Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Isla Mujeres and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Isla Mujeres: $1,103 a month against $1,599 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Isla Mujeres
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Isla Mujeres Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Isla Mujeres

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,103

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,103 in Isla Mujeres versus $1,599 in Monterrey.

Isla Mujeres $1,103
Monterrey $1,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,760 in Isla Mujeres versus $2,493 in Monterrey.

Isla Mujeres $1,760
Monterrey $2,493

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,416 in Isla Mujeres versus $3,387 in Monterrey.

Isla Mujeres $2,416
Monterrey $3,387

Living in Isla Mujeres costs roughly 31% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Isla Mujeres is 19% below, Monterrey is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$196

$13.80 MX$255

-23.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.10 MX$722

$47.99 MX$887

-18.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.70 MX$142

$10.65 MX$197

-27.70%

Cappuccino

$3.26 MX$60.2

$3.99 MX$73.7

-18.30%

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

$1.24 MX$22.93

$1.66 MX$30.76

-25.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 MX$18.04

$0.99 MX$18.21

-1.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 MX$40.08

$2.36 MX$43.64

-8.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 MX$73.9

$4.43 MX$81.8

-9.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.58

$1.82 MX$33.58

-20.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 MX$46.64

$2.83 MX$52.4

-10.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 MX$28.75

$1.92 MX$35.44

-18.75%

Eggs

$2.33 MX$43.08

$2.48 MX$45.78

-6.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.97 MX$147

$11.74 MX$217

-32.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.02 MX$148

$9.10 MX$168

-11.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.38 MX$192

$12.53 MX$232

-17.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 MX$48.09

$3.34 MX$61.6

-22.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 MX$26.02

$1.57 MX$29.10

-10.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 MX$31.68

$2.16 MX$39.86

-20.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.70 MX$31.45

$2.47 MX$45.65

-31.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.19

$2.31 MX$42.64

-17.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.63

$2.68 MX$49.47

-27.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 MX$23.35

$1.46 MX$26.90

-13.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 MX$18.14

$1.19 MX$22.07

-17.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 MX$77.7

$4.75 MX$87.8

-11.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.00 MX$203

$13.58 MX$251

-19.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 MX$29.54

$1.92 MX$35.52

-16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 MX$51.1

$2.88 MX$53.2

-3.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 MX$11.45

$0.79 MX$14.66

-21.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 MX$46.85

$1.59 MX$29.44

59.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 MX$29.42

$1.06 MX$19.58

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 MX$157

$10.80 MX$200

-21.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 MX$23.31

$1.55 MX$28.59

-18.71%

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

$21.4K MX$396.2K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

-11.25%

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

$22.1K MX$408.2K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

-9.16%

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

$56.3 MX$1,041

$117 MX$2,159

-51.78%

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

$22.23 MX$411

$26.38 MX$488

-15.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.99 MX$517

$26.04 MX$481

7.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.29 MX$671

$30.26 MX$559

19.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.00 MX$296

$21.25 MX$393

-24.71%

Cinema Ticket

$4.64 MX$85.8

$5.23 MX$96.6

-11.28%

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

$210 MX$3,888

$673 MX$12.4K

-68.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,607 MX$66.6K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

-67.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 MX$961

$72.1 MX$1,332

-27.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.19 MX$743

$42.38 MX$783

-5.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.8 MX$1,678

$112 MX$2,066

-18.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.7 MX$1,492

$119 MX$2,200

-32.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$505 MX$9,338

$949 MX$17.5K

-46.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$395 MX$7,304

$666 MX$12.3K

-40.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 MX$17.0K

$1,821 MX$33.7K

-49.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 MX$14.2K

$1,271 MX$23.5K

-39.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,779 MX$32.9K

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-56.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,176 MX$21.7K

$2,348 MX$43.4K

-49.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.48

11.79

-2.63%

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

Last update for Isla Mujeres: October 19, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Isla Mujeres

$395 35.9%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 68.6% $271

Groceries & Markets

Isla Mujeres

$249 22.6%

Monterrey

$304 19% 22.3% $55

Eating Out

Isla Mujeres

$175 15.8%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 26.8% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Isla Mujeres

$119 10.8%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 30.9% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Isla Mujeres

$107 9.7%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 58.8% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Isla Mujeres

$46 4.1%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 10.7% $4.9

Getting Around

Isla Mujeres

$13 * 1.2%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 219% $28

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 $505 in Isla Mujeres and $949 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $39.00 in Isla Mujeres vs $48.00 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $304 per month, with Isla Mujeres cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Isla Mujeres

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

19:50 7:50 PM

18:50 6:50 PM

1 h behind Isla Mujeres

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,174

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

Isla Mujeres Monterrey 1,470 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Isla Mujeres
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

Isla Mujeres vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Isla Mujeres and Monterrey differ by about 45% in total monthly costs ($1,103 vs $1,599 including rent). Isla Mujeres is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,654 in Isla Mujeres and $2,399 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: $505 in Isla Mujeres versus $949 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Monterrey. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,103 per month in Isla Mujeres versus $1,599 in Monterrey – a 45% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,103 in Isla Mujeres versus $1,599 in Monterrey, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Isla Mujeres but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Isla Mujeres the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Isla Mujeres 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 Isla Mujeres gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.