Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Guanajuato

For one person, living is cheaper in Guanajuato: $1,054 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Guanajuato
Learn more

Guanajuato Living Index

Jump to prices

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Guanajuato

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,054

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Guanajuato

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Monterrey versus $1,054 in Guanajuato.

Monterrey $1,608
Guanajuato $1,054

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,521 in Monterrey versus $1,619 in Guanajuato.

Monterrey $2,521
Guanajuato $1,619

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,433 in Monterrey versus $2,185 in Guanajuato.

Monterrey $3,433
Guanajuato $2,185

Living in Monterrey is roughly 53% more expensive than in Guanajuato, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 19% above, Guanajuato is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 MX$256

$13.62 MX$252

1.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 MX$918

$44.07 MX$814

12.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 MX$204

$7.59 MX$140

45.59%

Cappuccino

$4.09 MX$75.6

$3.86 MX$71.3

5.96%

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

$1.68 MX$30.97

$1.67 MX$30.87

0.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$18.98

$0.99 MX$18.28

4.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MX$44.28

$2.67 MX$49.29

-10.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.3

$4.84 MX$89.4

-10.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.55

$1.59 MX$29.41

20.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.2

$2.61 MX$48.21

12.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.66

$1.44 MX$26.68

30.56%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$47.06

$2.38 MX$44.03

7.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 MX$219

$4.84 MX$89.5

144.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 MX$173

$9.57 MX$177

-2.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 MX$242

$11.88 MX$219

10.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$2.72 MX$50.2

24.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.64 MX$30.31

-7.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.51

$2.03 MX$37.59

7.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.63

$1.55 MX$28.73

52.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.76

$1.98 MX$36.64

14.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.5

$1.83 MX$33.75

49.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.17

$1.52 MX$28.00

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.90

$1.06 MX$19.65

16.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$4.83 MX$89.3

-1.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 MX$252

$10.74 MX$198

27.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 MX$34.95

$1.88 MX$34.77

0.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MX$55.2

$3.46 MX$64.0

-13.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.78

$0.58 MX$10.64

46.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

$27.18 MX$502

13.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$30.98

$2.17 MX$40.16

-22.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.87

$1.38 MX$25.53

-18.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 MX$206

$8.94 MX$165

24.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.91

$1.48 MX$27.33

5.41%

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

$21.4K MX$395.8K

$20.4K MX$376.1K

5.23%

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

$25.1K MX$463.2K

$24.0K MX$443.1K

4.54%

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

$119 MX$2,206

$50.7 MX$937

135.44%

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

$26.21 MX$484

$20.05 MX$371

30.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 MX$495

$27.98 MX$517

-4.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 MX$573

$31.52 MX$582

-1.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

$27.44 MX$507

-21.90%

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$97.7

$6.63 MX$122

-20.21%

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

$691 MX$12.8K

$209 MX$3,862

230.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$212.1K

$5,492 MX$101.5K

108.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 MX$1,335

$59.3 MX$1,096

21.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 MX$789

$37.24 MX$688

14.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,024

$77.5 MX$1,432

41.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,158

$57.3 MX$1,058

103.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 MX$17.9K

$518 MX$9,579

87.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.3K

$295 MX$5,460

124.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 MX$34.3K

$779 MX$14.4K

138.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 MX$23.8K

$388 MX$7,179

231.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$76.9K

$1,346 MX$24.9K

209.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 MX$43.4K

$1,086 MX$20.1K

116.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

$712 MX$13.1K

61.10%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Guanajuato: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

Guanajuato

$295 28% 55.5% $368

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$310 19.3%

Guanajuato

$261 24.8% 16% $50

Eating Out

Monterrey

$225 14%

Guanajuato

$212 20.1% 5.7% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$172 10.7%

Guanajuato

$99 9.4% 42.7% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$154 9.6%

Guanajuato

$104 9.9% 32.2% $49

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Guanajuato

$39 3.7% 7.5% $3.1

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Guanajuato

$45 4.3% 7.6% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $970 in Monterrey and $518 in Guanajuato. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 61% 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 $44.00 in Guanajuato for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $261 per month, with Guanajuato cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇲🇽 Guanajuato

🕒 Local time

19:58 7:58 PM

Same time as Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

70,068

💱 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

Highest

Between locations

Monterrey Guanajuato 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Guanajuato

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 Guanajuato: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guanajuato wins on cost – living expenses run 53% lower than in Monterrey. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Guanajuato the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 61% 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 $518 in Guanajuato. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Monterrey. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Guanajuato – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $50.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,054 in Guanajuato versus $1,608 in Monterrey, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Guanajuato but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Guanajuato the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Guanajuato delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,054 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Guanajuato hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Monterrey and Guanajuato 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 Guanajuato gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.