Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Saltillo

For one person, living is cheaper in Saltillo: $1,297 a month against $1,647 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Saltillo
Learn more

Saltillo Living Index

Jump to prices

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,647

/mo nomad

Saltillo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Saltillo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,647 in Monterrey versus $1,297 in Saltillo.

Monterrey $1,647
Saltillo $1,297

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,591 in Monterrey versus $2,064 in Saltillo.

Monterrey $2,591
Saltillo $2,064

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,536 in Monterrey versus $2,830 in Saltillo.

Monterrey $3,536
Saltillo $2,830

Living in Monterrey is roughly 27% more expensive than in Saltillo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 21% above, Saltillo is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.45 MX$251

$10.56 MX$197

27.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.43 MX$903

$49.01 MX$914

-1.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$203

$6.41 MX$120

70.05%

Cappuccino

$3.82 MX$71.2

$3.59 MX$66.9

6.41%

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

$1.67 MX$31.06

$1.32 MX$24.67

26.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 MX$18.32

$1.04 MX$19.39

-5.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 MX$43.81

$2.20 MX$40.94

6.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MX$82.2

$3.82 MX$71.1

15.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 MX$33.58

$1.42 MX$26.48

26.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 MX$52.1

$3.51 MX$65.4

-20.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.02

$1.92 MX$35.79

-5.21%

Eggs

$2.51 MX$46.84

$2.20 MX$41.06

14.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.09 MX$225

$10.56 MX$197

14.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 MX$175

$8.27 MX$154

13.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.71 MX$237

$9.92 MX$185

28.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 MX$59.8

$2.68 MX$49.87

19.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$27.92

$1.24 MX$23.15

20.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.97

$1.66 MX$30.88

28.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 MX$43.28

$1.94 MX$36.21

19.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 MX$41.04

$2.19 MX$40.88

0.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 MX$48.43

$2.53 MX$47.23

2.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.85

$1.18 MX$22.03

22.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 MX$21.88

$1.09 MX$20.33

7.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.79 MX$89.3

$4.24 MX$79.1

12.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.22 MX$247

$10.09 MX$188

31.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 MX$36.21

$2.33 MX$43.52

-16.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.48 MX$27.54

95.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 MX$16.26

$0.83 MX$15.54

4.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.14 MX$581

$16.21 MX$302

92.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MX$30.88

$2.65 MX$49.48

-37.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 MX$20.39

$1.92 MX$35.82

-43.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.67 MX$199

$16.00 MX$298

-33.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.47

$1.46 MX$27.29

0.68%

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

$24.2K MX$451.9K

$18.7K MX$349.1K

29.45%

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

$23.6K MX$439.1K

$23.6K MX$440.4K

-0.31%

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

$118 MX$2,197

$46.41 MX$865

153.98%

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

$25.55 MX$476

$33.09 MX$617

-22.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.43 MX$493

$29.04 MX$541

-8.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.77 MX$574

$56.1 MX$1,046

-45.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 MX$393

$13.31 MX$248

58.30%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$94.9

$5.77 MX$108

-11.79%

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

$694 MX$12.9K

$245 MX$4,570

183.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K MX$211.0K

$2,545 MX$47.4K

344.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 MX$1,351

$56.1 MX$1,045

29.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.51 MX$774

$55.0 MX$1,025

-24.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,046

$83.7 MX$1,561

31.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MX$2,143

$122 MX$2,275

-5.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 MX$19.7K

$557 MX$10.4K

89.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$721 MX$13.4K

$502 MX$9,353

43.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,999 MX$37.3K

$944 MX$17.6K

111.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 MX$26.7K

$942 MX$17.6K

52.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,219 MX$78.7K

$546 MX$10.2K

672.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,731 MX$50.9K

$885 MX$16.5K

208.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,149 MX$21.4K

$766 MX$14.3K

50.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

10.53

11.97%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 25, 2026

Last update for Saltillo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$721 43.8%

Saltillo

$502 38.7% 30.4% $219

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$303 18.4%

Saltillo

$270 20.8% 11% $33

Eating Out

Monterrey

$217 13.2%

Saltillo

$175 13.5% 19.5% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$170 10.3%

Saltillo

$109 8.4% 36.1% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$152 9.3%

Saltillo

$143 11% 6.5% $9.8

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.5%

Saltillo

$32 2.5% 23.8% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Saltillo

$68 5.2% 65.2% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,056 in Monterrey and $557 in Saltillo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 50% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Monterrey vs $49 in Saltillo. Groceries flip the comparison at $303 vs $270, with Saltillo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇲🇽 Saltillo

🕒 Local time

19:01 7:01 PM

Same time as Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

864,431

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Monterrey Saltillo 74 km

From you

Monterrey
Saltillo

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 Saltillo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,647 in Monterrey and $1,297 in Saltillo, so Saltillo is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 50% 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: $1,056 in Monterrey versus $557 in Saltillo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $694 in Monterrey versus $245 in Saltillo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Saltillo runs roughly 48% less than in Monterrey. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Saltillo 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.

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