Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manzanillo and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Manzanillo: $1,200 a month against $1,641 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Manzanillo
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Manzanillo Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Manzanillo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,200

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,200 in Manzanillo versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Manzanillo $1,200
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,100 in Manzanillo versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Manzanillo $2,100
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Manzanillo versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Manzanillo $3,000
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Manzanillo costs roughly 27% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Manzanillo is 11% below, Monterrey is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.88 MX$202

$13.37 MX$249

-18.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.44 MX$604

$47.95 MX$892

-32.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 MX$203

$10.79 MX$201

1.20%

Cappuccino

$3.71 MX$69.1

$3.77 MX$70.1

-1.59%

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

$1.14 MX$21.13

$1.51 MX$28.11

-24.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 MX$20.81

$1.03 MX$19.15

8.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.11 MX$39.23

$2.48 MX$46.17

-14.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.31 MX$80.2

$4.36 MX$81.1

-1.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.04

$1.89 MX$35.25

-20.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 MX$47.10

$2.85 MX$53.0

-11.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 MX$21.54

$1.86 MX$34.54

-37.63%

Eggs

$2.07 MX$38.50

$2.47 MX$45.89

-16.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.01 MX$149

$11.81 MX$220

-32.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.42 MX$101

$8.97 MX$167

-39.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.44 MX$176

$12.57 MX$234

-24.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 MX$53.4

$3.20 MX$59.5

-10.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.67

$1.50 MX$27.97

-8.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 MX$32.20

$2.12 MX$39.54

-18.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 MX$27.23

$2.33 MX$43.42

-37.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.95

$2.22 MX$41.37

4.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 MX$30.77

$2.58 MX$48.10

-36.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.83 MX$34.14

$1.45 MX$26.90

26.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 MX$21.53

$1.22 MX$22.73

-4.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.31 MX$98.8

$4.80 MX$89.3

10.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.36 MX$118

$13.30 MX$248

-52.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 MX$33.46

$1.93 MX$35.95

-6.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 MX$45.32

$2.86 MX$53.1

-14.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MX$13.94

$0.80 MX$14.86

-6.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$576

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.39 MX$44.54

$1.83 MX$34.10

30.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.48 MX$46.14

$1.06 MX$19.68

133.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 MX$153

$10.82 MX$201

-24.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.16

$1.47 MX$27.40

-4.08%

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

$23.9K MX$445.2K

$24.1K MX$448.2K

-0.67%

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

$23.3K MX$434.3K

$23.5K MX$437.9K

-0.83%

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

$64.1 MX$1,193

$115 MX$2,133

-44.07%

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

$19.79 MX$368

$26.37 MX$491

-24.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.60 MX$532

$25.70 MX$478

11.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.8 MX$1,224

$30.53 MX$568

115.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.67 MX$589

$21.27 MX$396

48.90%

Cinema Ticket

$4.34 MX$80.8

$4.96 MX$92.3

-12.50%

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

$162 MX$3,022

$679 MX$12.6K

-76.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,458 MX$157.4K

$14.2K MX$263.9K

-40.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.68 MX$794

$72.2 MX$1,344

-40.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.94 MX$464

$41.94 MX$780

-40.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.9 MX$1,376

$107 MX$2,000

-31.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 MX$2,112

$119 MX$2,208

-4.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$660 MX$12.3K

$1,018 MX$18.9K

-35.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 MX$8,560

$722 MX$13.4K

-36.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,531 MX$28.5K

$1,966 MX$36.6K

-22.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,322 MX$24.6K

$1,416 MX$26.3K

-6.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$51.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$402 MX$7,485

$1,096 MX$20.4K

-63.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

11.79

-4.16%

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

Last update for Manzanillo: November 1, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manzanillo

$460 38.3%

Monterrey

$722 44% 56.9% $262

Groceries & Markets

Manzanillo

$228 19%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 32.7% $75

Eating Out

Manzanillo

$193 16.1%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 12.1% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Manzanillo

$115 9.6%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 33.4% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manzanillo

$112 9.4%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 48.2% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Manzanillo

$74 6.2%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 45.7% $34

Getting Around

Manzanillo

$18 * 1.5%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 132% $23

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 $660 in Manzanillo and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Manzanillo vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $228 vs $302 per month, with Manzanillo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Manzanillo

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

14:45 2:45 PM

Same time as Manzanillo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

159,853

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manzanillo Monterrey 840 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Manzanillo
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

Manzanillo vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,200 in Manzanillo and $1,641 in Monterrey, so Manzanillo is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 63% lower in Manzanillo. 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: $660 in Manzanillo versus $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Monterrey. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,200 per month in Manzanillo versus $1,641 in Monterrey – Manzanillo is about 27% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Manzanillo gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

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