Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Paz, Mexico and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in La Paz: $1,266 a month against $1,647 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in La Paz
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La Paz Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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La Paz

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,266

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,266 in La Paz versus $1,647 in Monterrey.

La Paz $1,266
Monterrey $1,647

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,091 in La Paz versus $2,591 in Monterrey.

La Paz $2,091
Monterrey $2,591

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,916 in La Paz versus $3,536 in Monterrey.

La Paz $2,916
Monterrey $3,536

Living in La Paz costs roughly 23% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: La Paz is 7% below, Monterrey is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.79 MX$183

$13.45 MX$252

-27.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.1 MX$1,013

$48.43 MX$908

11.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.87 MX$148

$10.90 MX$204

-27.80%

Cappuccino

$2.98 MX$55.8

$3.82 MX$71.5

-21.99%

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

$1.76 MX$33.00

$1.67 MX$31.22

5.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.53

$0.98 MX$18.42

1.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 MX$40.33

$2.35 MX$44.04

-8.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.59 MX$105

$4.41 MX$82.7

26.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 MX$40.23

$1.80 MX$33.76

19.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 MX$48.95

$2.79 MX$52.3

-6.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 MX$40.65

$1.82 MX$34.20

19.23%

Eggs

$2.33 MX$43.70

$2.51 MX$47.09

-7.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.53 MX$216

$12.09 MX$227

-4.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.34 MX$156

$9.41 MX$176

-11.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.73 MX$201

$12.71 MX$238

-15.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.50 MX$65.6

$3.21 MX$60.1

9.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 MX$23.40

$1.50 MX$28.07

-16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 MX$34.41

$2.14 MX$40.19

-14.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MX$34.22

$2.32 MX$43.50

-21.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$36.54

$2.20 MX$41.26

-11.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 MX$38.87

$2.60 MX$48.69

-20.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 MX$27.59

$1.44 MX$26.99

2.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 MX$25.23

$1.17 MX$21.99

15.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 MX$80.5

$4.79 MX$89.7

-10.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.87 MX$316

$13.22 MX$248

27.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 MX$23.01

$1.94 MX$36.40

-36.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 MX$51.3

$2.89 MX$54.1

-5.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 MX$12.59

$0.87 MX$16.34

-22.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.86 MX$616

$31.14 MX$584

5.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 MX$46.80

$1.66 MX$31.04

50.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.06 MX$38.65

$1.09 MX$20.49

88.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.99 MX$187

$10.67 MX$200

-6.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.95

$1.47 MX$27.61

-2.04%

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

$20.8K MX$389.1K

$24.2K MX$454.3K

-14.35%

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

$23.6K MX$443.1K

$23.6K MX$441.4K

0.39%

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

$61.3 MX$1,149

$118 MX$2,209

-47.97%

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

$25.45 MX$477

$25.55 MX$479

-0.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.70 MX$613

$26.43 MX$495

23.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.53 MX$610

$30.77 MX$577

5.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.49 MX$328

$21.07 MX$395

-16.99%

Cinema Ticket

$5.02 MX$94.1

$5.09 MX$95.4

-1.38%

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

$214 MX$4,016

$694 MX$13.0K

-69.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,487 MX$84.1K

$11.3K MX$212.1K

-60.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.0 MX$1,050

$72.5 MX$1,358

-22.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.04 MX$750

$41.51 MX$778

-3.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.6 MX$1,380

$110 MX$2,056

-32.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.8 MX$1,684

$115 MX$2,154

-21.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$799 MX$15.0K

$1,056 MX$19.8K

-24.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$475 MX$8,898

$721 MX$13.5K

-34.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.5K

$1,999 MX$37.5K

-15.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,034 MX$19.4K

$1,435 MX$26.9K

-27.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,918 MX$35.9K

$4,219 MX$79.1K

-54.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,119 MX$21.0K

$2,731 MX$51.2K

-59.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$746 MX$14.0K

$1,149 MX$21.5K

-35.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.6

11.79

-1.61%

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

Last update for La Paz: October 26, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

La Paz

$475 37.5%

Monterrey

$721 43.8% 51.9% $246

Groceries & Markets

La Paz

$293 23.2%

Monterrey

$303 18.4% 3.6% $11

Eating Out

La Paz

$171 13.5%

Monterrey

$217 13.2% 27.4% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Paz

$119 9.4%

Monterrey

$170 10.3% 42.2% $50

Clothing & Footwear

La Paz

$117 9.2%

Monterrey

$152 9.3% 30.5% $36

Getting Around

La Paz

$48 3.8%

Monterrey

$42 2.5% 13.6% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

La Paz

$43 3.4%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 3.8% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $799 in La Paz and $1,056 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 54% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $54 in La Paz vs $48 in Monterrey. Groceries flip the comparison at $293 vs $303, with La Paz cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 La Paz

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

07:29 7:29 AM

08:29 8:29 AM

1 h ahead of La Paz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

250,141

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

La Paz Monterrey 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

La Paz is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in La Paz. 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: $799 in La Paz versus $1,056 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $48 versus $54 in La Paz. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,266 per month in La Paz versus $1,647 in Monterrey – La Paz is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,266 in La Paz versus $1,647 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in La Paz but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes La Paz the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, La Paz is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Monterrey, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – La Paz wins on affordability, Monterrey on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.