Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Envigado

For one person, living is cheaper in Envigado: $1,298 a month against $1,599 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Envigado
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Envigado Living Index

Jump to prices

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Envigado

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,298

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Envigado

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,599 in Monterrey versus $1,298 in Envigado.

Monterrey $1,599
Envigado $1,298

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,493 in Monterrey versus $2,060 in Envigado.

Monterrey $2,493
Envigado $2,060

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Monterrey versus $2,823 in Envigado.

Monterrey $3,387
Envigado $2,823

Living in Monterrey is roughly 23% more expensive than in Envigado, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 18% above, Envigado is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 MX$255

$7.12 COP 22.6K

93.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.99 MX$887

$47.77 COP 151.5K

0.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 MX$197

$9.56 COP 30.3K

11.40%

Cappuccino

$3.99 MX$73.7

$2.70 COP 8,571

47.78%

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

$1.66 MX$30.76

$1.38 COP 4,388

20.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.21

$1.01 COP 3,209

-1.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 MX$43.64

$3.17 COP 10.0K

-25.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 MX$81.8

$3.67 COP 11.6K

20.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MX$33.58

$1.34 COP 4,237

35.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 MX$52.4

$2.59 COP 8,224

9.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.44

$1.52 COP 4,827

26.32%

Eggs

$2.48 MX$45.78

$3.24 COP 10.3K

-23.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.74 MX$217

$9.01 COP 28.6K

30.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.10 MX$168

$8.59 COP 27.2K

5.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.53 MX$232

$11.80 COP 37.4K

6.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 MX$61.6

$4.08 COP 12.9K

-18.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.10

$1.67 COP 5,298

-5.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.86

$2.10 COP 6,672

2.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 MX$45.65

$1.98 COP 6,293

24.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.64

$1.37 COP 4,330

68.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 MX$49.47

$1.69 COP 5,355

58.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 MX$26.90

$1.18 COP 3,738

23.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$22.07

$1.16 COP 3,693

2.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$4.22 COP 13.4K

12.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 MX$251

$12.97 COP 41.1K

4.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 MX$35.52

$1.39 COP 4,420

38.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 MX$53.2

$2.41 COP 7,635

19.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.66

$1.13 COP 3,597

-30.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 MX$29.44

$1.59 COP 5,051

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.58

$1.99 COP 6,311

-46.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.80 MX$200

$7.34 COP 23.3K

47.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$28.59

$1.34 COP 4,249

15.67%

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

$24.2K MX$446.4K

$34.4K COP 109.1M

-29.80%

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

$24.3K MX$449.4K

$34.9K COP 110.8M

-30.39%

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

$117 MX$2,159

$126 COP 399.5K

-7.28%

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

$26.38 MX$488

$13.19 COP 41.8K

100.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.04 MX$481

$30.90 COP 98.0K

-15.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.26 MX$559

$32.68 COP 103.6K

-7.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 MX$96.6

$6.41 COP 20.3K

-18.41%

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

$673 MX$12.4K

$568 COP 1.8M

18.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K MX$205.2K

$8,403 COP 26.6M

32.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 MX$1,332

$83.6 COP 264.9K

-13.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.38 MX$783

$49.32 COP 156.4K

-14.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,066

$153 COP 485.3K

-26.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,200

$106 COP 334.7K

12.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$949 MX$17.5K

$558 COP 1.8M

70.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$666 MX$12.3K

$463 COP 1.5M

44.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,821 MX$33.7K

$1,079 COP 3.4M

68.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 MX$23.5K

$951 COP 3.0M

33.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$74.8K

$1,895 COP 6.0M

113.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,348 MX$43.4K

$1,739 COP 5.5M

34.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

-1.75%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Last update for Envigado: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$666 41.7%

Envigado

$463 35.6% 30.6% $204

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$304 19%

Envigado

$276 21.3% 9.2% $28

Eating Out

Monterrey

$221 13.9%

Envigado

$151 11.6% 31.9% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$169 10.6%

Envigado

$170 13.1% 0.5% $0.8

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$155 9.7%

Envigado

$176 13.6% 13.4% $21

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Envigado

$16 * 1.2% 61.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Envigado

$45 3.5% 11.7% $4.8

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 $558 in Envigado. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48.00 in Monterrey vs $48.00 in Envigado. Groceries flip the comparison at $304 vs $276, with Envigado cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇨🇴 Envigado

🕒 Local time

13:23 1:23 PM

14:23 2:23 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

204,399

💱 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 23, 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 23, 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 Envigado 3,410 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Envigado

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 Envigado: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Envigado wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Monterrey. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Envigado the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,399 in Monterrey and $1,946 in Envigado 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 $558 in Envigado. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $673 in Monterrey versus $568 in Envigado. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $1,298 in Envigado versus $1,599 in Monterrey, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Envigado but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Envigado the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Envigado delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,298 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Envigado hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Envigado gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.