Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iquitos and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Iquitos: $663 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Iquitos

🇵🇪 Peru

$663

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $663 per month in Iquitos vs $1,608 in Monterrey, rent included.

Iquitos $663
Monterrey $1,608

A couple spends around $1,185 per month in Iquitos vs $2,521 in Monterrey, rent included.

Iquitos $1,185
Monterrey $2,521

A family of three spends $1,707 per month in Iquitos vs $3,433 in Monterrey, rent included.

Iquitos $1,707
Monterrey $3,433

Iquitos is about 59% cheaper than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Iquitos sits 51% below the global median, while Monterrey is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.31 PEN 14.81

$13.85 MX$256

-68.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.44 PEN 132

$49.70 MX$918

-22.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.30 PEN 25.06

$11.05 MX$204

-33.94%

Cappuccino

$3.57 PEN 12.26

$4.09 MX$75.6

-12.71%

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

$0.85 PEN 2.92

$1.68 MX$30.97

-49.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 PEN 1.91

$1.03 MX$18.98

-45.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.82 PEN 9.69

$2.40 MX$44.28

17.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.41 PEN 25.45

$4.35 MX$80.3

70.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 PEN 6.05

$1.92 MX$35.55

-8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 PEN 7.91

$2.94 MX$54.2

-21.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.66

Eggs

$2.56 PEN 8.80

$2.55 MX$47.06

0.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 MX$219

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 PEN 11.26

$9.36 MX$173

-64.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 MX$242

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.13

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.51

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.63

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.76

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.5

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.17

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.24 MX$22.90

-28.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 MX$252

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 MX$34.95

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MX$55.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.78

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$30.98

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.87

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 MX$206

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.91

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

$21.4K MX$395.8K

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

$25.1K MX$463.2K

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

$34.73 PEN 119

$119 MX$2,206

-70.91%

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

$11.34 PEN 38.95

$26.21 MX$484

-56.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.74 PEN 30.03

$26.78 MX$495

-67.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.05 PEN 99.8

$31.03 MX$573

-6.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.75 PEN 30.06

$21.43 MX$396

-59.17%

Cinema Ticket

$5.64 PEN 19.37

$5.29 MX$97.7

6.62%

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

$691 MX$12.8K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,789 PEN 9,576

$11.5K MX$212.1K

-75.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 PEN 301

$72.3 MX$1,335

21.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 PEN 121

$42.72 MX$789

-17.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.9 PEN 182

$110 MX$2,024

-51.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$26.21 PEN 90.0

$117 MX$2,158

-77.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,180

$970 MX$17.9K

-64.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$265 PEN 909

$664 MX$12.3K

-60.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$882 PEN 3,029

$1,857 MX$34.3K

-52.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$712 PEN 2,445

$1,287 MX$23.8K

-44.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$76.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 MX$43.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$573 PEN 1,968

$1,146 MX$21.2K

-50.02%

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 Iquitos: 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

Iquitos

–

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

Groceries & Markets

Iquitos

–

Monterrey

$310 19.3%

Eating Out

Iquitos

–

Monterrey

$225 14%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iquitos

–

Monterrey

$172 10.7%

Clothing & Footwear

Iquitos

–

Monterrey

$154 9.6%

Getting Around

Iquitos

–

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Sport & Entertainment

Iquitos

–

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $343 in Iquitos versus $970 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 100% 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 Iquitos versus $50.0 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $78.0 vs $310 – making Iquitos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Iquitos

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

16:37 4:37 PM

15:37 3:37 PM

1 h behind Iquitos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,853

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 = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Iquitos Monterrey 4,380 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Iquitos
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

Iquitos vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Monterrey is pricier by about 143%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $994 per month in Iquitos and $2,412 in Monterrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Iquitos, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 298% more in Monterrey, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38.00 in Iquitos and $50.0 in Monterrey. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Iquitos, where all-in costs run around $663, than in Monterrey at $1,608. In Iquitos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monterrey it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Iquitos – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Iquitos. 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.