Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and San Felipe

For one person, living is cheaper in San Felipe: $1,164 a month against $1,641 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in San Felipe
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San Felipe Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

San Felipe

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,164

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in San Felipe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,641 in Monterrey versus $1,164 in San Felipe.

Monterrey $1,641
San Felipe $1,164

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,573 in Monterrey versus $1,828 in San Felipe.

Monterrey $2,573
San Felipe $1,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,504 in Monterrey versus $2,492 in San Felipe.

Monterrey $3,504
San Felipe $2,492

Living in Monterrey is roughly 41% more expensive than in San Felipe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 21% above, San Felipe is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.37 MX$249

$7.16 MX$133

86.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.95 MX$892

$43.19 MX$804

11.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 MX$201

$8.57 MX$160

25.90%

Cappuccino

$3.77 MX$70.1

$3.53 MX$65.7

6.80%

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

$1.51 MX$28.11

$1.39 MX$25.89

8.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.15

$1.00 MX$18.53

3.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 MX$46.17

$2.48 MX$46.22

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MX$81.1

$3.91 MX$72.8

11.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MX$35.25

$1.60 MX$29.80

18.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 MX$53.0

$2.59 MX$48.11

10.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.54

$1.69 MX$31.48

10.06%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$45.89

$2.49 MX$46.32

-0.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.81 MX$220

$8.01 MX$149

47.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 MX$167

$8.12 MX$151

10.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$234

$11.42 MX$212

10.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 MX$59.5

$2.73 MX$50.8

17.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$27.97

$1.50 MX$27.86

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.54

$1.84 MX$34.18

15.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 MX$43.42

$1.76 MX$32.73

32.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$41.37

$2.05 MX$38.23

8.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 MX$48.10

$1.87 MX$34.73

37.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$26.90

$1.45 MX$26.97

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.73

$1.06 MX$19.71

15.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 MX$89.3

$4.38 MX$81.4

9.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 MX$248

$10.37 MX$193

28.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MX$35.95

$1.77 MX$32.87

9.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 MX$53.1

$3.18 MX$59.2

-10.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.86

$0.62 MX$11.62

29.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$576

$29.98 MX$558

3.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 MX$34.10

$2.61 MX$48.61

-29.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.68

$1.89 MX$35.11

-43.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.82 MX$201

$10.76 MX$200

0.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$1.43 MX$26.53

2.80%

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

$24.1K MX$448.2K

$23.4K MX$435.6K

2.87%

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

$23.5K MX$437.9K

$23.1K MX$429.1K

2.06%

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

$115 MX$2,133

$58.0 MX$1,079

97.64%

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

$26.37 MX$491

$22.03 MX$410

19.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.70 MX$478

$29.28 MX$545

-12.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.53 MX$568

$31.85 MX$593

-4.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$396

$20.13 MX$375

5.66%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 MX$92.3

$5.15 MX$95.9

-3.69%

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

$679 MX$12.6K

$220 MX$4,089

208.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K MX$263.9K

$4,451 MX$82.8K

218.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MX$1,344

$53.6 MX$997

34.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 MX$780

$39.71 MX$739

5.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$2,000

$96.9 MX$1,803

10.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,208

$88.9 MX$1,655

33.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 MX$18.9K

$603 MX$11.2K

68.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 MX$13.4K

$427 MX$7,938

69.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 MX$36.6K

$1,010 MX$18.8K

94.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 MX$26.3K

$767 MX$14.3K

84.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.2K

$1,913 MX$35.6K

119.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$51.8K

$1,133 MX$21.1K

145.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

11.31

4.24%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Felipe: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$722 44%

San Felipe

$427 36.7% 40.9% $295

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$302 18.4%

San Felipe

$261 22.4% 13.8% $42

Eating Out

Monterrey

$216 13.2%

San Felipe

$155 13.3% 28.1% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$167 10.2%

San Felipe

$109 9.4% 34.4% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$153 9.3%

San Felipe

$126 10.8% 18% $28

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

San Felipe

$45 3.8% 8% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$40 2.5%

San Felipe

$42 3.6% 4.2% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,018 in Monterrey and $603 in San Felipe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Monterrey vs $43 in San Felipe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $261 per month, with San Felipe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇲🇽 San Felipe

🕒 Local time

14:16 2:16 PM

Same time as Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

28,452

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Monterrey San Felipe 480 km

From you

Monterrey
San Felipe

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 San Felipe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,641 in Monterrey and $1,164 in San Felipe, so San Felipe is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,461 in Monterrey and $1,746 in San Felipe 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: $1,018 in Monterrey versus $603 in San Felipe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in San Felipe – a meal for two runs $43 versus $48 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,641 per month in Monterrey versus $1,164 in San Felipe – San Felipe is about 29% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,164 in San Felipe versus $1,641 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in San Felipe but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes San Felipe the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, San Felipe is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Monterrey, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find San Felipe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.