Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leon, Mexico and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Leon: $1,191 a month against $1,647 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Leon
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Leon Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Leon

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,191

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,191 per month in Leon vs $1,647 in Monterrey, rent included.

Leon $1,191
Monterrey $1,647

A couple spends around $1,930 per month in Leon vs $2,591 in Monterrey, rent included.

Leon $1,930
Monterrey $2,591

A family of three spends $2,669 per month in Leon vs $3,536 in Monterrey, rent included.

Leon $2,669
Monterrey $3,536

Leon is about 28% cheaper than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Leon sits 12% below the global median, while Monterrey is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.96 MX$204

$13.45 MX$251

-18.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.8 MX$1,003

$48.43 MX$903

11.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.66 MX$161

$10.90 MX$203

-20.55%

Cappuccino

$4.01 MX$74.8

$3.82 MX$71.2

4.97%

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

$1.55 MX$28.88

$1.67 MX$31.06

-7.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 MX$22.85

$0.98 MX$18.32

25.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 MX$54.4

$2.35 MX$43.81

24.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 MX$71.9

$4.41 MX$82.2

-12.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 MX$32.57

$1.80 MX$33.58

-2.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 MX$50.7

$2.79 MX$52.1

-2.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MX$32.01

$1.82 MX$34.02

-5.49%

Eggs

$3.27 MX$60.9

$2.51 MX$46.84

30.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.81 MX$127

$12.09 MX$225

-43.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.52 MX$140

$9.41 MX$175

-20.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.83 MX$202

$12.71 MX$237

-14.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 MX$44.23

$3.21 MX$59.8

-26.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.47

$1.50 MX$27.92

-8.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 MX$33.27

$2.14 MX$39.97

-16.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.83

$2.32 MX$43.28

-37.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 MX$36.63

$2.20 MX$41.04

-10.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 MX$38.64

$2.60 MX$48.43

-20.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 MX$24.85

$1.44 MX$26.85

-7.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 MX$13.58

$1.17 MX$21.88

-37.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 MX$125

$4.79 MX$89.3

40.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.26 MX$247

$13.22 MX$247

0.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 MX$43.41

$1.94 MX$36.21

20.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 MX$66.8

$2.89 MX$53.8

23.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 MX$14.55

$0.87 MX$16.26

-10.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.94 MX$707

$31.14 MX$581

21.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 MX$50.8

$1.66 MX$30.88

63.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.62 MX$48.85

$1.09 MX$20.39

140.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.76 MX$275

$10.67 MX$199

38.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 MX$26.06

$1.47 MX$27.47

-4.76%

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

$24.5K MX$457.4K

$24.2K MX$451.9K

1.21%

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

$23.3K MX$433.6K

$23.6K MX$439.1K

-1.23%

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

$21.19 MX$395

$118 MX$2,197

-82.02%

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

$39.64 MX$739

$25.55 MX$476

55.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.5 MX$1,072

$26.43 MX$493

117.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.72 MX$685

$30.77 MX$574

19.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.64 MX$627

$21.07 MX$393

59.66%

Cinema Ticket

$6.48 MX$121

$5.09 MX$94.9

27.31%

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

$178 MX$3,320

$694 MX$12.9K

-74.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,783 MX$70.5K

$11.3K MX$211.0K

-66.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 MX$1,036

$72.5 MX$1,351

-23.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.2 MX$1,215

$41.51 MX$774

57.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.5 MX$1,818

$110 MX$2,046

-11.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,163

$115 MX$2,143

0.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$525 MX$9,783

$1,056 MX$19.7K

-50.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 MX$6,746

$721 MX$13.4K

-49.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.4K

$1,999 MX$37.3K

-61.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 MX$12.6K

$1,435 MX$26.7K

-52.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,219 MX$78.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,731 MX$50.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$528 MX$9,838

$1,149 MX$21.4K

-54.06%

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 Leon: October 24, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leon

$362 30.4%

Monterrey

$721 43.8% 99.3% $359

Groceries & Markets

Leon

$259 21.7%

Monterrey

$303 18.4% 17.2% $45

Eating Out

Leon

$195 16.4%

Monterrey

$217 13.2% 11.3% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Leon

$150 12.6%

Monterrey

$152 9.3% 1.3% $1.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leon

$118 9.9%

Monterrey

$170 10.3% 43.5% $51

Getting Around

Leon

$57 4.8%

Monterrey

$42 2.5% 26.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Leon

$50 4.2%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 17.6% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $525 in Leon versus $1,056 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 in Monterrey are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54 in Leon versus $48 in Monterrey. Groceries tell a different story – $259 in Leon vs $303 in Monterrey – so Leon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Leon

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

16:05 4:05 PM

Same time as Leon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,579,803

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Leon Monterrey 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Leon
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

Leon vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey costs about 38% more than Leon, 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 $1,787 per month in Leon and $2,470 in Monterrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Leon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $525 there versus $1,056 in Monterrey.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Monterrey, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54 in Leon and $48 in Monterrey. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,191 in Leon and $1,647 in Monterrey. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Leon – 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 Leon. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Monterrey makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.