Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Pasto

For one person, living is cheaper in Pasto: $799 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Pasto
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Pasto Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Pasto

🇨🇴 Colombia

$799

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Pasto

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Monterrey versus $799 in Pasto.

Monterrey $1,608
Pasto $799

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,521 in Monterrey versus $1,210 in Pasto.

Monterrey $2,521
Pasto $1,210

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,433 in Monterrey versus $1,622 in Pasto.

Monterrey $3,433
Pasto $1,622

Living in Monterrey is roughly 101% more expensive than in Pasto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 19% above, Pasto is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 MX$256

$3.98 COP 12.6K

247.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 MX$918

$23.79 COP 75.4K

108.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 MX$204

$7.46 COP 23.7K

48.12%

Cappuccino

$4.09 MX$75.6

$1.56 COP 4,934

162.18%

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

$1.68 MX$30.97

$0.86 COP 2,724

95.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$18.98

$0.61 COP 1,943

68.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MX$44.28

$1.16 COP 3,666

106.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.3

$2.20 COP 6,968

97.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.55

$1.09 COP 3,464

76.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.2

$1.29 COP 4,088

127.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.66

$1.18 COP 3,744

59.32%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$47.06

$2.14 COP 6,771

19.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 MX$219

$4.61 COP 14.6K

156.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 MX$173

$5.26 COP 16.7K

77.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 MX$242

$7.29 COP 23.1K

79.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$2.44 COP 7,748

38.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.04 COP 3,302

46.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.51

$1.30 COP 4,108

68.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.63

$1.07 COP 3,379

120.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.76

$1.15 COP 3,648

96.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.5

$1.13 COP 3,586

141.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.17

$0.80 COP 2,537

90.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.90

$0.64 COP 2,041

93.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$2.37 COP 7,509

100.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 MX$252

$9.81 COP 31.1K

39.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 MX$34.95

$1.09 COP 3,443

73.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MX$55.2

$1.77 COP 5,599

68.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.78

$0.72 COP 2,271

18.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

$30.39 COP 96.4K

1.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$30.98

$1.43 COP 4,532

17.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.87

$1.79 COP 5,688

-36.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 MX$206

$5.98 COP 18.9K

86.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.91

$0.93 COP 2,958

67.74%

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

$21.4K MX$395.8K

$18.1K COP 57.2M

18.64%

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

$25.1K MX$463.2K

$25.7K COP 81.6M

-2.65%

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

$119 MX$2,206

$83.4 COP 264.4K

43.17%

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

$26.21 MX$484

$8.89 COP 28.2K

194.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 MX$495

$22.38 COP 71.0K

19.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 MX$573

$23.02 COP 73.0K

34.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$97.7

$3.89 COP 12.3K

35.99%

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

$691 MX$12.8K

$235 COP 744.6K

194.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$212.1K

$6,071 COP 19.2M

89.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 MX$1,335

$58.6 COP 185.6K

23.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 MX$789

$32.60 COP 103.4K

31.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,024

$82.4 COP 261.4K

32.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,158

$71.8 COP 227.6K

62.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 MX$17.9K

$269 COP 851.9K

260.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.3K

$237 COP 751.4K

180.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 MX$34.3K

$530 COP 1.7M

250.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 MX$23.8K

$415 COP 1.3M

210.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$76.9K

$1,429 COP 4.5M

191.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 MX$43.4K

$1,069 COP 3.4M

119.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

13.06

-9.72%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Last update for Pasto: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

Pasto

$237 29.7% 64.3% $427

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$310 19.3%

Pasto

$173 21.7% 44.2% $137

Eating Out

Monterrey

$225 14%

Pasto

$89 11.1% 60.4% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$172 10.7%

Pasto

$115 14.4% 33.5% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$154 9.6%

Pasto

$110 13.8% 28.1% $43

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Pasto

$44 5.5% 4.8% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Pasto

$31 3.9% 26% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $970 in Monterrey and $269 in Pasto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $50.0 in Monterrey vs $24.00 in Pasto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $173 per month, with Pasto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇨🇴 Pasto

🕒 Local time

22:51 10:51 PM

23:51 11:51 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

392,930

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Pasto 3,670 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Pasto

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 Pasto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey and Pasto differ by about 101% in total monthly costs ($1,608 vs $799 including rent). Pasto is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,412 in Monterrey and $1,198 in Pasto 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: $970 in Monterrey versus $269 in Pasto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Pasto – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $50.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,608 per month in Monterrey versus $799 in Pasto – a 101% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $799 in Pasto versus $1,608 in Monterrey, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pasto but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Pasto the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Monterrey and Pasto 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 Pasto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 101% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.