Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Cholula

For one person, living is cheaper in Cholula: $1,077 a month against $1,647 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Cholula
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Cholula Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,647

/mo nomad

Cholula

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,077

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Cholula

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Monterrey vs $1,077 in Cholula, rent included.

Monterrey $1,647
Cholula $1,077

A couple spends around $2,591 per month in Monterrey vs $1,703 in Cholula, rent included.

Monterrey $2,591
Cholula $1,703

A family of three spends $3,536 per month in Monterrey vs $2,329 in Cholula, rent included.

Monterrey $3,536
Cholula $2,329

Monterrey costs about 53% more than Cholula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.45 MX$250

$10.74 MX$199

25.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.43 MX$899

$47.05 MX$874

2.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$202

$9.15 MX$170

19.13%

Cappuccino

$3.82 MX$70.9

$3.13 MX$58.2

22.04%

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

$1.67 MX$30.94

$1.51 MX$28.02

10.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 MX$18.25

$1.16 MX$21.47

-15.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 MX$43.64

$2.65 MX$49.26

-11.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MX$81.9

$4.72 MX$87.6

-6.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 MX$33.46

$1.89 MX$35.13

-4.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 MX$51.9

$3.06 MX$56.8

-8.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.89

$1.73 MX$32.11

5.20%

Eggs

$2.51 MX$46.66

$2.65 MX$49.15

-5.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.09 MX$224

$6.22 MX$116

94.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 MX$175

$5.54 MX$103

69.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.71 MX$236

$10.90 MX$202

16.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 MX$59.6

$2.56 MX$47.48

25.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$27.81

$1.74 MX$32.36

-13.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.83

$1.90 MX$35.36

12.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 MX$43.11

$1.93 MX$35.93

20.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 MX$40.89

$1.76 MX$32.61

25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 MX$48.25

$1.77 MX$32.91

46.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.75

$1.46 MX$27.17

-1.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 MX$21.79

$1.21 MX$22.39

-3.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.79 MX$88.9

$4.47 MX$83.0

7.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.22 MX$246

$13.71 MX$255

-3.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 MX$36.07

$1.38 MX$25.65

40.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 MX$53.6

$2.58 MX$47.94

12.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 MX$16.20

$0.48 MX$8.90

81.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.14 MX$578

$18.92 MX$351

64.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MX$30.77

$3.29 MX$61.1

-49.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 MX$20.31

$2.53 MX$46.97

-56.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.67 MX$198

$15.77 MX$293

-32.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.37

$1.41 MX$26.14

4.26%

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

$24.2K MX$450.2K

$24.6K MX$457.5K

-1.59%

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

$23.6K MX$437.4K

$22.9K MX$425.6K

2.76%

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

$118 MX$2,189

$58.1 MX$1,079

102.87%

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

$25.55 MX$474

$18.53 MX$344

37.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.43 MX$491

$23.47 MX$436

12.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.77 MX$571

$71.3 MX$1,324

-56.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 MX$391

$19.93 MX$370

5.72%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$94.5

$5.45 MX$101

-6.61%

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

$694 MX$12.9K

$257 MX$4,777

169.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K MX$210.2K

$4,548 MX$84.5K

148.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 MX$1,346

$51.3 MX$953

41.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.51 MX$771

$43.70 MX$812

-5.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,038

$102 MX$1,894

7.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MX$2,135

$95.9 MX$1,782

19.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 MX$19.6K

$431 MX$8,007

144.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$721 MX$13.4K

$286 MX$5,314

152.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,999 MX$37.1K

$582 MX$10.8K

243.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 MX$26.6K

$472 MX$8,769

203.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,219 MX$78.4K

$1,927 MX$35.8K

118.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,731 MX$50.7K

$1,145 MX$21.3K

138.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,149 MX$21.3K

$792 MX$14.7K

45.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

10.96

7.57%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cholula: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$721 43.8%

Cholula

$286 26.6% 60.3% $435

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$303 18.4%

Cholula

$255 23.7% 15.9% $48

Eating Out

Monterrey

$217 13.2%

Cholula

$184 17.1% 15.2% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$170 10.3%

Cholula

$100 9.3% 41.1% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$152 9.3%

Cholula

$132 12.2% 13.5% $21

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.5%

Cholula

$37 3.4% 11.9% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Cholula

$82 7.6% 101% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,056 in Monterrey versus $431 in Cholula. 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 45% 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 $48 in Monterrey versus $47 in Cholula. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $303 vs $255 – making Cholula the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇲🇽 Cholula

🕒 Local time

20:55 8:55 PM

Same time as Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

908

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Cholula 760 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Cholula

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 Cholula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey costs about 53% more than Cholula, 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 $2,470 per month in Monterrey and $1,615 in Cholula. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cholula, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $431 there versus $1,056 in Monterrey.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,647 in Monterrey and $1,077 in Cholula. That makes Cholula about 35% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $694 per month in Monterrey and $257 in Cholula. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,647 in Monterrey and $1,077 in Cholula. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cholula costs $1,077 versus $1,647 in Monterrey. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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