Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Merced and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in La Merced: $565 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in La Merced
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La Merced Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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La Merced

🇵🇪 Peru

$565

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $565 per month in La Merced vs $1,608 in Monterrey, rent included.

La Merced $565
Monterrey $1,608

A couple spends around $917 per month in La Merced vs $2,521 in Monterrey, rent included.

La Merced $917
Monterrey $2,521

A family of three spends $1,269 per month in La Merced vs $3,433 in Monterrey, rent included.

La Merced $1,269
Monterrey $3,433

La Merced is about 65% cheaper than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

La Merced sits 58% below the global median, while Monterrey is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.38 PEN 15.04

$13.85 MX$256

-68.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.69 PEN 119

$49.70 MX$918

-30.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.77 PEN 23.26

$11.05 MX$204

-38.73%

Cappuccino

$3.16 PEN 10.84

$4.09 MX$75.6

-22.74%

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

$1.07 PEN 3.67

$1.68 MX$30.97

-36.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 PEN 2.20

$1.03 MX$18.98

-37.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 PEN 8.93

$2.40 MX$44.28

8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 PEN 14.87

$4.35 MX$80.3

-0.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.60

$1.92 MX$35.55

-15.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 PEN 6.79

$2.94 MX$54.2

-32.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 PEN 4.40

$1.88 MX$34.66

-31.91%

Eggs

$2.34 PEN 8.04

$2.55 MX$47.06

-8.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.09 PEN 24.34

$11.84 MX$219

-40.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.88 PEN 20.21

$9.36 MX$173

-37.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.65 PEN 29.69

$13.10 MX$242

-33.97%

Apples (1kg)

$1.01 PEN 3.45

$3.38 MX$62.5

-70.12%

Banana (1kg)

$0.46 PEN 1.58

$1.52 MX$28.13

-69.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.28 PEN 0.95

$2.19 MX$40.51

-87.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.75 PEN 2.57

$2.36 MX$43.63

-68.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 PEN 1.05

$2.26 MX$41.76

-86.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 PEN 1.45

$2.73 MX$50.5

-84.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 PEN 2.08

$1.52 MX$28.17

-59.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 PEN 3.14

$1.24 MX$22.90

-26.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.61 PEN 19.25

$4.75 MX$87.8

18.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.36 PEN 25.26

$13.66 MX$252

-46.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 PEN 6.43

$1.89 MX$34.95

-1.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 PEN 11.10

$2.99 MX$55.2

8.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.78

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 PEN 13.12

$1.68 MX$30.98

127.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 PEN 7.14

$1.13 MX$20.87

84.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.40 PEN 25.41

$11.15 MX$206

-33.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 PEN 5.97

$1.56 MX$28.91

11.54%

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

$22.1K PEN 76.0K

$21.4K MX$395.8K

3.29%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.5K

$25.1K MX$463.2K

1.68%

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

$72.8 PEN 250

$119 MX$2,206

-38.99%

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

$16.49 PEN 56.6

$26.21 MX$484

-37.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.80 PEN 95.5

$26.78 MX$495

3.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 MX$573

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$7.34 PEN 25.22

$5.29 MX$97.7

38.75%

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

$181 PEN 622

$691 MX$12.8K

-73.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K PEN 45.3K

$11.5K MX$212.1K

14.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 181

$72.3 MX$1,335

-27.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.20 PEN 121

$42.72 MX$789

-17.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.0 PEN 282

$110 MX$2,024

-25.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 PEN 272

$117 MX$2,158

-32.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 MX$17.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 MX$34.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 MX$23.8K

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)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

11.79

-24.17%

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

Last update for La Merced: October 11, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

La Merced

$186 32.8%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 67.4% $125

Eating Out

La Merced

$122 21.5%

Monterrey

$225 14% 84.4% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Merced

$117 20.7%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 47.2% $55

Clothing & Footwear

La Merced

$112 19.8%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 37.1% $42

Sport & Entertainment

La Merced

$15 * 2.6%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 183% $27

Getting Around

La Merced

$14 * 2.5%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 193% $27

Accommodation & Living

La Merced

- * 0%

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in La Merced versus $50.0 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $186 vs $310 – making La Merced the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 La Merced

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

16:28 4:28 PM

15:28 3:28 PM

1 h behind La Merced

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

La Merced Monterrey 4,640 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

La Merced
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

La Merced vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey costs about 184% more than La Merced, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $848 per month in La Merced and $2,412 in Monterrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $565 in La Merced and $1,608 in Monterrey. That's a gap of about 184%.

Kindergarten costs $181 per month in La Merced and $691 in Monterrey. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in La Merced, where all-in costs run around $565, than in Monterrey at $1,608. In La Merced it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monterrey it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. La Merced costs $565 versus $1,608 in Monterrey. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with La Merced. 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.