Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Puerto Vallarta

For one person, living costs are similar in Monterrey and in Puerto Vallarta: $1,599 and $1,592 a month, rent and utilities included.

77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Vallarta
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Puerto Vallarta Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Puerto Vallarta

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,592

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Puerto Vallarta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,599 in Monterrey versus $1,592 in Puerto Vallarta.

Monterrey $1,599
Puerto Vallarta $1,592

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,493 in Monterrey versus $2,416 in Puerto Vallarta.

Monterrey $2,493
Puerto Vallarta $2,416

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Monterrey versus $3,240 in Puerto Vallarta.

Monterrey $3,387
Puerto Vallarta $3,240

Monthly costs are close between Monterrey and Puerto Vallarta; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 18% above, Puerto Vallarta 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 MX$255

$13.33 MX$246

3.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.99 MX$887

$57.1 MX$1,055

-15.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 MX$197

$10.97 MX$203

-2.92%

Cappuccino

$3.99 MX$73.7

$4.12 MX$76.1

-3.16%

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

$1.66 MX$30.76

$1.87 MX$34.53

-11.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.21

$1.38 MX$25.46

-28.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 MX$43.64

$3.00 MX$55.5

-21.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 MX$81.8

$4.23 MX$78.2

4.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MX$33.58

$1.79 MX$33.15

1.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 MX$52.4

$3.49 MX$64.6

-18.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.44

$1.95 MX$36.12

-1.54%

Eggs

$2.48 MX$45.78

$2.25 MX$41.58

10.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.74 MX$217

$10.02 MX$185

17.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.10 MX$168

$11.04 MX$204

-17.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.53 MX$232

$16.27 MX$301

-22.99%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 MX$61.6

$2.75 MX$50.9

21.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.10

$1.51 MX$27.82

3.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.86

$1.89 MX$34.92

14.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 MX$45.65

$2.11 MX$38.91

17.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.64

$2.28 MX$42.20

1.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 MX$49.47

$3.15 MX$58.1

-14.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 MX$26.90

$1.37 MX$25.33

6.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$22.07

$1.12 MX$20.74

6.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$4.27 MX$78.9

11.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 MX$251

$11.00 MX$203

23.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 MX$35.52

$1.78 MX$32.81

7.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 MX$53.2

$2.55 MX$47.15

12.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.66

$0.58 MX$10.80

36.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

$21.41 MX$396

46.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 MX$29.44

$4.55 MX$84.0

-65.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.58

$2.89 MX$53.4

-63.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.80 MX$200

$4.21 MX$77.9

156.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$28.59

$1.49 MX$27.50

4.03%

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

$24.2K MX$446.4K

$23.9K MX$442.4K

0.91%

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

$24.3K MX$449.4K

$23.3K MX$430.8K

4.33%

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

$117 MX$2,159

$85.9 MX$1,587

36.00%

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

$26.38 MX$488

$26.05 MX$481

1.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.04 MX$481

$32.41 MX$599

-19.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.26 MX$559

$36.34 MX$672

-16.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

$15.02 MX$278

41.48%

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 MX$96.6

$8.20 MX$151

-36.22%

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

$673 MX$12.4K

$322 MX$5,949

108.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K MX$205.2K

$6,319 MX$116.8K

75.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 MX$1,332

$53.9 MX$996

33.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.38 MX$783

$34.72 MX$642

22.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,066

$104 MX$1,915

7.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,200

$94.1 MX$1,740

26.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$949 MX$17.5K

$1,305 MX$24.1K

-27.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$666 MX$12.3K

$685 MX$12.7K

-2.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,821 MX$33.7K

$1,992 MX$36.8K

-8.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 MX$23.5K

$1,112 MX$20.5K

14.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$74.8K

$5,088 MX$94.0K

-20.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,348 MX$43.4K

$2,594 MX$47.9K

-9.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

$934 MX$17.3K

23.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

11.7

0.77%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Last update for Puerto Vallarta: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$666 41.7%

Puerto Vallarta

$685 43% 2.8% $18

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$304 19%

Puerto Vallarta

$313 19.7% 2.7% $8.2

Eating Out

Monterrey

$221 13.9%

Puerto Vallarta

$225 14.2% 1.8% $3.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$169 10.6%

Puerto Vallarta

$144 9.1% 14.7% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$155 9.7%

Puerto Vallarta

$129 8.1% 17.1% $27

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Puerto Vallarta

$43 2.7% 3.2% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Puerto Vallarta

$53 3.3% 29.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $949 in Monterrey and $1,305 in Puerto Vallarta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 24% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48.00 in Monterrey vs $57.0 in Puerto Vallarta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $304 vs $313 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇲🇽 Puerto Vallarta

🕒 Local time

05:38 5:38 AM

Same time as Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

224,166

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Puerto Vallarta 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Puerto Vallarta

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 Puerto Vallarta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 24% 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: $949 in Monterrey versus $1,305 in Puerto Vallarta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $673 in Monterrey versus $322 in Puerto Vallarta. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Puerto Vallarta – a meal for two runs $57.0 versus $48.00 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,592 in Puerto Vallarta versus $1,599 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Puerto Vallarta but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Puerto Vallarta 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 Puerto Vallarta are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Puerto Vallarta wins on affordability, Monterrey on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.