Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Rionegro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rionegro: $1,348 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Rionegro
Learn more

Rionegro Living Index

Jump to prices

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Rionegro

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,348

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Rionegro

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Monterrey versus $1,348 in Rionegro.

Monterrey $1,608
Rionegro $1,348

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,521 in Monterrey versus $2,161 in Rionegro.

Monterrey $2,521
Rionegro $2,161

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,433 in Monterrey versus $2,974 in Rionegro.

Monterrey $3,433
Rionegro $2,974

Living in Monterrey is roughly 19% more expensive than in Rionegro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 19% above, Rionegro 0% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 MX$256

$8.32 COP 26.4K

66.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 MX$918

$46.30 COP 146.8K

7.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 MX$204

$9.13 COP 29.0K

21.03%

Cappuccino

$4.09 MX$75.6

$3.11 COP 9,848

31.51%

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

$1.68 MX$30.97

$1.84 COP 5,837

-8.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$18.98

$1.36 COP 4,312

-24.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MX$44.28

$3.04 COP 9,636

-21.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.3

$5.52 COP 17.5K

-21.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.55

$1.49 COP 4,735

28.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.2

$2.40 COP 7,620

22.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.66

$1.74 COP 5,528

8.05%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$47.06

$2.90 COP 9,200

-12.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 MX$219

$9.93 COP 31.5K

19.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 MX$173

$9.52 COP 30.2K

-1.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 MX$242

$14.07 COP 44.6K

-6.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$3.88 COP 12.3K

-12.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.50 COP 4,757

1.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.51

$2.20 COP 6,965

-0.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.63

$2.22 COP 7,045

6.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.76

$1.90 COP 6,027

18.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.5

$1.65 COP 5,221

65.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.17

$1.18 COP 3,753

28.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.90

$1.23 COP 3,901

0.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$3.83 COP 12.1K

24.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 MX$252

$13.77 COP 43.7K

-0.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 MX$34.95

$1.63 COP 5,181

15.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MX$55.2

$2.31 COP 7,339

29.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.78

$1.00 COP 3,185

-15.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$30.98

$1.32 COP 4,198

27.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.87

$2.12 COP 6,713

-46.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 MX$206

$8.48 COP 26.9K

31.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.91

$1.28 COP 4,069

21.88%

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

$21.4K MX$395.8K

$27.8K COP 88.2M

-22.99%

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

$25.1K MX$463.2K

$36.0K COP 114.2M

-30.38%

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

$119 MX$2,206

$170 COP 539.4K

-29.82%

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

$26.21 MX$484

$13.44 COP 42.6K

95.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 MX$495

$28.48 COP 90.3K

-5.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 MX$573

$41.84 COP 132.7K

-25.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$97.7

$6.29 COP 20.0K

-15.90%

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

$691 MX$12.8K

$800 COP 2.5M

-13.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$212.1K

$9,001 COP 28.5M

27.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 MX$1,335

$84.9 COP 269.1K

-14.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 MX$789

$57.3 COP 181.7K

-25.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,024

$135 COP 426.8K

-18.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,158

$97.9 COP 310.4K

19.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 MX$17.9K

$593 COP 1.9M

63.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.3K

$433 COP 1.4M

53.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 MX$34.3K

$965 COP 3.1M

92.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 MX$23.8K

$987 COP 3.1M

30.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$76.9K

$2,161 COP 6.9M

92.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 MX$43.4K

$1,537 COP 4.9M

52.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

10.94

7.77%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Last update for Rionegro: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

Rionegro

$433 32.1% 34.8% $231

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$310 19.3%

Rionegro

$294 21.8% 5.2% $16

Eating Out

Monterrey

$225 14%

Rionegro

$170 12.6% 24.2% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$172 10.7%

Rionegro

$212 15.7% 23% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$154 9.6%

Rionegro

$169 12.5% 9.8% $15

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Rionegro

$16 * 1.2% 61.8% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Rionegro

$54 4% 30.8% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $970 in Monterrey and $593 in Rionegro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $50.0 in Monterrey vs $46.00 in Rionegro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $294 per month, with Rionegro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇨🇴 Rionegro

🕒 Local time

22:06 10:06 PM

23:06 11:06 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

130,000

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Monterrey Rionegro 3,430 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Rionegro

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 Rionegro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey and Rionegro differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($1,608 vs $1,348 including rent). Rionegro 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 $2,023 in Rionegro 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 $593 in Rionegro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $691 in Monterrey versus $800 in Rionegro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rionegro – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $50.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,348 in Rionegro versus $1,608 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Rionegro but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Rionegro 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 Rionegro 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 Rionegro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.