Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Cuautitlan Izcalli

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuautitlan Izcalli: $1,122 a month against $1,641 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Cuautitlan Izcalli
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Cuautitlan Izcalli Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Cuautitlan Izcalli

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,122

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Cuautitlan Izcalli

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,641 in Monterrey versus $1,122 in Cuautitlan Izcalli.

Monterrey $1,641
Cuautitlan Izcalli $1,122

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,573 in Monterrey versus $1,708 in Cuautitlan Izcalli.

Monterrey $2,573
Cuautitlan Izcalli $1,708

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,504 in Monterrey versus $2,294 in Cuautitlan Izcalli.

Monterrey $3,504
Cuautitlan Izcalli $2,294

Living in Monterrey is roughly 46% more expensive than in Cuautitlan Izcalli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 21% above, Cuautitlan Izcalli is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.37 MX$249

$10.81 MX$201

23.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.95 MX$892

$25.43 MX$473

88.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 MX$201

$8.06 MX$150

33.87%

Cappuccino

$3.77 MX$70.1

$3.17 MX$59.0

18.93%

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

$1.51 MX$28.11

$1.65 MX$30.75

-8.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.15

$1.25 MX$23.31

-17.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 MX$46.18

$2.49 MX$46.30

-0.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MX$81.1

$4.73 MX$88.1

-7.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MX$35.25

$1.59 MX$29.61

18.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 MX$53.0

$2.75 MX$51.1

3.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.54

$1.33 MX$24.78

39.85%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$45.89

$2.82 MX$52.4

-12.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.81 MX$220

$2.62 MX$48.77

350.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 MX$167

$5.28 MX$98.3

69.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$234

$6.93 MX$129

81.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 MX$59.5

$2.45 MX$45.61

30.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$27.98

$1.59 MX$29.58

-5.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.54

$1.33 MX$24.79

59.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 MX$43.42

$2.17 MX$40.41

7.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$41.37

$2.01 MX$37.45

10.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 MX$48.10

$1.87 MX$34.83

37.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$26.90

$1.53 MX$28.46

-5.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.73

$1.06 MX$19.73

15.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 MX$89.3

$4.22 MX$78.5

13.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 MX$248

$9.51 MX$177

39.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MX$35.96

$1.59 MX$29.56

21.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 MX$53.2

$4.41 MX$82.0

-35.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.86

$0.76 MX$14.20

5.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$576

$29.96 MX$558

3.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 MX$34.10

$0.83 MX$15.48

120.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.68

$0.49 MX$9.14

116.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.82 MX$201

$5.58 MX$104

93.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.36 MX$25.33

8.09%

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

$24.1K MX$448.2K

$21.2K MX$395.2K

13.40%

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

$23.5K MX$438.0K

$24.0K MX$447.3K

-2.09%

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

$115 MX$2,133

$62.4 MX$1,160

83.82%

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

$26.37 MX$491

$26.87 MX$500

-1.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.70 MX$478

$18.89 MX$351

36.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.53 MX$568

$32.39 MX$603

-5.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$396

$19.67 MX$366

8.13%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 MX$92.3

$4.24 MX$78.8

16.98%

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

$679 MX$12.6K

$427 MX$7,953

58.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K MX$264.0K

$4,583 MX$85.3K

209.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MX$1,344

$54.5 MX$1,015

32.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 MX$780

$26.86 MX$500

56.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$2,000

$109 MX$2,034

-1.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,208

$54.4 MX$1,011

118.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 MX$18.9K

$602 MX$11.2K

69.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 MX$13.4K

$426 MX$7,935

69.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 MX$36.6K

$1,029 MX$19.1K

91.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 MX$26.3K

$750 MX$14.0K

88.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.2K

$1,879 MX$35.0K

123.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$51.8K

$1,134 MX$21.1K

145.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

11.35

3.88%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cuautitlan Izcalli: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$722 44%

Cuautitlan Izcalli

$426 38% 40.9% $295

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$302 18.4%

Cuautitlan Izcalli

$217 19.4% 28% $85

Eating Out

Monterrey

$216 13.2%

Cuautitlan Izcalli

$182 16.3% 15.5% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$167 10.2%

Cuautitlan Izcalli

$108 9.6% 35.1% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$153 9.3%

Cuautitlan Izcalli

$110 9.8% 28% $43

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Cuautitlan Izcalli

$36 3.2% 12% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$40 2.5%

Cuautitlan Izcalli

$41 3.6% 1% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,018 in Monterrey and $602 in Cuautitlan Izcalli. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Monterrey vs $25 in Cuautitlan Izcalli for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $217 per month, with Cuautitlan Izcalli cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇲🇽 Cuautitlan Izcalli

🕒 Local time

17:13 5:13 PM

Same time as Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

484,573

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Cuautitlan Izcalli 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Cuautitlan Izcalli

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 Cuautitlan Izcalli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cuautitlan Izcalli is about 32% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,461 in Monterrey and $1,682 in Cuautitlan Izcalli 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: $1,018 in Monterrey versus $602 in Cuautitlan Izcalli. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $679 in Monterrey versus $427 in Cuautitlan Izcalli. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Monterrey. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,122 in Cuautitlan Izcalli versus $1,641 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cuautitlan Izcalli but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Cuautitlan Izcalli 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 Cuautitlan Izcalli gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.