Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Monclova

For one person, living is cheaper in Monclova: $1,185 a month against $1,647 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Monclova
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Monclova Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,647

/mo nomad

Monclova

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Monclova

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,647 in Monterrey versus $1,185 in Monclova.

Monterrey $1,647
Monclova $1,185

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,591 in Monterrey versus $1,898 in Monclova.

Monterrey $2,591
Monclova $1,898

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,536 in Monterrey versus $2,610 in Monclova.

Monterrey $3,536
Monclova $2,610

Living in Monterrey is roughly 39% more expensive than in Monclova, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 21% above, Monclova is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.45 MX$251

$6.43 MX$120

109.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.43 MX$902

$38.05 MX$709

27.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$203

$10.61 MX$198

2.73%

Cappuccino

$3.82 MX$71.1

$3.84 MX$71.6

-0.52%

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

$1.67 MX$31.04

$1.38 MX$25.72

21.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 MX$18.31

$0.84 MX$15.60

16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 MX$43.78

$2.18 MX$40.56

7.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MX$82.2

$3.14 MX$58.4

40.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 MX$33.56

$1.78 MX$33.25

1.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 MX$52.0

$2.91 MX$54.2

-4.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.00

$1.88 MX$35.09

-3.19%

Eggs

$2.51 MX$46.81

$2.47 MX$45.98

1.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.09 MX$225

$12.01 MX$224

0.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 MX$175

$9.25 MX$172

1.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.71 MX$237

$12.87 MX$240

-1.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 MX$59.8

$3.27 MX$60.9

-1.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$27.90

$1.51 MX$28.13

-0.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.95

$2.09 MX$38.89

2.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 MX$43.25

$2.44 MX$45.40

-4.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 MX$41.02

$2.32 MX$43.14

-5.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 MX$48.40

$2.65 MX$49.46

-1.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.84

$1.43 MX$26.66

0.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 MX$21.86

$1.18 MX$21.95

-0.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.79 MX$89.2

$4.64 MX$86.4

3.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.22 MX$246

$13.30 MX$248

-0.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.87 MX$34.76

3.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 MX$53.8

$2.97 MX$55.3

-2.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 MX$16.25

$0.74 MX$13.83

17.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.14 MX$580

$34.15 MX$636

-8.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MX$30.86

$1.58 MX$29.39

5.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 MX$20.37

$1.07 MX$19.92

1.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.67 MX$199

$10.57 MX$197

0.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.45

$1.55 MX$28.90

-5.16%

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

$24.2K MX$451.7K

$24.4K MX$454.8K

-0.70%

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

$23.6K MX$438.8K

$24.0K MX$446.4K

-1.69%

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

$118 MX$2,196

$48.00 MX$894

145.56%

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

$25.55 MX$476

$25.70 MX$479

-0.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.43 MX$492

$24.60 MX$458

7.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.77 MX$573

$32.87 MX$612

-6.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 MX$393

$19.65 MX$366

7.23%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$94.8

$5.25 MX$97.9

-3.05%

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

$694 MX$12.9K

$214 MX$3,986

224.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K MX$210.9K

$3,211 MX$59.8K

252.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 MX$1,350

$71.3 MX$1,327

1.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.51 MX$773

$41.48 MX$773

0.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,044

$110 MX$2,047

-0.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MX$2,141

$119 MX$2,214

-3.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 MX$19.7K

$523 MX$9,749

101.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$721 MX$13.4K

$385 MX$7,171

87.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,999 MX$37.2K

$976 MX$18.2K

104.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 MX$26.7K

$755 MX$14.1K

90.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,219 MX$78.6K

$1,664 MX$31.0K

153.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,731 MX$50.9K

$1,001 MX$18.7K

172.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,149 MX$21.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

17.90%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 25, 2026

Last update for Monclova: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$721 43.8%

Monclova

$385 32.5% 46.6% $336

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$303 18.4%

Monclova

$305 25.8% 0.5% $1.6

Eating Out

Monterrey

$217 13.2%

Monclova

$155 13.1% 28.5% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$170 10.3%

Monclova

$98 8.3% 42.1% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$152 9.3%

Monclova

$154 13% 0.8% $1.3

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.5%

Monclova

$44 3.7% 5.5% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Monclova

$43 3.7% 5.9% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,056 in Monterrey and $523 in Monclova. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Monterrey vs $38 in Monclova. Groceries flip the comparison at $303 vs $305, with Monterrey cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇲🇽 Monclova

🕒 Local time

04:20 4:20 AM

Same time as Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

237,169

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Monclova: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monclova wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Monterrey. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Monclova the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,470 in Monterrey and $1,777 in Monclova to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,056 in Monterrey versus $523 in Monclova. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $694 in Monterrey versus $214 in Monclova. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Monclova – a meal for two runs $38 versus $48 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Monclova is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.