:36 PM

Same time as Guanajuato

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,068

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

Guanajuato Monterrey 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Guanajuato
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

Guanajuato vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guanajuato wins on cost – living expenses run 53% lower than in Monterrey. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Guanajuato the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 61% 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: $518 in Guanajuato 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.

Dining out is cheaper in Guanajuato – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $50.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,054 in Guanajuato versus $1,608 in Monterrey, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Guanajuato but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Guanajuato the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Guanajuato delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,054 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Guanajuato hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Guanajuato 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 Guanajuato gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.