Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and San Felipe Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and San Felipe

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,595 in Monterrey versus $1,084 in San Felipe.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,536 in Monterrey versus $1,702 in San Felipe.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,477 in Monterrey versus $2,320 in San Felipe.

Living in Monterrey is roughly 47% more expensive than San Felipe, driven mainly by Eating Out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.02 MX$228

$6.78 MX$119

92.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.6 MX$938

$39.41 MX$690

35.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.17 MX$178

$7.69 MX$135

32.25%

Cappuccino

$3.75 MX$65.6

$3.36 MX$58.7

11.61%

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

$1.44 MX$25.24

$1.23 MX$21.60

17.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$18.16

$0.96 MX$16.73

8.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 MX$45.11

$2.40 MX$41.99

7.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 MX$71.9

$4.00 MX$69.9

2.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 MX$29.31

$1.48 MX$25.89

12.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 MX$46.07

$2.58 MX$45.17

1.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$33.81

$1.63 MX$28.54

18.40%

Eggs

$2.60 MX$45.51

$2.32 MX$40.56

12.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.47 MX$183

$8.00 MX$140

30.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.07 MX$159

$7.92 MX$139

14.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.42 MX$235

$10.74 MX$188

24.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 MX$55.2

$2.68 MX$46.94

17.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 MX$24.58

$1.41 MX$24.64

-0.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 MX$36.60

$1.77 MX$31.00

18.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 MX$36.56

$1.65 MX$28.94

26.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.32 MX$40.64

$1.90 MX$33.21

22.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 MX$44.35

$1.92 MX$33.53

31.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 MX$27.16

$1.21 MX$21.09

28.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 MX$19.50

$0.98 MX$17.06

13.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 MX$74.4

$4.12 MX$72.1

3.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.83 MX$207

$10.42 MX$182

13.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 MX$31.46

$1.62 MX$28.32

11.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 MX$54.5

$2.81 MX$49.24

11.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MX$13.16

$0.61 MX$10.65

22.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.49 MX$691

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 MX$30.78

$2.56 MX$44.80

-31.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 MX$17.35

$1.60 MX$28.07

-38.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.60 MX$186

$8.54 MX$149

24.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 MX$22.88

$1.26 MX$22.05

3.97%

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

$26.6K MX$465.7K

$21.5K MX$375.7K

23.97%

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

$25.7K MX$450.3K

$22.3K MX$390.8K

15.21%

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

$124 MX$2,164

$57.6 MX$1,009

114.50%

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

$27.80 MX$486

$22.41 MX$392

24.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.57 MX$517

$28.48 MX$498

3.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.39 MX$672

$36.00 MX$630

6.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.87 MX$383

$16.06 MX$281

36.18%

Cinema Ticket

$5.95 MX$104

$4.59 MX$80.4

29.63%

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

$337 MX$5,896

$208 MX$3,646

61.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,908 MX$155.9K

$3,554 MX$62.2K

150.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 MX$1,020

$52.2 MX$914

11.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.99 MX$735

$39.46 MX$691

6.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$1,897

$87.9 MX$1,538

23.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 MX$2,207

$78.4 MX$1,372

60.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$911 MX$15.9K

$508 MX$8,882

79.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$660 MX$11.5K

$394 MX$6,896

67.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,570 MX$27.5K

$929 MX$16.3K

69.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,426 MX$25.0K

$754 MX$13.2K

89.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,178 MX$73.1K

$2,096 MX$36.7K

99.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,845 MX$49.8K

$1,282 MX$22.4K

121.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,113 MX$19.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.55

11.48

0.61%

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

Last update for Monterrey: April 27, 2026

Last update for San Felipe: April 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $911 in Monterrey and $508 in San Felipe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $54.0 in Monterrey vs $39.00 in San Felipe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $250 per month, with San Felipe cheaper across the board.

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

Monterrey and San Felipe differ by about 47% in total monthly costs ($1,595 vs $1,084 including rent). San Felipe is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,392 in Monterrey and $1,627 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: $911 in Monterrey versus $508 in San Felipe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $337 in Monterrey versus $208 in San Felipe. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Felipe – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $54.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,084 in San Felipe versus $1,595 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.

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 San Felipe 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 San Felipe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.