Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Tehuacan Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Tehuacan

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,601 in Monterrey versus $991 in Tehuacan.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,585 in Monterrey versus $1,586 in Tehuacan.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,568 in Monterrey versus $2,181 in Tehuacan.

Living in Monterrey is roughly 62% more expensive than Tehuacan, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 20% above, Tehuacan is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.01 MX$227

$4.67 MX$81.6

178.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.8 MX$939

$26.38 MX$461

103.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.21 MX$178

$5.71 MX$99.7

78.81%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$64.3

$2.62 MX$45.69

40.46%

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

$1.46 MX$25.54

$1.35 MX$23.59

8.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 MX$17.45

$0.82 MX$14.31

21.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 MX$47.07

$1.70 MX$29.69

58.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 MX$74.6

$3.75 MX$65.5

13.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 MX$29.09

$1.46 MX$25.42

14.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 MX$46.80

$1.67 MX$29.21

60.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$33.67

$1.41 MX$24.71

36.88%

Eggs

$2.63 MX$45.93

$1.70 MX$29.62

54.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.34 MX$181

$6.19 MX$108

67.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.22 MX$161

$6.08 MX$106

51.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.84 MX$242

$9.69 MX$169

42.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 MX$55.0

$2.05 MX$35.80

53.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 MX$24.24

$1.30 MX$22.62

6.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 MX$34.92

$1.56 MX$27.21

28.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$37.39

$1.56 MX$27.28

37.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.27 MX$39.57

$2.05 MX$35.77

10.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 MX$44.43

$1.52 MX$26.46

67.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 MX$27.35

$0.99 MX$17.22

58.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$18.67

$0.64 MX$11.25

67.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 MX$74.2

$4.04 MX$70.6

5.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.36 MX$251

$15.85 MX$277

-9.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 MX$31.11

$0.72 MX$12.51

147.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 MX$54.9

$1.09 MX$19.07

188.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.00

$0.61 MX$10.63

31.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.54 MX$708

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$29.34

$1.32 MX$23.01

27.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 MX$16.44

$0.30 MX$5.27

213.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.76 MX$188

$5.44 MX$95.1

97.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 MX$23.91

$1.21 MX$21.05

13.22%

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

$26.7K MX$467.1K

$18.8K MX$328.4K

42.22%

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

$25.6K MX$446.8K

$23.3K MX$407.5K

9.65%

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

$122 MX$2,125

$41.01 MX$716

196.66%

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

$27.19 MX$475

$27.43 MX$479

-0.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.82 MX$521

$20.75 MX$362

43.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.49 MX$672

$36.39 MX$636

5.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 MX$375

$16.03 MX$280

33.87%

Cinema Ticket

$5.92 MX$103

$4.35 MX$75.9

36.09%

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

$346 MX$6,037

$426 MX$7,434

-18.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,997 MX$157.1K

$3,628 MX$63.4K

148.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 MX$1,020

$58.3 MX$1,018

0.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.55 MX$743

$45.17 MX$789

-5.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$1,910

$103 MX$1,795

6.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 MX$2,253

$106 MX$1,858

21.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$913 MX$15.9K

$505 MX$8,818

80.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$647 MX$11.3K

$392 MX$6,848

65.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 MX$27.3K

$936 MX$16.4K

67.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,401 MX$24.5K

$774 MX$13.5K

81.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,371 MX$76.3K

$1,971 MX$34.4K

121.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,839 MX$49.6K

$1,281 MX$22.4K

121.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,104 MX$19.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.55

11.34

1.85%

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

Last update for Monterrey: June 1, 2026

Last update for Tehuacan: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $913 in Monterrey and $505 in Tehuacan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $54.0 in Monterrey vs $26.00 in Tehuacan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $212 per month, with Tehuacan 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 Tehuacan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey and Tehuacan differ by about 62% in total monthly costs ($1,601 vs $991 including rent). Tehuacan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,402 in Monterrey and $1,487 in Tehuacan 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: $913 in Monterrey versus $505 in Tehuacan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $346 in Monterrey versus $426 in Tehuacan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tehuacan – a meal for two runs $26.00 versus $54.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $991 in Tehuacan versus $1,601 in Monterrey, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tehuacan but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Tehuacan 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 Tehuacan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.