Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Guanajuato Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Guanajuato

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,595 in Monterrey versus $812 in Guanajuato.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,536 in Monterrey versus $1,342 in Guanajuato.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,477 in Monterrey versus $1,872 in Guanajuato.

Living in Monterrey is roughly 96% more expensive than Guanajuato, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 19% above, Guanajuato is 39% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.02 MX$228

$8.22 MX$144

58.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.6 MX$938

$32.71 MX$572

63.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.17 MX$178

$6.42 MX$112

58.41%

Cappuccino

$3.75 MX$65.6

$2.15 MX$37.57

74.42%

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

$1.44 MX$25.24

$1.25 MX$21.80

15.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$18.16

$0.89 MX$15.55

16.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 MX$45.11

$2.60 MX$45.50

-0.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 MX$71.9

$4.44 MX$77.7

-7.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 MX$29.31

$1.38 MX$24.17

21.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 MX$46.07

$2.27 MX$39.74

15.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$33.81

$1.31 MX$22.88

47.33%

Eggs

$2.60 MX$45.51

$2.02 MX$35.44

28.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.47 MX$183

$5.53 MX$96.9

89.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.07 MX$159

$7.55 MX$132

20.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.42 MX$235

$9.34 MX$164

43.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 MX$55.2

$2.82 MX$49.42

12.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 MX$24.58

$1.42 MX$24.86

-1.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 MX$36.60

$1.82 MX$31.92

14.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 MX$36.56

$1.90 MX$33.33

10.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.32 MX$40.64

$2.00 MX$35.04

16.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 MX$44.35

$2.15 MX$37.65

17.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 MX$27.16

$1.33 MX$23.30

16.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 MX$19.50

$0.94 MX$16.53

18.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 MX$74.4

$4.01 MX$70.1

5.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.83 MX$207

$6.81 MX$119

73.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 MX$31.46

$1.66 MX$29.07

8.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 MX$54.5

$3.38 MX$59.2

-7.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MX$13.16

$0.43 MX$7.60

74.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.49 MX$691

$26.04 MX$456

51.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 MX$30.78

$0.83 MX$14.51

112.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 MX$17.35

$1.11 MX$19.48

-10.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.60 MX$186

$8.61 MX$151

23.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 MX$22.88

$1.30 MX$22.79

0.77%

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

$26.6K MX$465.7K

$21.2K MX$371.7K

25.29%

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

$25.7K MX$450.3K

$21.6K MX$377.6K

19.26%

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

$124 MX$2,164

$46.23 MX$809

167.45%

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

$27.80 MX$486

$22.53 MX$394

23.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.57 MX$517

$20.84 MX$365

41.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.39 MX$672

$27.71 MX$485

38.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.87 MX$383

$15.95 MX$279

37.12%

Cinema Ticket

$5.95 MX$104

$4.77 MX$83.5

24.74%

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

$337 MX$5,896

$185 MX$3,242

81.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,908 MX$155.9K

$3,450 MX$60.4K

158.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 MX$1,020

$59.0 MX$1,032

-1.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.99 MX$735

$36.63 MX$641

14.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$1,897

$51.9 MX$908

108.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 MX$2,207

$57.8 MX$1,011

118.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$911 MX$15.9K

$301 MX$5,264

202.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$660 MX$11.5K

$186 MX$3,253

254.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,570 MX$27.5K

$695 MX$12.2K

125.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,426 MX$25.0K

$419 MX$7,327

240.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,178 MX$73.1K

$1,396 MX$24.4K

199.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,845 MX$49.8K

$1,148 MX$20.1K

147.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,113 MX$19.5K

$751 MX$13.1K

48.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.55

11.5

0.43%

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

Last update for Monterrey: April 27, 2026

Last update for Guanajuato: April 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $911 in Monterrey and $301 in Guanajuato. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 48% 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: $54.0 in Monterrey vs $33.00 in Guanajuato for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $227 per month, with Guanajuato cheaper across the board.

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 96% 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.

Monterrey pays 48% more on average, 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: $911 in Monterrey versus $301 in Guanajuato. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% 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 $33.00 versus $54.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $812 in Guanajuato versus $1,595 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 $812 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 96% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.