Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Arequipa

For one person, living is cheaper in Arequipa: $719 a month against $1,607 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
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Arequipa Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$719

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Arequipa

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

A single person spends $1,607 per month in Monterrey vs $719 in Arequipa, rent included.

Monterrey $1,607
Arequipa $719

A couple spends around $2,512 per month in Monterrey vs $1,114 in Arequipa, rent included.

Monterrey $2,512
Arequipa $1,114

A family of three spends $3,417 per month in Monterrey vs $1,510 in Arequipa, rent included.

Monterrey $3,417
Arequipa $1,510

Monterrey costs about 124% more than Arequipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Monterrey sits 20% above the global median, while Arequipa is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.75 MX$250

$3.41 PEN 11.73

303.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 MX$913

$27.27 PEN 93.8

84.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 MX$203

$5.68 PEN 19.53

95.95%

Cappuccino

$4.04 MX$73.5

$2.47 PEN 8.48

63.56%

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

$1.70 MX$31.00

$0.82 PEN 2.82

107.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.00

$0.38 PEN 1.32

160.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MX$43.80

$2.07 PEN 7.12

16.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MX$81.6

$4.40 PEN 15.13

1.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$34.98

$1.33 PEN 4.59

44.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 MX$52.6

$1.36 PEN 4.69

112.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.34

$1.52 PEN 5.22

27.63%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$45.47

$2.25 PEN 7.75

11.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.30 MX$224

$6.39 PEN 21.97

92.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$170

$4.37 PEN 15.04

113.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.07 MX$238

$7.48 PEN 25.74

74.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$61.5

$1.77 PEN 6.09

90.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 MX$28.75

$1.22 PEN 4.20

29.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 MX$40.07

$1.13 PEN 3.90

94.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 MX$44.48

$1.03 PEN 3.53

137.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.09

$0.64 PEN 2.20

253.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 MX$49.89

$0.67 PEN 2.31

308.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 MX$27.83

$0.54 PEN 1.87

183.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$22.94

$0.76 PEN 2.61

65.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.84 MX$88.1

$5.18 PEN 17.82

-6.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 MX$247

$5.04 PEN 17.32

169.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 MX$34.69

$2.72 PEN 9.37

-29.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 MX$55.8

$2.20 PEN 7.58

39.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.47

$0.28 PEN 0.95

185.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.77 MX$578

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 MX$29.50

$2.01 PEN 6.90

-19.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 MX$19.99

$1.97 PEN 6.78

-44.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.97 MX$199

$13.00 PEN 44.70

-15.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.68

$1.53 PEN 5.28

-0.65%

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

$21.4K MX$388.7K

$19.2K PEN 65.9K

11.47%

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

$25.5K MX$463.3K

$25.0K PEN 86.1K

1.71%

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

$120 MX$2,178

$24.05 PEN 82.7

397.80%

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

$27.08 MX$493

$10.15 PEN 34.91

166.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.70 MX$486

$23.01 PEN 79.2

16.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.15 MX$567

$25.05 PEN 86.2

24.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.95 MX$399

$8.13 PEN 27.97

169.99%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$93.5

$7.41 PEN 25.48

-30.63%

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

$688 MX$12.5K

$74.8 PEN 257

820.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$207.9K

$6,596 PEN 22.7K

73.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 MX$1,308

$48.85 PEN 168

47.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.30 MX$788

$26.46 PEN 91.0

63.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,040

$68.0 PEN 234

64.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 MX$2,216

$57.3 PEN 197

112.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 MX$17.4K

$354 PEN 1,217

170.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 MX$12.2K

$236 PEN 812

184.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 MX$34.3K

$714 PEN 2,458

164.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 MX$23.7K

$418 PEN 1,436

212.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,159 MX$75.7K

$1,991 PEN 6,847

108.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,437 MX$44.3K

$974 PEN 3,351

150.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,133 MX$20.6K

$617 PEN 2,122

83.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

-21.40%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Last update for Arequipa: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$670 41.4%

Arequipa

$236 33.3% 64.8% $434

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$312 19.3%

Arequipa

$174 24.6% 44.3% $138

Eating Out

Monterrey

$224 13.8%

Arequipa

$98 13.8% 56.2% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$174 10.7%

Arequipa

$57 8.1% 67% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$157 9.7%

Arequipa

$90 12.7% 42.6% $67

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Arequipa

$13 * 1.8% 69.2% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Arequipa

$40 5.6% 3.8% $1.6

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $957 in Monterrey versus $354 in Arequipa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 84% higher in Monterrey, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Monterrey versus $27.00 in Arequipa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $312 vs $174 – making Arequipa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🕒 Local time

04:08 4:08 AM

05:08 5:08 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

17,062

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.91 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.38 MXN (100 MXN = 4.91 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.85 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Arequipa 5,620 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Arequipa

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 Arequipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey costs about 124% more than Arequipa, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,411 per month in Monterrey and $1,078 in Arequipa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arequipa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Monterrey and $27.00 in Arequipa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 80% more in Monterrey, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Arequipa, where all-in costs run around $719, than in Monterrey at $1,607. In Arequipa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monterrey it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Arequipa costs $719 versus $1,607 in Monterrey. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Arequipa. 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.