Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Cerro de Pasco

For one person, living is cheaper in Cerro de Pasco: $555 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Cerro de Pasco
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Cerro de Pasco Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Cerro de Pasco

🇵🇪 Peru

$555

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Cerro de Pasco

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 Cerro de Pasco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Monterrey vs $555 in Cerro de Pasco, rent included.

Monterrey $1,608
Cerro de Pasco $555

A couple spends around $2,521 per month in Monterrey vs $891 in Cerro de Pasco, rent included.

Monterrey $2,521
Cerro de Pasco $891

A family of three spends $3,433 per month in Monterrey vs $1,227 in Cerro de Pasco, rent included.

Monterrey $3,433
Cerro de Pasco $1,227

Monterrey costs about 190% more than Cerro de Pasco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Monterrey sits 19% above the global median, while Cerro de Pasco is 59% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 MX$256

$2.83 PEN 9.70

389.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 MX$918

$29.34 PEN 101

69.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 MX$204

$6.74 PEN 23.16

63.95%

Cappuccino

$4.09 MX$75.6

$2.05 PEN 7.03

99.51%

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

$1.68 MX$30.97

$0.76 PEN 2.61

121.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$18.98

$0.45 PEN 1.55

128.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MX$44.28

$2.69 PEN 9.22

-10.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.3

$4.44 PEN 15.27

-2.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.55

$1.52 PEN 5.23

26.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.2

$2.35 PEN 8.07

25.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.66

$1.26 PEN 4.34

49.21%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$47.06

$2.47 PEN 8.47

3.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 MX$219

$9.18 PEN 31.53

28.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 MX$173

$6.04 PEN 20.74

54.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 MX$242

$7.92 PEN 27.20

65.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$2.00 PEN 6.86

69.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$0.76 PEN 2.61

100.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.51

$0.43 PEN 1.46

409.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.63

$1.14 PEN 3.91

107.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.76

$0.70 PEN 2.41

222.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.5

$0.54 PEN 1.87

405.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.17

$0.83 PEN 2.85

83.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.90

$0.84 PEN 2.88

47.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$5.78 PEN 19.84

-17.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 MX$252

$7.19 PEN 24.68

89.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 MX$34.95

$1.92 PEN 6.60

-1.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MX$55.2

$2.65 PEN 9.11

12.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.78

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$30.98

$3.98 PEN 13.68

-57.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.87

$1.99 PEN 6.84

-43.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 MX$206

$7.46 PEN 25.62

49.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.91

$1.67 PEN 5.74

-6.59%

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

$21.4K MX$395.8K

$22.2K PEN 76.4K

-3.73%

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

$25.1K MX$463.2K

$26.2K PEN 89.9K

-4.23%

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

$119 MX$2,206

$72.8 PEN 250

63.93%

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

$26.21 MX$484

$16.46 PEN 56.5

59.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 MX$495

$27.53 PEN 94.6

-2.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 MX$573

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$97.7

$7.15 PEN 24.56

-26.01%

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

$691 MX$12.8K

$176 PEN 606

291.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$212.1K

$12.9K PEN 44.4K

-11.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 MX$1,335

$53.3 PEN 183

35.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 MX$789

$35.36 PEN 121

20.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,024

$83.2 PEN 286

31.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,158

$77.6 PEN 267

50.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 MX$17.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 MX$34.3K

$408 PEN 1,400

355.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 MX$23.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$76.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 MX$43.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

$470 PEN 1,616

143.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

8.94

31.88%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cerro de Pasco: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

Cerro de Pasco

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$310 19.3%

Cerro de Pasco

$203 36.6% 34.6% $108

Eating Out

Monterrey

$225 14%

Cerro de Pasco

$95 17% 57.9% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$172 10.7%

Cerro de Pasco

$117 21.1% 32.2% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$154 9.6%

Cerro de Pasco

$112 20.2% 26.9% $41

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Cerro de Pasco

$14 * 2.5% 66.5% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Cerro de Pasco

$14 * 2.6% 65.6% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 144% 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 $29.00 in Cerro de Pasco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $310 vs $203 – making Cerro de Pasco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇵🇪 Cerro de Pasco

🕒 Local time

13:07 1:07 PM

14:07 2:07 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

58,899

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Monterrey Cerro de Pasco 4,810 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Cerro de Pasco

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 Cerro de Pasco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Monterrey is pricier by about 190%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Monterrey and $832 in Cerro de Pasco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Monterrey and $29.00 in Cerro de Pasco. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 53% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cerro de Pasco, where all-in costs run around $555, than in Monterrey at $1,608. In Cerro de Pasco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monterrey it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cerro de Pasco – 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 Cerro de Pasco. 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.