Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Cancun

For one person, living costs are similar in Monterrey and in Cancun: $1,647 and $1,625 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Cancun
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Cancun Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,647

/mo nomad

Cancun

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Cancun

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Monterrey vs $1,625 in Cancun, rent included.

Monterrey $1,647
Cancun $1,625

A couple spends around $2,591 per month in Monterrey vs $2,440 in Cancun, rent included.

Monterrey $2,591
Cancun $2,440

A family of three spends $3,536 per month in Monterrey vs $3,255 in Cancun, rent included.

Monterrey $3,536
Cancun $3,255

Monterrey and Cancun have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Monterrey and Cancun sit above the global median – Monterrey by 21%, Cancun by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.45 MX$252

$10.72 MX$201

25.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.43 MX$908

$53.7 MX$1,006

-9.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$204

$11.51 MX$216

-5.30%

Cappuccino

$3.82 MX$71.5

$3.71 MX$69.5

2.96%

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

$1.67 MX$31.22

$1.34 MX$25.03

24.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 MX$18.42

$0.79 MX$14.79

24.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 MX$44.04

$3.18 MX$59.5

-26.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MX$82.7

$4.10 MX$76.9

7.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 MX$33.76

$1.68 MX$31.52

7.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 MX$52.3

$2.56 MX$47.99

8.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.20

$1.62 MX$30.37

12.35%

Eggs

$2.51 MX$47.09

$2.76 MX$51.7

-9.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.09 MX$227

$9.72 MX$182

24.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 MX$176

$8.90 MX$167

5.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.71 MX$238

$14.23 MX$267

-10.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 MX$60.1

$2.86 MX$53.5

12.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.07

$1.63 MX$30.63

-7.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 MX$40.19

$2.99 MX$56.1

-28.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 MX$43.50

$2.15 MX$40.35

7.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 MX$41.26

$2.00 MX$37.52

10.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 MX$48.69

$1.88 MX$35.29

38.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.99

$1.18 MX$22.13

22.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 MX$21.99

$1.20 MX$22.42

-2.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.79 MX$89.7

$4.29 MX$80.5

11.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.22 MX$248

$9.90 MX$186

33.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 MX$36.40

$1.54 MX$28.83

25.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 MX$54.1

$2.66 MX$49.83

8.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 MX$16.34

$0.62 MX$11.64

40.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.14 MX$584

$38.69 MX$725

-19.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MX$31.04

$4.20 MX$78.8

-60.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 MX$20.49

$2.88 MX$54.0

-62.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.67 MX$200

$13.30 MX$249

-19.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.61

$1.44 MX$27.07

2.08%

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

$24.2K MX$454.3K

$23.9K MX$448.8K

1.24%

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

$23.6K MX$441.4K

$22.8K MX$428.0K

3.12%

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

$118 MX$2,209

$164 MX$3,074

-28.14%

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

$25.55 MX$479

$22.97 MX$430

11.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.43 MX$495

$37.61 MX$705

-29.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.77 MX$577

$26.91 MX$504

14.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 MX$395

$13.08 MX$245

61.09%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$95.4

$7.08 MX$133

-28.11%

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

$694 MX$13.0K

$204 MX$3,827

239.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K MX$212.1K

$5,365 MX$100.5K

110.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 MX$1,358

$54.1 MX$1,015

33.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.51 MX$778

$54.9 MX$1,029

-24.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,056

$73.0 MX$1,368

50.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MX$2,154

$92.4 MX$1,732

24.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 MX$19.8K

$956 MX$17.9K

10.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$721 MX$13.5K

$694 MX$13.0K

3.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,999 MX$37.5K

$1,718 MX$32.2K

16.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 MX$26.9K

$1,192 MX$22.3K

20.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,219 MX$79.1K

$1,218 MX$22.8K

246.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,731 MX$51.2K

$1,905 MX$35.7K

43.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,149 MX$21.5K

$806 MX$15.1K

42.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

11.45

2.97%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cancun: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$721 43.8%

Cancun

$694 42.7% 3.8% $27

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$303 18.4%

Cancun

$285 17.5% 6.2% $19

Eating Out

Monterrey

$217 13.2%

Cancun

$197 12.1% 9.2% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$170 10.3%

Cancun

$225 13.8% 32.2% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$152 9.3%

Cancun

$124 7.6% 18.9% $29

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.5%

Cancun

$60 3.7% 43.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Cancun

$41 2.5% 0.3% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,056 in Monterrey versus $956 in Cancun. 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 42% higher in Monterrey. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Monterrey versus $54 in Cancun. Groceries tell a different story – $303 in Monterrey vs $285 in Cancun – so Cancun wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇲🇽 Cancun

🕒 Local time

15:40 3:40 PM

16:40 4:40 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

888,797

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Monterrey Cancun 1,460 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Cancun

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 Cancun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,470 per month in Monterrey and $2,438 in Cancun. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,056 in Monterrey and $956 in Cancun. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Monterrey, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Kindergarten costs $694 per month in Monterrey and $204 in Cancun. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,647 in Monterrey and $1,625 in Cancun, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

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