Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Miguel Hidalgo

For one person, living is cheaper in Miguel Hidalgo: $1,203 a month against $1,647 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Monterrey, Mexico
Miguel Hidalgo, Mexico
Monterrey
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,647
/mo nomad
Miguel Hidalgo
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,203
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Miguel Hidalgo

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Monterrey vs $1,203 in Miguel Hidalgo, rent included.

  • Monterrey $1,647
  • Miguel Hidalgo $1,203

A couple spends around $2,591 per month in Monterrey vs $1,989 in Miguel Hidalgo, rent included.

  • Monterrey $2,591
  • Miguel Hidalgo $1,989

A family of three spends $3,536 per month in Monterrey vs $2,775 in Miguel Hidalgo, rent included.

  • Monterrey $3,536
  • Miguel Hidalgo $2,775

Monterrey costs about 37% more than Miguel Hidalgo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Monterrey sits 21% above the global median, while Miguel Hidalgo is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Monterrey
Miguel Hidalgo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.45 MX$250
$10.81 MX$201
24.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.43 MX$899
$83.0 MX$1,541
-41.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.90 MX$202
$8.40 MX$156
29.76%
Cappuccino
$3.82 MX$70.9
$3.53 MX$65.6
8.22%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 MX$30.94
$1.38 MX$25.71
21.01%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.98 MX$18.25
$0.98 MX$18.16
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.35 MX$43.64
$2.27 MX$42.07
3.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.41 MX$81.9
$6.06 MX$113
-27.23%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Monterrey
Miguel Hidalgo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.80 MX$33.46
$1.57 MX$29.16
14.65%
White Bread (500g)
$2.79 MX$51.9
$2.54 MX$47.10
9.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.82 MX$33.89
$1.70 MX$31.65
7.06%
Eggs
$2.51 MX$46.66
$2.50 MX$46.35
0.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.09 MX$224
$7.93 MX$147
52.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.41 MX$175
$9.20 MX$171
2.28%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.71 MX$236
$11.20 MX$208
13.48%
Apples (1kg)
$3.21 MX$59.6
$2.73 MX$50.7
17.58%
Banana (1kg)
$1.50 MX$27.81
$1.51 MX$27.98
-0.66%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.14 MX$39.83
$1.87 MX$34.65
14.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.32 MX$43.11
$1.79 MX$33.23
29.61%
Potato (1kg)
$2.20 MX$40.89
$1.98 MX$36.69
11.11%
Onion (1kg)
$2.60 MX$48.25
$1.86 MX$34.53
39.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.44 MX$26.75
$1.38 MX$25.68
4.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.17 MX$21.79
$1.12 MX$20.77
4.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.79 MX$88.9
$4.36 MX$80.9
9.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.22 MX$246
$10.21 MX$190
29.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.94 MX$36.07
$1.77 MX$32.88
9.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.89 MX$53.6
$3.09 MX$57.3
-6.47%
🚌 Getting Around
Monterrey
Miguel Hidalgo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 MX$16.20
$0.63 MX$11.64
38.10%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$31.14 MX$578
$32.17 MX$597
-3.20%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.66 MX$30.77
$2.49 MX$46.20
-33.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.09 MX$20.31
$2.04 MX$37.96
-46.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.67 MX$198
$9.47 MX$176
12.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.37
$1.40 MX$26.07
5.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.2K MX$450.2K
$23.7K MX$440.0K
2.33%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.6K MX$437.4K
$23.4K MX$434.1K
0.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monterrey
Miguel Hidalgo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$118 MX$2,189
$30.64 MX$569
284.69%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.55 MX$474
$22.21 MX$413
15.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$26.43 MX$491
$30.43 MX$565
-13.14%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Monterrey
Miguel Hidalgo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.77 MX$571
$45.70 MX$849
-32.67%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.07 MX$391
$20.26 MX$376
4.00%
Cinema Ticket
$5.09 MX$94.5
$5.17 MX$96.0
-1.55%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Monterrey
Miguel Hidalgo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$694 MX$12.9K
$218 MX$4,042
218.89%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K MX$210.2K
$4,856 MX$90.2K
133.11%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Monterrey
Miguel Hidalgo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.5 MX$1,346
$73.8 MX$1,371
-1.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.51 MX$771
$39.52 MX$734
5.04%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 MX$2,038
$91.1 MX$1,691
20.49%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$115 MX$2,135
$88.2 MX$1,637
30.36%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Monterrey
Miguel Hidalgo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,056 MX$19.6K
$586 MX$10.9K
80.21%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$721 MX$13.4K
$434 MX$8,054
66.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,999 MX$37.1K
$1,041 MX$19.3K
92.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,435 MX$26.6K
$749 MX$13.9K
91.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,219 MX$78.4K
$1,919 MX$35.6K
119.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,731 MX$50.7K
$1,123 MX$20.9K
143.19%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Monterrey
Miguel Hidalgo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,149 MX$21.3K
$536 MX$9,958
114.24%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.79
11.31
4.24%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 25, 2026

Last update for Miguel Hidalgo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Monterrey
$721
Miguel Hidalgo
$434 39.9% $288
Groceries & Markets
Monterrey
$303
Miguel Hidalgo
$264 12.9% $39
Eating Out
Monterrey
$217
Miguel Hidalgo
$187 14% $30
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monterrey
$170
Miguel Hidalgo
$83 51% $87
Clothing & Footwear
Monterrey
$152
Miguel Hidalgo
$132 13.6% $21
Getting Around
Monterrey
$42
Miguel Hidalgo
$47 13.5% $5.6
Sport & Entertainment
Monterrey
$41
Miguel Hidalgo
$56 36.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,056 in Monterrey versus $586 in Miguel Hidalgo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Monterrey are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Monterrey versus $83 in Miguel Hidalgo. Groceries tell a different story – $303 in Monterrey vs $264 in Miguel Hidalgo – so Miguel Hidalgo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Monterrey
🇲🇽 Miguel Hidalgo
🕒 Local time
02:44 2:44 AM
02:44 2:44 AM
Same time as Monterrey
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,142,994
414,470
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Monterrey Miguel Hidalgo 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Monterrey
  • Miguel Hidalgo

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 Miguel Hidalgo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Miguel Hidalgo cheaper than Monterrey?
Yes – Monterrey is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,470 per month in Monterrey and $1,805 in Miguel Hidalgo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Miguel Hidalgo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $586 there versus $1,056 in Monterrey.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 3% less in Monterrey. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $694 per month in Monterrey and $218 in Miguel Hidalgo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Monterrey or in Miguel Hidalgo?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Miguel Hidalgo, where all-in costs run around $1,203, than in Monterrey at $1,647. In Miguel Hidalgo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monterrey it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city suits remote workers better?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Miguel Hidalgo costs $1,203 versus $1,647 in Monterrey. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Miguel Hidalgo. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Monterrey makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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