Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Cali

For one person, living is cheaper in Cali: $1,054 a month against $1,607 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Cali
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Cali Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Cali

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,054

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Cali

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,607 in Monterrey versus $1,054 in Cali.

Monterrey $1,607
Cali $1,054

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,512 in Monterrey versus $1,614 in Cali.

Monterrey $2,512
Cali $1,614

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,417 in Monterrey versus $2,174 in Cali.

Monterrey $3,417
Cali $2,174

Living in Monterrey is roughly 52% more expensive than in Cali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 20% above, Cali is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.75 MX$252

$7.26 COP 23.1K

89.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 MX$921

$37.04 COP 118.0K

35.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 MX$204

$8.05 COP 25.6K

38.26%

Cappuccino

$4.04 MX$74.2

$1.54 COP 4,920

162.34%

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

$1.70 MX$31.29

$1.25 COP 3,986

36.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.17

$0.84 COP 2,675

17.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MX$44.21

$3.16 COP 10.1K

-23.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MX$82.3

$3.58 COP 11.4K

25.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.31

$1.55 COP 4,946

23.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 MX$53.1

$1.87 COP 5,964

54.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.67

$1.50 COP 4,772

29.33%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$45.90

$2.77 COP 8,814

-9.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.30 MX$226

$6.40 COP 20.4K

92.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$171

$6.89 COP 22.0K

35.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.07 MX$240

$9.92 COP 31.6K

31.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.1

$3.43 COP 10.9K

-1.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 MX$29.02

$1.30 COP 4,143

21.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 MX$40.45

$1.76 COP 5,600

25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 MX$44.89

$1.68 COP 5,365

45.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.47

$1.47 COP 4,681

53.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 MX$50.4

$1.47 COP 4,673

86.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 MX$28.09

$1.10 COP 3,514

39.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.16

$0.93 COP 2,973

35.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.84 MX$88.9

$3.63 COP 11.6K

33.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 MX$249

$12.56 COP 40.0K

8.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 MX$35.01

$1.42 COP 4,517

34.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 MX$56.3

$2.40 COP 7,632

27.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.60

$1.05 COP 3,335

-23.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.77 MX$583

$29.00 COP 92.4K

9.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 MX$29.78

$0.83 COP 2,637

95.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 MX$20.17

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.97 MX$201

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.93

$1.25 COP 3,999

21.60%

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

$21.4K MX$392.4K

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

$25.5K MX$467.6K

$33.7K COP 107.4M

-24.43%

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

$120 MX$2,198

$111 COP 354.4K

7.65%

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

$27.08 MX$497

$12.79 COP 40.8K

111.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.70 MX$490

$29.75 COP 94.8K

-10.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.15 MX$572

$28.38 COP 90.4K

9.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.95 MX$403

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$94.4

$8.24 COP 26.2K

-37.62%

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

$688 MX$12.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$209.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 MX$1,321

$75.8 COP 241.4K

-5.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.30 MX$795

$53.8 COP 171.5K

-19.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,059

$122 COP 390.3K

-8.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 MX$2,236

$109 COP 347.1K

11.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 MX$17.6K

$638 COP 2.0M

49.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 MX$12.3K

$291 COP 927.7K

130.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 MX$34.7K

$1,498 COP 4.8M

25.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 MX$24.0K

$479 COP 1.5M

172.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,159 MX$76.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,437 MX$44.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,133 MX$20.8K

$567 COP 1.8M

99.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

11.58

1.81%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cali: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$670 41.4%

Cali

$291 27.6% 56.6% $379

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$312 19.3%

Cali

$235 22.3% 24.8% $77

Eating Out

Monterrey

$224 13.8%

Cali

$132 12.5% 40.9% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$174 10.7%

Cali

$154 14.6% 11.4% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$157 9.7%

Cali

$162 15.4% 3.4% $5.3

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Cali

$34 * 3.2% 19.2% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Cali

$45 4.3% 8.3% $3.4

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 $957 in Monterrey and $638 in Cali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 100% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $50.0 in Monterrey vs $37.00 in Cali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $235 per month, with Cali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇨🇴 Cali

🕒 Local time

06:08 6:08 AM

07:08 7:08 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

2,568,609

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Cali 3,540 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Cali

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 Cali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cali is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 52% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 100% higher in Monterrey, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $957 in Monterrey versus $638 in Cali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cali – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $50.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Cali runs roughly 10% less than in Monterrey. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,054 in Cali versus $1,607 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cali but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Cali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cali is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Monterrey, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Cali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.