Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Cuajimalpa

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuajimalpa: $1,141 a month against $1,599 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Cuajimalpa
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Cuajimalpa Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Cuajimalpa

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,141

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Cuajimalpa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,599 in Monterrey versus $1,141 in Cuajimalpa.

Monterrey $1,599
Cuajimalpa $1,141

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,493 in Monterrey versus $1,827 in Cuajimalpa.

Monterrey $2,493
Cuajimalpa $1,827

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Monterrey versus $2,514 in Cuajimalpa.

Monterrey $3,387
Cuajimalpa $2,514

Living in Monterrey is roughly 40% more expensive than in Cuajimalpa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 18% above, Cuajimalpa is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 MX$255

$10.81 MX$200

27.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.99 MX$887

$43.13 MX$797

11.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 MX$197

$8.35 MX$154

27.54%

Cappuccino

$3.99 MX$73.7

$3.60 MX$66.6

10.83%

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

$1.66 MX$30.76

$1.40 MX$25.87

18.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.21

$1.06 MX$19.50

-6.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 MX$43.64

$2.52 MX$46.60

-6.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 MX$81.8

$3.96 MX$73.2

11.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MX$33.58

$1.58 MX$29.16

15.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 MX$52.4

$2.64 MX$48.81

7.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.44

$1.70 MX$31.34

12.94%

Eggs

$2.48 MX$45.78

$2.46 MX$45.39

0.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.74 MX$217

$8.08 MX$149

45.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.10 MX$168

$8.10 MX$150

12.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.53 MX$232

$11.30 MX$209

10.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 MX$61.6

$2.79 MX$51.5

19.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.10

$1.51 MX$27.83

3.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.86

$1.86 MX$34.44

16.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 MX$45.65

$1.81 MX$33.42

36.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.64

$2.00 MX$36.89

15.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 MX$49.47

$1.91 MX$35.21

40.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 MX$26.90

$1.43 MX$26.42

2.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$22.07

$1.12 MX$20.79

6.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$4.44 MX$82.1

6.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 MX$251

$10.50 MX$194

29.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 MX$35.52

$1.79 MX$33.13

7.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 MX$53.2

$3.18 MX$58.8

-9.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.66

$0.69 MX$12.73

14.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 MX$29.44

$2.62 MX$48.32

-39.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.58

$2.01 MX$37.15

-47.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.80 MX$200

$10.91 MX$202

-1.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$28.59

$1.44 MX$26.64

7.64%

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

$24.2K MX$446.4K

$20.9K MX$386.5K

15.51%

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

$24.3K MX$449.4K

$24.3K MX$448.9K

0.10%

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

$117 MX$2,159

$57.5 MX$1,063

103.11%

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

$26.38 MX$488

$22.78 MX$421

15.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.04 MX$481

$29.83 MX$551

-12.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.26 MX$559

$34.34 MX$635

-11.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

$20.21 MX$373

5.15%

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 MX$96.6

$5.31 MX$98.1

-1.51%

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

$673 MX$12.4K

$223 MX$4,122

201.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K MX$205.2K

$4,649 MX$85.9K

138.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 MX$1,332

$54.5 MX$1,008

32.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.38 MX$783

$41.13 MX$760

3.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,066

$101 MX$1,863

10.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,200

$88.6 MX$1,636

34.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$949 MX$17.5K

$600 MX$11.1K

58.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$666 MX$12.3K

$395 MX$7,290

68.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,821 MX$33.7K

$1,021 MX$18.9K

78.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 MX$23.5K

$764 MX$14.1K

66.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$74.8K

$1,905 MX$35.2K

112.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,348 MX$43.4K

$1,154 MX$21.3K

103.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

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 18, 2026

Last update for Cuajimalpa: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$666 41.7%

Cuajimalpa

$395 34.6% 40.8% $272

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$304 19%

Cuajimalpa

$262 23% 13.9% $42

Eating Out

Monterrey

$221 13.9%

Cuajimalpa

$185 16.2% 16.4% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$169 10.6%

Cuajimalpa

$110 9.7% 34.9% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$155 9.7%

Cuajimalpa

$128 11.2% 17.5% $27

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Cuajimalpa

$15 * 1.4% 62.8% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Cuajimalpa

$45 3.9% 10.4% $4.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $949 in Monterrey and $600 in Cuajimalpa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48.00 in Monterrey vs $43.00 in Cuajimalpa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $304 vs $262 per month, with Cuajimalpa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇲🇽 Cuajimalpa

🕒 Local time

07:55 7:55 AM

Same time as Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

217,686

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Monterrey Cuajimalpa 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Cuajimalpa

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 Cuajimalpa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cuajimalpa is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 40% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,399 in Monterrey and $1,711 in Cuajimalpa to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $949 in Monterrey versus $600 in Cuajimalpa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $673 in Monterrey versus $223 in Cuajimalpa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cuajimalpa – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $48.00 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,141 in Cuajimalpa versus $1,599 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cuajimalpa but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Cuajimalpa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cuajimalpa is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Monterrey, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Monterrey and Cuajimalpa are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cuajimalpa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.