Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monclova and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monclova: $1,157 a month against $1,599 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Monclova
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Monclova Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Monclova

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,157

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,157 in Monclova versus $1,599 in Monterrey.

Monclova $1,157
Monterrey $1,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,871 in Monclova versus $2,493 in Monterrey.

Monclova $1,871
Monterrey $2,493

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,585 in Monclova versus $3,387 in Monterrey.

Monclova $2,585
Monterrey $3,387

Living in Monclova costs roughly 28% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monclova is 15% below, Monterrey is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.40 MX$118

$13.80 MX$255

-53.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.09 MX$704

$47.99 MX$887

-20.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.07 MX$204

$10.65 MX$197

3.94%

Cappuccino

$4.03 MX$74.4

$3.99 MX$73.7

1.00%

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

$1.41 MX$25.98

$1.66 MX$30.76

-15.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.48

$0.99 MX$18.21

-21.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 MX$39.68

$2.36 MX$43.64

-8.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$4.43 MX$81.8

-23.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 MX$35.16

$1.82 MX$33.58

4.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.96 MX$54.7

$2.83 MX$52.4

4.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.49

$1.92 MX$35.44

Eggs

$2.45 MX$45.23

$2.48 MX$45.78

-1.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.96 MX$221

$11.74 MX$217

1.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.08 MX$168

$9.10 MX$168

-0.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.75 MX$236

$12.53 MX$232

1.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 MX$61.1

$3.34 MX$61.6

-0.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 MX$28.43

$1.57 MX$29.10

-1.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 MX$39.76

$2.16 MX$39.86

-0.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 MX$45.56

$2.47 MX$45.65

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 MX$41.51

$2.31 MX$42.64

-2.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 MX$49.56

$2.68 MX$49.47

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 MX$27.25

$1.46 MX$26.90

0.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 MX$22.76

$1.19 MX$22.07

3.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.86 MX$89.9

$4.75 MX$87.8

2.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 MX$253

$13.58 MX$251

0.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.05

$1.92 MX$35.52

-1.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 MX$53.4

$2.88 MX$53.2

0.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 MX$11.86

$0.79 MX$14.66

-18.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 MX$29.70

$1.59 MX$29.44

1.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.86

$1.06 MX$19.58

6.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.17 MX$206

$10.80 MX$200

3.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 MX$29.08

$1.55 MX$28.59

1.29%

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

$21.0K MX$387.6K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

-13.18%

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

$25.1K MX$464.7K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

3.40%

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

$48.78 MX$901

$117 MX$2,159

-58.24%

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

$25.95 MX$479

$26.38 MX$488

-1.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.40 MX$451

$26.04 MX$481

-6.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.05 MX$629

$30.26 MX$559

12.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.41 MX$377

$21.25 MX$393

-3.95%

Cinema Ticket

$5.21 MX$96.3

$5.23 MX$96.6

-0.38%

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

$219 MX$4,054

$673 MX$12.4K

-67.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,581 MX$84.6K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

-58.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.2 MX$1,316

$72.1 MX$1,332

-1.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 MX$763

$42.38 MX$783

-2.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 MX$2,087

$112 MX$2,066

1.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,160

$119 MX$2,200

-1.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 MX$11.4K

$949 MX$17.5K

-35.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,068

$666 MX$12.3K

-42.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 MX$19.5K

$1,821 MX$33.7K

-42.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$781 MX$14.4K

$1,271 MX$23.5K

-38.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,899 MX$35.1K

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-53.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,148 MX$21.2K

$2,348 MX$43.4K

-51.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

-15.18%

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

Last update for Monclova: October 20, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monclova

$382 33.1%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 74.2% $284

Groceries & Markets

Monclova

$308 26.6%

Monterrey

$304 19% 1.1% $3.3

Eating Out

Monclova

$159 13.7%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 39.3% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Monclova

$154 13.3%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 0.9% $1.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monclova

$99 8.6%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 70.7% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Monclova

$44 3.8%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 8.5% $3.8

Getting Around

Monclova

$9.8 * 0.9%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 322% $32

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 $616 in Monclova and $949 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $38.00 in Monclova vs $48.00 in Monterrey. Groceries flip the comparison at $308 vs $304, with Monterrey cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monclova

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

02:09 2:09 AM

Same time as Monclova

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

237,169

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Monclova Monterrey 170 km

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Monclova
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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

Monclova vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monclova wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Monterrey. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Monclova the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,735 in Monclova and $2,399 in Monterrey 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: $616 in Monclova versus $949 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $219 in Monclova versus $673 in Monterrey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Monclova – a meal for two runs $38.00 versus $48.00 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,157 in Monclova versus $1,599 in Monterrey, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Monclova but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Monclova the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Monclova delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,157 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Monclova hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Monclova and Monterrey are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Monclova gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.