Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Iquitos

For one person, living is cheaper in Iquitos: $663 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Iquitos

🇵🇪 Peru

$663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Iquitos

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Monterrey vs $663 in Iquitos, rent included.

Monterrey $1,608
Iquitos $663

A couple spends around $2,521 per month in Monterrey vs $1,185 in Iquitos, rent included.

Monterrey $2,521
Iquitos $1,185

A family of three spends $3,433 per month in Monterrey vs $1,707 in Iquitos, rent included.

Monterrey $3,433
Iquitos $1,707

Monterrey costs about 143% more than Iquitos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Monterrey sits 19% above the global median, while Iquitos is 51% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 MX$256

$4.31 PEN 14.81

221.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 MX$918

$38.44 PEN 132

29.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 MX$204

$7.30 PEN 25.06

51.37%

Cappuccino

$4.09 MX$75.6

$3.57 PEN 12.26

14.57%

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

$1.68 MX$30.97

$0.85 PEN 2.92

97.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$18.98

$0.56 PEN 1.91

83.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MX$44.28

$2.82 PEN 9.69

-14.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.3

$7.41 PEN 25.45

-41.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.55

$1.76 PEN 6.05

9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.2

$2.30 PEN 7.91

27.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.66

Eggs

$2.55 MX$47.06

$2.56 PEN 8.80

-0.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 MX$219

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 MX$173

$3.28 PEN 11.26

185.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 MX$242

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.13

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.51

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.63

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.76

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.5

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.17

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.90

$0.89 PEN 3.07

39.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 MX$252

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 MX$34.95

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MX$55.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.78

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$30.98

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.87

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 MX$206

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.91

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

$21.4K MX$395.8K

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

$25.1K MX$463.2K

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

$119 MX$2,206

$34.73 PEN 119

243.77%

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

$26.21 MX$484

$11.34 PEN 38.95

131.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 MX$495

$8.74 PEN 30.03

206.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 MX$573

$29.05 PEN 99.8

6.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

$8.75 PEN 30.06

144.91%

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$97.7

$5.64 PEN 19.37

-6.21%

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

$691 MX$12.8K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$212.1K

$2,789 PEN 9,576

311.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 MX$1,335

$87.7 PEN 301

-17.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 MX$789

$35.24 PEN 121

21.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,024

$52.9 PEN 182

106.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,158

$26.21 PEN 90.0

345.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 MX$17.9K

$343 PEN 1,180

182.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.3K

$265 PEN 909

150.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 MX$34.3K

$882 PEN 3,029

110.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 MX$23.8K

$712 PEN 2,445

80.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$76.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 MX$43.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

$573 PEN 1,968

100.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Last update for Iquitos: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

Iquitos

–

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$310 19.3%

Iquitos

–

Eating Out

Monterrey

$225 14%

Iquitos

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$172 10.7%

Iquitos

–

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$154 9.6%

Iquitos

–

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Iquitos

–

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Iquitos

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $970 in Monterrey versus $343 in Iquitos. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 100% higher in Monterrey, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Monterrey versus $38.00 in Iquitos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $310 vs $78.0 – making Iquitos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇵🇪 Iquitos

🕒 Local time

17:13 5:13 PM

18:13 6:13 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

32,853

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, 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).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Iquitos 4,380 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Iquitos

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 Iquitos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Monterrey is pricier by about 143%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Monterrey and $994 in Iquitos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Iquitos, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 298% more in Monterrey, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Monterrey and $38.00 in Iquitos. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Iquitos, where all-in costs run around $663, than in Monterrey at $1,608. In Iquitos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monterrey it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Iquitos – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Iquitos. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Monterrey makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.