Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Cuauhtémoc

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuauhtémoc: $1,191 a month against $1,641 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Cuauhtémoc
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Cuauhtémoc Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Cuauhtémoc

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,191

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Cuauhtémoc

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Monterrey vs $1,191 in Cuauhtémoc, rent included.

Monterrey $1,641
Cuauhtémoc $1,191

A couple spends around $2,573 per month in Monterrey vs $1,860 in Cuauhtémoc, rent included.

Monterrey $2,573
Cuauhtémoc $1,860

A family of three spends $3,504 per month in Monterrey vs $2,530 in Cuauhtémoc, rent included.

Monterrey $3,504
Cuauhtémoc $2,530

Monterrey costs about 38% more than Cuauhtémoc, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Monterrey sits 21% above the global median, while Cuauhtémoc is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.37 MX$248

$10.82 MX$201

23.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.95 MX$890

$43.33 MX$804

10.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 MX$200

$8.33 MX$155

29.53%

Cappuccino

$3.77 MX$69.9

$3.43 MX$63.7

9.91%

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

$1.51 MX$28.04

$1.32 MX$24.55

14.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.10

$1.05 MX$19.44

-1.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 MX$46.05

$2.46 MX$45.68

0.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MX$80.9

$4.15 MX$77.0

5.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.58 MX$29.24

19.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 MX$52.9

$2.53 MX$46.87

12.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.44

$1.69 MX$31.31

10.06%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$45.77

$2.46 MX$45.66

0.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.81 MX$219

$8.20 MX$152

44.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 MX$166

$8.13 MX$151

10.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$233

$11.23 MX$208

11.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 MX$59.3

$2.65 MX$49.13

20.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$27.90

$1.48 MX$27.52

1.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.43

$1.92 MX$35.57

10.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 MX$43.30

$1.82 MX$33.81

28.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$41.26

$1.98 MX$36.79

12.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 MX$47.97

$1.80 MX$33.42

43.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$26.83

$1.43 MX$26.60

1.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.67

$1.07 MX$19.78

14.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 MX$89.0

$4.30 MX$79.7

11.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 MX$247

$10.08 MX$187

31.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MX$35.86

$1.77 MX$32.91

9.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 MX$53.0

$3.03 MX$56.2

-5.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.82

$0.67 MX$12.48

19.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$574

$30.53 MX$567

1.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 MX$34.01

$2.63 MX$48.74

-30.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.62

$1.90 MX$35.31

-44.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.82 MX$201

$10.79 MX$200

0.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.33

$1.48 MX$27.46

-0.68%

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

$24.1K MX$446.9K

$23.4K MX$433.5K

3.09%

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

$23.5K MX$436.8K

$23.8K MX$441.2K

-1.00%

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

$115 MX$2,127

$56.6 MX$1,050

102.63%

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

$26.37 MX$489

$22.47 MX$417

17.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.70 MX$477

$29.33 MX$544

-12.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.53 MX$567

$31.80 MX$590

-3.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$395

$19.76 MX$367

7.64%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 MX$92.0

$4.98 MX$92.4

-0.40%

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

$679 MX$12.6K

$212 MX$3,931

220.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K MX$263.2K

$4,464 MX$82.8K

217.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MX$1,340

$53.2 MX$988

35.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 MX$778

$39.97 MX$742

4.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$1,995

$96.9 MX$1,798

10.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,202

$87.8 MX$1,628

35.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 MX$18.9K

$592 MX$11.0K

71.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 MX$13.4K

$429 MX$7,956

68.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 MX$36.5K

$1,015 MX$18.8K

93.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 MX$26.3K

$747 MX$13.9K

89.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.0K

$1,880 MX$34.9K

123.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$51.6K

$1,105 MX$20.5K

151.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

11.31

4.24%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cuauhtémoc: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$722 44%

Cuauhtémoc

$429 36% 40.6% $293

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$302 18.4%

Cuauhtémoc

$259 21.7% 14.4% $44

Eating Out

Monterrey

$216 13.2%

Cuauhtémoc

$183 15.4% 15.3% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$167 10.2%

Cuauhtémoc

$108 9.1% 35% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$153 9.3%

Cuauhtémoc

$125 10.5% 18.4% $28

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Cuauhtémoc

$45 3.8% 9.9% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$40 2.5%

Cuauhtémoc

$42 3.5% 3.2% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,018 in Monterrey versus $592 in Cuauhtémoc. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Monterrey versus $43 in Cuauhtémoc. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $302 vs $259 – making Cuauhtémoc the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇲🇽 Cuauhtémoc

🕒 Local time

16:56 4:56 PM

Same time as Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

545,884

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Cuauhtémoc 700 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Cuauhtémoc

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 Cuauhtémoc: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Monterrey is pricier by about 38%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Monterrey and $1,786 in Cuauhtémoc. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cuauhtémoc, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $592 there versus $1,018 in Monterrey.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Monterrey and $43 in Cuauhtémoc. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Monterrey, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cuauhtémoc, where all-in costs run around $1,191, than in Monterrey at $1,641. In Cuauhtémoc it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monterrey it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cuauhtémoc – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.