Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Merida, Mexico

For one person, living is cheaper in Merida: $1,307 a month against $1,647 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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 Merida
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Merida Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,647

/mo nomad

Merida

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,307

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Merida

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Monterrey vs $1,307 in Merida, rent included.

Monterrey $1,647
Merida $1,307

A couple spends around $2,591 per month in Monterrey vs $2,126 in Merida, rent included.

Monterrey $2,591
Merida $2,126

A family of three spends $3,536 per month in Monterrey vs $2,946 in Merida, rent included.

Monterrey $3,536
Merida $2,946

Monterrey costs about 26% more than Merida, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Monterrey sits 21% above the global median, while Merida is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.45 MX$253

$13.28 MX$249

1.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.43 MX$909

$54.9 MX$1,030

-11.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$205

$8.13 MX$153

34.07%

Cappuccino

$3.82 MX$71.7

$3.90 MX$73.3

-2.05%

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

$1.67 MX$31.28

$1.06 MX$19.92

57.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 MX$18.45

$1.15 MX$21.63

-14.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 MX$44.12

$2.89 MX$54.3

-18.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MX$82.8

$3.64 MX$68.4

21.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 MX$33.82

$1.59 MX$29.89

13.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 MX$52.4

$2.57 MX$48.33

8.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.26

$1.69 MX$31.69

7.69%

Eggs

$2.51 MX$47.17

$1.84 MX$34.54

36.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.09 MX$227

$9.99 MX$187

21.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 MX$177

$7.49 MX$141

25.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.71 MX$239

$12.02 MX$226

5.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 MX$60.2

$2.67 MX$50.1

20.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.12

$1.36 MX$25.49

10.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 MX$40.26

$2.14 MX$40.18

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 MX$43.58

$1.97 MX$36.92

17.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 MX$41.34

$2.17 MX$40.79

1.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 MX$48.78

$1.75 MX$32.92

48.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$27.04

$1.46 MX$27.43

-1.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 MX$22.03

$1.15 MX$21.55

1.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.79 MX$89.9

$4.28 MX$80.4

11.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.22 MX$248

$10.73 MX$202

23.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 MX$36.47

$1.47 MX$27.63

31.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 MX$54.2

$2.45 MX$45.93

17.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 MX$16.37

$0.62 MX$11.68

40.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.14 MX$585

$32.93 MX$618

-5.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MX$31.10

$2.73 MX$51.2

-39.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 MX$20.53

$3.70 MX$69.5

-70.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.67 MX$200

$8.79 MX$165

21.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.66

$1.49 MX$27.94

-1.34%

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

$24.2K MX$455.2K

$22.5K MX$423.1K

7.57%

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

$23.6K MX$442.2K

$22.9K MX$430.5K

2.72%

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

$118 MX$2,213

$112 MX$2,107

5.01%

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

$25.55 MX$480

$21.28 MX$399

20.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.43 MX$496

$34.17 MX$642

-22.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.77 MX$578

$28.29 MX$531

8.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 MX$396

$11.51 MX$216

83.06%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$95.6

$6.41 MX$120

-20.59%

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

$694 MX$13.0K

$259 MX$4,869

167.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K MX$212.5K

$3,584 MX$67.3K

215.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 MX$1,360

$54.3 MX$1,019

33.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.51 MX$779

$52.1 MX$977

-20.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,060

$99.3 MX$1,864

10.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MX$2,158

$84.0 MX$1,578

36.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 MX$19.8K

$611 MX$11.5K

72.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$721 MX$13.5K

$441 MX$8,273

63.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,999 MX$37.5K

$1,220 MX$22.9K

63.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 MX$26.9K

$958 MX$18.0K

49.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,219 MX$79.2K

$2,244 MX$42.1K

88.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,731 MX$51.3K

$1,205 MX$22.6K

126.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,149 MX$21.6K

$579 MX$10.9K

98.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

11.64

1.29%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 25, 2026

Last update for Merida: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$721 43.8%

Merida

$441 33.7% 38.9% $281

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$303 18.4%

Merida

$263 20.1% 13.5% $41

Eating Out

Monterrey

$217 13.2%

Merida

$208 15.9% 4.2% $9.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$170 10.3%

Merida

$168 12.8% 1.3% $2.2

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$152 9.3%

Merida

$130 10% 14.5% $22

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.5%

Merida

$57 4.3% 35.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Merida

$41 3.2% 0.4% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,056 in Monterrey versus $611 in Merida. 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 98% higher in Monterrey. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Monterrey versus $55 in Merida. Groceries tell a different story – $303 in Monterrey vs $263 in Merida – so Merida wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇲🇽 Merida

🕒 Local time

13:31 1:31 PM

Same time as Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

975,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Merida 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Merida

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 Merida: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Monterrey is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,470 per month in Monterrey and $1,961 in Merida. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Merida, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $611 there versus $1,056 in Monterrey.

Kindergarten costs $694 per month in Monterrey and $259 in Merida. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Monterrey, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Merida, where all-in costs run around $1,307, than in Monterrey at $1,647. In Merida it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monterrey it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Merida – 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 Merida. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Monterrey makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.