Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Ajijic

For one person, living is cheaper in Ajijic: $1,327 a month against $1,647 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Ajijic
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Ajijic Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,647

/mo nomad

Ajijic

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,327

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Ajijic

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 Ajijic actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Monterrey vs $1,327 in Ajijic, rent included.

Monterrey $1,647
Ajijic $1,327

A couple spends around $2,591 per month in Monterrey vs $2,083 in Ajijic, rent included.

Monterrey $2,591
Ajijic $2,083

A family of three spends $3,536 per month in Monterrey vs $2,840 in Ajijic, rent included.

Monterrey $3,536
Ajijic $2,840

Monterrey costs about 24% more than Ajijic, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Monterrey sits 21% above the global median, while Ajijic is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.45 MX$251

$9.36 MX$175

43.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.43 MX$903

$42.80 MX$798

13.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$203

$6.89 MX$128

58.20%

Cappuccino

$3.82 MX$71.2

$3.53 MX$65.9

8.22%

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

$1.67 MX$31.06

$1.58 MX$29.39

5.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 MX$18.32

$1.16 MX$21.60

-15.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 MX$43.81

$2.18 MX$40.70

7.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MX$82.2

$3.29 MX$61.3

34.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 MX$33.58

$1.43 MX$26.63

25.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 MX$52.1

$2.18 MX$40.67

27.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.02

$1.09 MX$20.41

66.97%

Eggs

$2.51 MX$46.84

$2.25 MX$41.90

11.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.09 MX$225

$7.96 MX$148

51.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 MX$175

$8.19 MX$153

14.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.71 MX$237

$7.07 MX$132

79.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 MX$59.8

$2.17 MX$40.47

47.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$27.92

$1.30 MX$24.31

15.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.97

$1.52 MX$28.42

40.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 MX$43.28

$1.68 MX$31.26

38.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 MX$41.04

$1.51 MX$28.05

45.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 MX$48.43

$1.39 MX$25.84

87.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.85

$1.02 MX$19.03

41.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 MX$21.88

$0.88 MX$16.39

32.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.79 MX$89.3

$4.43 MX$82.6

8.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.22 MX$247

$8.58 MX$160

54.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 MX$36.21

$1.50 MX$27.97

29.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.30 MX$24.17

122.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 MX$16.26

$0.68 MX$12.60

27.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.14 MX$581

$57.9 MX$1,079

-46.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MX$30.88

$1.24 MX$23.14

33.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 MX$20.39

$4.23 MX$78.8

-74.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.67 MX$199

$10.75 MX$200

-0.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.47

$1.48 MX$27.51

-0.68%

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

$24.2K MX$451.9K

$24.6K MX$459.4K

-1.63%

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

$23.6K MX$439.1K

$23.6K MX$440.7K

-0.38%

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

$118 MX$2,197

$55.2 MX$1,030

113.38%

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

$25.55 MX$476

$14.17 MX$264

80.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.43 MX$493

$24.59 MX$458

7.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.77 MX$574

$24.01 MX$448

28.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 MX$393

$5.27 MX$98.2

299.81%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$94.9

$4.77 MX$88.9

6.71%

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

$694 MX$12.9K

$211 MX$3,935

228.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K MX$211.0K

$2,800 MX$52.2K

304.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 MX$1,351

$42.69 MX$796

69.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.51 MX$774

$16.24 MX$303

155.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,046

$66.4 MX$1,238

65.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MX$2,143

$69.5 MX$1,296

65.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 MX$19.7K

$844 MX$15.7K

25.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$721 MX$13.4K

$644 MX$12.0K

11.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,999 MX$37.3K

$1,509 MX$28.1K

32.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 MX$26.7K

$1,248 MX$23.3K

14.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,219 MX$78.7K

$3,324 MX$62.0K

26.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,731 MX$50.9K

$1,782 MX$33.2K

53.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,149 MX$21.4K

$548 MX$10.2K

109.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

11.2

5.27%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ajijic: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$721 43.8%

Ajijic

$644 48.6% 10.7% $77

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$303 18.4%

Ajijic

$218 16.4% 28.2% $86

Eating Out

Monterrey

$217 13.2%

Ajijic

$166 12.5% 23.4% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$170 10.3%

Ajijic

$94 7.1% 44.7% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$152 9.3%

Ajijic

$88 6.6% 42.4% $65

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.5%

Ajijic

$83 6.3% 98.6% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Ajijic

$34 2.5% 18.1% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,056 in Monterrey versus $844 in Ajijic. 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 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Monterrey versus $43 in Ajijic. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $303 vs $218 – making Ajijic the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇲🇽 Ajijic

🕒 Local time

13:01 1:01 PM

Same time as Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

11,439

💱 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

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Between locations

Monterrey Ajijic 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Ajijic

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 Ajijic: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Monterrey is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,470 per month in Monterrey and $1,990 in Ajijic. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ajijic, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $844 there versus $1,056 in Monterrey.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Monterrey and $43 in Ajijic. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,647 in Monterrey and $1,327 in Ajijic. That’s a gap of about 24%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ajijic, where all-in costs run around $1,327, than in Monterrey at $1,647. In Ajijic it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monterrey it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ajijic costs $1,327 versus $1,647 in Monterrey. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Ajijic. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Monterrey makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.