Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Monteria

For one person, living is cheaper in Monteria: $1,358 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Monteria
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Monteria Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monteria

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,358

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Monteria

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mexico City and in Monteria actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $1,358 in Monteria.

Mexico City $1,674
Monteria $1,358

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $2,064 in Monteria.

Mexico City $2,606
Monteria $2,064

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $2,770 in Monteria.

Mexico City $3,537
Monteria $2,770

Living in Mexico City is roughly 23% more expensive than in Monteria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$5.66 COP 18.3K

87.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$47.00 COP 151.7K

10.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$10.08 COP 32.5K

6.45%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.6

$2.66 COP 8,600

42.86%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$2.56 COP 8,261

-37.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$2.33 COP 7,537

-48.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$3.35 COP 10.8K

-5.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$5.11 COP 16.5K

6.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$1.84 COP 5,949

-6.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$2.90 COP 9,358

2.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$1.48 COP 4,782

30.41%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$4.85 COP 15.7K

-42.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$8.11 COP 26.2K

43.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$9.96 COP 32.2K

-4.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$12.47 COP 40.3K

23.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$3.78 COP 12.2K

-17.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$1.45 COP 4,672

35.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$1.94 COP 6,275

2.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$2.02 COP 6,527

15.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$1.61 COP 5,193

25.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$1.47 COP 4,760

23.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$1.13 COP 3,637

36.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$1.19 COP 3,828

10.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$4.11 COP 13.3K

30.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$14.43 COP 46.6K

12.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$1.39 COP 4,492

41.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$2.37 COP 7,666

83.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$1.07 COP 3,461

-71.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

$65.2 COP 210.4K

-70.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$1.61 COP 5,195

19.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$2.09 COP 6,737

-77.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$9.19 COP 29.7K

-41.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.28 COP 4,142

15.62%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$34.9K COP 112.6M

-38.75%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$34.9K COP 112.6M

-31.90%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$79.7 COP 257.3K

-22.21%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$13.46 COP 43.5K

111.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$27.98 COP 90.3K

21.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$38.09 COP 123.0K

53.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$8.12 COP 26.2K

-18.84%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$634 COP 2.0M

-31.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$5,860 COP 18.9M

139.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$83.8 COP 270.4K

-18.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$52.0 COP 168.0K

5.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$137 COP 441.9K

-19.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,158

$99.5 COP 321.2K

16.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$725 COP 2.3M

62.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$482 COP 1.6M

59.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$1,394 COP 4.5M

84.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$774 COP 2.5M

83.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

$2,193 COP 7.1M

63.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

$1,787 COP 5.8M

15.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

-24.33%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Monteria: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Monteria

$482 35.6% 37.4% $288

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Monteria

$297 21.9% 8.3% $27

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Monteria

$154 11.3% 23.2% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Monteria

$167 12.3% 6.3% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Monteria

$121 8.9% 2.8% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Monteria

$54 4% 24.1% $17

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Monteria

$82 6% 226% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $725 in Monteria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $47 in Monteria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $297 per month, with Monteria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇴 Monteria

🕒 Local time

14:15 2:15 PM

15:15 3:15 PM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

454,032

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,610 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Monteria 2,770 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Monteria

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

Mexico City vs Monteria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $1,358 in Monteria, so Monteria is about 19% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,510 in Mexico City and $2,037 in Monteria 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: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $725 in Monteria. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 70% less than in Monteria. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $634 in Monteria. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Monteria is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.