Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Pisco

For one person, living is cheaper in Pisco: $658 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Pisco
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Pisco Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Pisco

🇵🇪 Peru

$658

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Pisco

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Monterrey versus $658 in Pisco.

Monterrey $1,608
Pisco $658

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,521 in Monterrey versus $1,019 in Pisco.

Monterrey $2,521
Pisco $1,019

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,433 in Monterrey versus $1,380 in Pisco.

Monterrey $3,433
Pisco $1,380

Living in Monterrey is roughly 144% more expensive than in Pisco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 19% above, Pisco is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 MX$256

$4.37 PEN 15.02

216.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 MX$918

$34.60 PEN 119

43.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 MX$204

$6.86 PEN 23.56

61.08%

Cappuccino

$4.09 MX$75.6

$3.18 PEN 10.93

28.62%

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

$1.68 MX$30.97

$1.06 PEN 3.64

58.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$18.98

$0.65 PEN 2.22

58.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MX$44.28

$2.69 PEN 9.23

-10.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.3

$4.48 PEN 15.38

-2.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.55

$1.64 PEN 5.64

17.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.2

$2.27 PEN 7.80

29.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.66

$1.25 PEN 4.28

50.40%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$47.06

$1.29 PEN 4.44

97.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 MX$219

$6.22 PEN 21.36

90.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 MX$173

$4.82 PEN 16.56

94.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 MX$242

$6.40 PEN 21.98

104.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$1.32 PEN 4.54

156.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$0.99 PEN 3.41

53.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.51

$1.36 PEN 4.66

61.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.63

$0.61 PEN 2.08

286.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.76

$0.45 PEN 1.55

402.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.5

$0.92 PEN 3.14

196.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.17

$0.82 PEN 2.81

85.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.90

$0.93 PEN 3.18

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$5.74 PEN 19.72

-17.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 MX$252

$8.54 PEN 29.34

59.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 MX$34.95

$1.85 PEN 6.34

2.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MX$55.2

$2.43 PEN 8.34

23.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.78

$0.85 PEN 2.93

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

$35.08 PEN 120

-11.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$30.98

$3.87 PEN 13.29

-56.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.87

$2.07 PEN 7.10

-45.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 MX$206

$7.43 PEN 25.52

50.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.91

$1.64 PEN 5.64

-4.88%

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

$21.4K MX$395.8K

$22.4K PEN 77.0K

-4.50%

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

$25.1K MX$463.2K

$25.3K PEN 86.9K

-0.90%

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

$119 MX$2,206

$43.24 PEN 149

176.11%

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

$26.21 MX$484

$16.04 PEN 55.1

63.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 MX$495

$11.49 PEN 39.46

133.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 MX$573

$20.15 PEN 69.2

54.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

$8.94 PEN 30.72

139.71%

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$97.7

$7.38 PEN 25.36

-28.32%

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

$691 MX$12.8K

$176 PEN 604

292.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$212.1K

$13.3K PEN 45.6K

-13.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 MX$1,335

$53.7 PEN 185

34.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 MX$789

$13.00 PEN 44.65

228.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,024

$45.65 PEN 157

139.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,158

$35.25 PEN 121

231.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 MX$17.9K

$161 PEN 554

501.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.3K

$129 PEN 443

414.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 MX$34.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 MX$23.8K

$144 PEN 494

794.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$76.9K

$1,834 PEN 6,300

126.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 MX$43.4K

$1,331 PEN 4,572

76.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

$565 PEN 1,941

102.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

8.94

31.88%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Last update for Pisco: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

Pisco

$129 19.6% 80.6% $535

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$310 19.3%

Pisco

$181 27.5% 41.7% $129

Eating Out

Monterrey

$225 14%

Pisco

$123 18.7% 45.2% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$172 10.7%

Pisco

$71 10.8% 58.9% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$154 9.6%

Pisco

$66 10.1% 56.7% $87

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Pisco

$53 8% 26.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Pisco

$35 5.3% 16.1% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $970 in Monterrey and $161 in Pisco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 103% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $50.0 in Monterrey vs $35.00 in Pisco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $181 per month, with Pisco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇵🇪 Pisco

🕒 Local time

11:58 11:58 AM

12:58 12:58 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

14,917

💱 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 = 20.78 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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Highest

Between locations

Monterrey Pisco 5,100 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Pisco

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 Pisco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey and Pisco differ by about 144% in total monthly costs ($1,608 vs $658 including rent). Pisco is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 103% higher in Monterrey, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $970 in Monterrey versus $161 in Pisco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Pisco – a meal for two runs $35.00 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 $658 in Pisco – a 144% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $658 in Pisco versus $1,608 in Monterrey, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pisco but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Pisco 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.

Expats usually find Pisco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 144% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.