Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Chihuahua

For one person, living is cheaper in Chihuahua: $1,228 a month against $1,647 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Chihuahua
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Chihuahua Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,647

/mo nomad

Chihuahua

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,228

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Chihuahua

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Monterrey vs $1,228 in Chihuahua, rent included.

Monterrey $1,647
Chihuahua $1,228

A couple spends around $2,591 per month in Monterrey vs $1,828 in Chihuahua, rent included.

Monterrey $2,591
Chihuahua $1,828

A family of three spends $3,536 per month in Monterrey vs $2,428 in Chihuahua, rent included.

Monterrey $3,536
Chihuahua $2,428

Monterrey costs about 34% more than Chihuahua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Monterrey sits 21% above the global median, while Chihuahua is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.45 MX$252

$10.87 MX$204

23.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.43 MX$908

$32.23 MX$604

50.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$204

$10.91 MX$205

-0.09%

Cappuccino

$3.82 MX$71.6

$2.44 MX$45.77

56.56%

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

$1.67 MX$31.24

$1.22 MX$22.92

36.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 MX$18.43

$0.78 MX$14.68

25.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 MX$44.06

$2.37 MX$44.43

-0.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MX$82.7

$3.85 MX$72.3

14.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 MX$33.78

$1.64 MX$30.68

9.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 MX$52.4

$3.16 MX$59.2

-11.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.22

$1.97 MX$37.01

-7.61%

Eggs

$2.51 MX$47.11

$2.60 MX$48.75

-3.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.09 MX$227

$9.26 MX$174

30.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 MX$176

$6.90 MX$129

36.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.71 MX$238

$12.40 MX$233

2.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 MX$60.1

$2.44 MX$45.80

31.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.08

$1.56 MX$29.21

-3.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 MX$40.21

$1.97 MX$36.89

8.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 MX$43.53

$2.70 MX$50.7

-14.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 MX$41.28

$2.48 MX$46.49

-11.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 MX$48.71

$2.58 MX$48.37

0.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$27.01

$1.31 MX$24.54

9.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 MX$22.00

$1.17 MX$21.94

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.79 MX$89.8

$4.41 MX$82.7

8.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.22 MX$248

$10.15 MX$190

30.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 MX$36.42

$1.45 MX$27.22

33.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 MX$54.1

$2.88 MX$54.0

0.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 MX$16.35

$0.63 MX$11.88

38.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.14 MX$584

$35.17 MX$659

-11.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MX$31.06

$2.72 MX$51.0

-38.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 MX$20.51

$0.73 MX$13.67

49.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.67 MX$200

$9.76 MX$183

9.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.63

$1.47 MX$27.61

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

$24.2K MX$454.6K

$23.4K MX$439.6K

3.41%

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

$23.6K MX$441.6K

$23.5K MX$439.9K

0.40%

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

$118 MX$2,210

$81.3 MX$1,524

45.02%

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

$25.55 MX$479

$20.75 MX$389

23.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.43 MX$496

$22.96 MX$430

15.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.77 MX$577

$28.70 MX$538

7.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 MX$395

$15.92 MX$298

32.35%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$95.5

$4.75 MX$89.0

7.16%

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

$694 MX$13.0K

$264 MX$4,946

163.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K MX$212.3K

$3,304 MX$62.0K

242.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 MX$1,359

$48.00 MX$900

50.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.51 MX$778

$24.12 MX$452

72.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,058

$99.8 MX$1,872

9.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MX$2,155

$87.0 MX$1,632

32.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 MX$19.8K

$593 MX$11.1K

78.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$721 MX$13.5K

$453 MX$8,500

59.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,999 MX$37.5K

$1,068 MX$20.0K

87.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 MX$26.9K

$693 MX$13.0K

107.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,219 MX$79.1K

$3,329 MX$62.4K

26.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,731 MX$51.2K

$1,095 MX$20.5K

149.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,149 MX$21.5K

$838 MX$15.7K

37.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

10.84

8.76%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chihuahua: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$721 43.8%

Chihuahua

$453 36.9% 37.1% $268

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$303 18.4%

Chihuahua

$274 22.3% 9.8% $30

Eating Out

Monterrey

$217 13.2%

Chihuahua

$177 14.4% 18.7% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$170 10.3%

Chihuahua

$125 10.2% 26.4% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$152 9.3%

Chihuahua

$117 9.5% 23.5% $36

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.5%

Chihuahua

$44 3.6% 5.5% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Chihuahua

$38 3.1% 6.7% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,056 in Monterrey versus $593 in Chihuahua. 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 37% higher in Monterrey. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Monterrey versus $32 in Chihuahua. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $303 vs $274 – making Chihuahua the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇲🇽 Chihuahua

🕒 Local time

09:14 9:14 AM

Same time as Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

925,762

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Chihuahua 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Chihuahua

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 Chihuahua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey costs about 34% more than Chihuahua, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,470 per month in Monterrey and $1,841 in Chihuahua. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chihuahua, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $593 there versus $1,056 in Monterrey.

Kindergarten costs $694 per month in Monterrey and $264 in Chihuahua. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Monterrey, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,647 in Monterrey and $1,228 in Chihuahua. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chihuahua – 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 Chihuahua. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Monterrey makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.