Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Acuna

For one person, living is cheaper in Acuna: $1,203 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.

78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Acuna
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Acuna Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Acuna

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Acuna

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Monterrey vs $1,203 in Acuna, rent included.

Monterrey $1,641
Acuna $1,203

A couple spends around $2,573 per month in Monterrey vs $1,872 in Acuna, rent included.

Monterrey $2,573
Acuna $1,872

A family of three spends $3,504 per month in Monterrey vs $2,540 in Acuna, rent included.

Monterrey $3,504
Acuna $2,540

Monterrey costs about 36% more than Acuna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Monterrey sits 21% above the global median, while Acuna is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.37 MX$249

$10.82 MX$201

23.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.95 MX$892

$42.78 MX$796

12.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 MX$201

$8.73 MX$163

23.60%

Cappuccino

$3.77 MX$70.1

$3.49 MX$64.9

8.02%

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

$1.51 MX$28.11

$1.40 MX$26.00

7.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.15

$0.99 MX$18.46

4.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 MX$46.17

$2.49 MX$46.35

-0.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MX$81.1

$3.92 MX$72.9

11.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MX$35.25

$1.56 MX$28.95

21.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 MX$53.0

$2.58 MX$47.92

10.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.54

$1.64 MX$30.54

13.41%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$45.89

$2.45 MX$45.67

0.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.81 MX$220

$8.25 MX$154

43.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 MX$167

$7.96 MX$148

12.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$234

$11.30 MX$210

11.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 MX$59.5

$2.61 MX$48.58

22.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$27.97

$1.56 MX$29.10

-3.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.54

$1.84 MX$34.25

15.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 MX$43.42

$1.78 MX$33.19

30.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$41.37

$2.04 MX$37.97

8.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 MX$48.10

$1.82 MX$33.94

41.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$26.90

$1.43 MX$26.59

1.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.73

$1.12 MX$20.86

8.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 MX$89.3

$4.20 MX$78.1

14.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 MX$248

$10.27 MX$191

29.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MX$35.95

$1.79 MX$33.27

7.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 MX$53.1

$3.16 MX$58.8

-9.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.86

$0.62 MX$11.51

29.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$576

$29.62 MX$551

4.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 MX$34.10

$2.54 MX$47.30

-27.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.68

$1.93 MX$35.88

-45.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.82 MX$201

$10.78 MX$201

0.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.32 MX$24.52

11.36%

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

$24.1K MX$448.2K

$23.3K MX$432.7K

3.57%

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

$23.5K MX$437.9K

$23.7K MX$440.8K

-0.65%

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

$115 MX$2,133

$57.2 MX$1,065

100.26%

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

$26.37 MX$491

$22.85 MX$425

15.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.70 MX$478

$29.20 MX$543

-11.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.53 MX$568

$32.41 MX$603

-5.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$396

$20.22 MX$376

5.19%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 MX$92.3

$4.97 MX$92.5

-0.20%

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

$679 MX$12.6K

$218 MX$4,055

211.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K MX$263.9K

$4,512 MX$84.0K

214.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MX$1,344

$54.3 MX$1,010

32.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 MX$780

$39.96 MX$744

4.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$2,000

$97.7 MX$1,817

10.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,208

$89.5 MX$1,666

32.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 MX$18.9K

$596 MX$11.1K

70.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 MX$13.4K

$436 MX$8,121

65.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 MX$36.6K

$1,039 MX$19.3K

89.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 MX$26.3K

$751 MX$14.0K

88.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.2K

$1,911 MX$35.6K

119.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$51.8K

$1,107 MX$20.6K

151.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

11.31

4.24%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Last update for Acuna: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$722 44%

Acuna

$436 36.3% 39.5% $285

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$302 18.4%

Acuna

$260 21.6% 14.1% $43

Eating Out

Monterrey

$216 13.2%

Acuna

$184 15.3% 14.5% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$167 10.2%

Acuna

$109 9.1% 34.4% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$153 9.3%

Acuna

$127 10.5% 17.3% $26

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Acuna

$44 3.7% 7.3% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$40 2.5%

Acuna

$42 3.5% 4.7% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,018 in Monterrey versus $596 in Acuna. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Monterrey versus $43 in Acuna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $302 vs $260 – making Acuna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇲🇽 Acuna

🕒 Local time

07:18 7:18 AM

Same time as Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

160,225

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Monterrey Acuna 410 km

From you

Monterrey
Acuna

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

Monterrey vs Acuna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Monterrey is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Monterrey and $1,804 in Acuna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Acuna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $596 there versus $1,018 in Monterrey.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,641 in Monterrey and $1,203 in Acuna. That makes Acuna about 27% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 4% less in Acuna. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Acuna, where all-in costs run around $1,203, than in Monterrey at $1,641. In Acuna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monterrey it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Acuna – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Acuna is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 27% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.