Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Cucuta

For one person, living is cheaper in Cucuta: $1,335 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Cucuta
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Cucuta Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Cucuta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,335

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Cucuta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Monterrey versus $1,335 in Cucuta.

Monterrey $1,608
Cucuta $1,335

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,521 in Monterrey versus $2,003 in Cucuta.

Monterrey $2,521
Cucuta $2,003

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,433 in Monterrey versus $2,670 in Cucuta.

Monterrey $3,433
Cucuta $2,670

Living in Monterrey is roughly 20% more expensive than in Cucuta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 19% above, Cucuta is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 MX$256

$7.44 COP 23.6K

86.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 MX$918

$48.54 COP 153.9K

2.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 MX$204

$9.16 COP 29.1K

20.63%

Cappuccino

$4.09 MX$75.6

$2.91 COP 9,235

40.55%

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

$1.68 MX$30.97

$1.43 COP 4,544

17.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$18.98

$1.08 COP 3,420

-4.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MX$44.28

$3.09 COP 9,785

-22.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.3

$3.70 COP 11.7K

17.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.55

$1.61 COP 5,112

19.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.2

$2.47 COP 7,844

19.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.66

$1.54 COP 4,893

22.08%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$47.06

$2.99 COP 9,488

-14.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 MX$219

$9.00 COP 28.5K

31.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 MX$173

$8.58 COP 27.2K

9.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 MX$242

$11.41 COP 36.2K

14.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$3.54 COP 11.2K

-4.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.60 COP 5,061

-5.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.51

$2.07 COP 6,574

5.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.63

$1.94 COP 6,139

21.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.76

$1.28 COP 4,071

76.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.5

$1.31 COP 4,149

108.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.17

$1.10 COP 3,497

38.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.90

$1.02 COP 3,221

21.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$4.35 COP 13.8K

9.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 MX$252

$14.74 COP 46.7K

-7.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 MX$34.95

$1.65 COP 5,217

14.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MX$55.2

$2.29 COP 7,271

30.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.78

$1.19 COP 3,783

-28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$30.98

$1.52 COP 4,830

10.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.87

$2.09 COP 6,624

-45.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 MX$206

$9.90 COP 31.4K

12.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.91

$1.28 COP 4,055

21.88%

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

$21.4K MX$395.8K

$28.7K COP 90.9M

-25.26%

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

$25.1K MX$463.2K

$40.2K COP 127.6M

-37.71%

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

$119 MX$2,206

$126 COP 397.9K

-4.87%

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

$26.21 MX$484

$13.88 COP 44.0K

88.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 MX$495

$29.14 COP 92.4K

-8.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 MX$573

$33.45 COP 106.1K

-7.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$97.7

$6.95 COP 22.0K

-23.88%

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

$691 MX$12.8K

$647 COP 2.1M

6.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$212.1K

$6,396 COP 20.3M

79.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 MX$1,335

$86.4 COP 273.8K

-16.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 MX$789

$49.97 COP 158.4K

-14.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,024

$154 COP 489.8K

-29.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,158

$102 COP 323.2K

14.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 MX$17.9K

$643 COP 2.0M

50.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.3K

$497 COP 1.6M

33.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 MX$34.3K

$1,017 COP 3.2M

82.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 MX$23.8K

$792 COP 2.5M

62.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$76.9K

$1,980 COP 6.3M

110.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 MX$43.4K

$1,498 COP 4.7M

56.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

$565 COP 1.8M

103.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

11.58

1.81%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cucuta: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

Cucuta

$497 37.2% 25.1% $167

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$310 19.3%

Cucuta

$274 20.5% 11.8% $37

Eating Out

Monterrey

$225 14%

Cucuta

$155 11.6% 31% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$172 10.7%

Cucuta

$169 12.6% 2.2% $3.9

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$154 9.6%

Cucuta

$177 13.2% 15.1% $23

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Cucuta

$17 * 1.3% 59.8% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Cucuta

$47 3.6% 13.8% $5.7

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 $970 in Monterrey and $643 in Cucuta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 103% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $50.0 in Monterrey vs $49.00 in Cucuta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $274 per month, with Cucuta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇨🇴 Cucuta

🕒 Local time

17:18 5:18 PM

18:18 6:18 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

777,106

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Cucuta 3,550 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Cucuta

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 Cucuta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cucuta is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 20% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 103% higher in Monterrey, 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: $970 in Monterrey versus $643 in Cucuta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $691 in Monterrey versus $647 in Cucuta. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cucuta – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $50.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,335 in Cucuta versus $1,608 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cucuta but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Cucuta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cucuta 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.

Expats usually find Cucuta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.