Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Soledad

For one person, living is cheaper in Soledad: $1,307 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Soledad
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Soledad Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Soledad

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,307

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Soledad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Monterrey versus $1,307 in Soledad.

Monterrey $1,608
Soledad $1,307

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,521 in Monterrey versus $2,057 in Soledad.

Monterrey $2,521
Soledad $2,057

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,433 in Monterrey versus $2,806 in Soledad.

Monterrey $3,433
Soledad $2,806

Living in Monterrey is roughly 23% more expensive than in Soledad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 19% above, Soledad is 3% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 MX$256

$5.83 COP 18.6K

137.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 MX$918

$42.55 COP 135.3K

16.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 MX$204

$10.03 COP 31.9K

10.17%

Cappuccino

$4.09 MX$75.5

$2.56 COP 8,136

59.77%

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

$1.68 MX$30.94

$2.55 COP 8,119

-34.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$18.96

$2.25 COP 7,155

-54.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MX$44.23

$3.33 COP 10.6K

-27.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.3

$5.15 COP 16.4K

-15.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.51

$1.94 COP 6,155

-1.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.2

$2.77 COP 8,795

6.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.63

$1.43 COP 4,543

31.47%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$47.01

$4.98 COP 15.8K

-48.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 MX$219

$7.85 COP 25.0K

50.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 MX$173

$9.74 COP 31.0K

-3.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 MX$242

$13.34 COP 42.4K

-1.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.4

$3.46 COP 11.0K

-2.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.10

$1.65 COP 5,235

-7.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.47

$2.00 COP 6,361

9.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.58

$1.68 COP 5,341

40.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.72

$1.25 COP 3,960

80.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.5

$1.36 COP 4,330

100.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.14

$1.08 COP 3,442

40.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.88

$1.19 COP 3,799

4.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$3.55 COP 11.3K

33.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 MX$252

$14.35 COP 45.6K

-4.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 MX$34.92

$1.41 COP 4,477

34.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MX$55.1

$2.20 COP 7,011

35.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.76

$1.26 COP 4,008

-32.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$571

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$30.95

$1.58 COP 5,017

6.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.85

$3.65 COP 11.6K

-69.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 MX$206

$9.19 COP 29.2K

21.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.88

$1.33 COP 4,240

17.29%

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

$21.4K MX$395.4K

$23.1K COP 73.5M

-7.31%

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

$25.1K MX$462.7K

$34.0K COP 108.0M

-26.21%

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

$119 MX$2,204

$79.3 COP 252.3K

50.52%

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

$26.21 MX$484

$11.95 COP 38.0K

119.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 MX$494

$25.61 COP 81.5K

4.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 MX$573

$32.77 COP 104.2K

-5.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$97.6

$8.05 COP 25.6K

-34.29%

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

$691 MX$12.8K

$627 COP 2.0M

10.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$211.9K

$5,760 COP 18.3M

99.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 MX$1,334

$92.9 COP 295.3K

-22.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 MX$789

$48.49 COP 154.2K

-11.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,022

$116 COP 370.5K

-5.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,156

$109 COP 347.8K

6.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 MX$17.9K

$629 COP 2.0M

54.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.3K

$504 COP 1.6M

31.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 MX$34.3K

$876 COP 2.8M

112.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 MX$23.8K

$973 COP 3.1M

32.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$76.8K

$1,768 COP 5.6M

135.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 MX$43.4K

$1,584 COP 5.0M

48.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

-21.40%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Last update for Soledad: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

Soledad

$504 38.6% 24.1% $160

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$310 19.3%

Soledad

$294 22.5% 5.4% $17

Eating Out

Monterrey

$225 14%

Soledad

$154 11.8% 31.6% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$172 10.7%

Soledad

$117 8.9% 32.2% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$154 9.6%

Soledad

$165 12.6% 7.6% $12

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Soledad

$25 * 1.9% 40.4% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Soledad

$49 3.7% 17.4% $7.3

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 $629 in Soledad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $50.0 in Monterrey vs $43.00 in Soledad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $294 per month, with Soledad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇨🇴 Soledad

🕒 Local time

02:46 2:46 AM

03:46 3:46 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

582,156

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.42 USD

100 MXN = 4.84 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 18.46 MXN (100 MXN = 5.42 USD). 1 EUR = 20.67 MXN (100 MXN = 4.84 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 3,181 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,561 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Soledad 3,150 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Soledad

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 Soledad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey and Soledad differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($1,608 vs $1,307 including rent). Soledad 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 $1,960 in Soledad 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 $629 in Soledad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $691 in Monterrey versus $627 in Soledad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Soledad – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $50.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,307 in Soledad versus $1,608 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Soledad but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Soledad 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.

Expats usually find Soledad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.