Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Colima

For one person, living is cheaper in Colima: $941 a month against $1,647 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Colima
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Colima Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,647

/mo nomad

Colima

🇲🇽 Mexico

$941

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Colima

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,647 in Monterrey versus $941 in Colima.

Monterrey $1,647
Colima $941

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,591 in Monterrey versus $1,533 in Colima.

Monterrey $2,591
Colima $1,533

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,536 in Monterrey versus $2,125 in Colima.

Monterrey $3,536
Colima $2,125

Living in Monterrey is roughly 75% more expensive than in Colima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 21% above, Colima is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.45 MX$253

$7.36 MX$138

82.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.43 MX$909

$32.08 MX$602

50.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$205

$7.15 MX$134

52.45%

Cappuccino

$3.82 MX$71.7

$2.09 MX$39.23

82.78%

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

$1.67 MX$31.28

$0.97 MX$18.25

72.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 MX$18.45

$0.83 MX$15.52

18.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 MX$44.12

$2.20 MX$41.26

6.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MX$82.8

$2.48 MX$46.62

77.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 MX$33.82

$1.51 MX$28.33

19.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 MX$52.4

$2.54 MX$47.64

9.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.26

$1.14 MX$21.37

59.65%

Eggs

$2.51 MX$47.17

$2.77 MX$52.0

-9.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.09 MX$227

$8.19 MX$154

47.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 MX$177

$8.31 MX$156

13.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.71 MX$239

$9.69 MX$182

31.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 MX$60.2

$2.80 MX$52.6

14.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.12

$1.35 MX$25.42

11.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 MX$40.26

$1.69 MX$31.65

26.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 MX$43.58

$2.12 MX$39.79

9.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 MX$41.34

$2.29 MX$43.04

-3.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 MX$48.78

$2.27 MX$42.59

14.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$27.04

$1.47 MX$27.52

-2.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 MX$22.03

$1.11 MX$20.89

5.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.79 MX$89.9

$3.73 MX$70.1

28.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.22 MX$248

$6.36 MX$119

107.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 MX$36.47

$1.49 MX$27.96

30.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 MX$54.2

$1.73 MX$32.53

67.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 MX$16.37

$0.68 MX$12.70

27.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.14 MX$585

$19.57 MX$367

59.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MX$31.10

$2.49 MX$46.74

-33.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 MX$20.53

$2.77 MX$52.0

-60.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.67 MX$200

$9.16 MX$172

16.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.66

$1.38 MX$25.95

6.52%

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

$24.2K MX$455.2K

$22.1K MX$415.8K

9.46%

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

$23.6K MX$442.2K

$22.0K MX$412.4K

7.23%

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

$118 MX$2,213

$65.5 MX$1,229

80.06%

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

$25.55 MX$480

$19.85 MX$373

28.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.43 MX$496

$28.60 MX$537

-7.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.77 MX$578

$34.63 MX$650

-11.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 MX$396

$21.43 MX$402

-1.68%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$95.6

$4.68 MX$88.0

8.76%

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

$694 MX$13.0K

$141 MX$2,652

391.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K MX$212.5K

$2,527 MX$47.4K

347.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 MX$1,360

$44.57 MX$837

62.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.51 MX$779

$24.99 MX$469

66.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,060

$73.3 MX$1,376

49.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MX$2,158

$98.0 MX$1,840

17.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 MX$19.8K

$257 MX$4,825

310.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$721 MX$13.5K

$263 MX$4,931

174.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,999 MX$37.5K

$369 MX$6,926

441.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 MX$26.9K

$574 MX$10.8K

149.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,219 MX$79.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,731 MX$51.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,149 MX$21.6K

$280 MX$5,261

309.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

11.3

4.34%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 25, 2026

Last update for Colima: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$721 43.8%

Colima

$263 27.9% 63.6% $459

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$303 18.4%

Colima

$245 26% 19.3% $58

Eating Out

Monterrey

$217 13.2%

Colima

$129 13.7% 40.8% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$170 10.3%

Colima

$114 12.1% 32.9% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$152 9.3%

Colima

$108 11.5% 28.9% $44

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.5%

Colima

$39 4.1% 7.6% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Colima

$44 4.7% 7.4% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,056 in Monterrey and $257 in Colima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays about 4.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Monterrey vs $32 in Colima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $303 vs $245 per month, with Colima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇲🇽 Colima

🕒 Local time

16:14 4:14 PM

Same time as Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

146,965

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Colima 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Colima

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 Colima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,647 in Monterrey and $941 in Colima, so Colima is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Monterrey is about 4.1 times higher, 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: $1,056 in Monterrey versus $257 in Colima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Colima runs roughly 37% less than in Monterrey. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $694 in Monterrey versus $141 in Colima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $941 in Colima versus $1,647 in Monterrey, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Colima but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Colima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Colima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.