Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Tijuana Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Tijuana

😐 Solo nomad: Monterrey is 18.6% more expensive than Tijuana without rent, and 24.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Monterrey is 26.1% more expensive than Tijuana without rent, and 29.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Monterrey
Tijuana
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.45 MX$254
$11.88 MX$225
13.22%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$53.6 MX$1,013
$31.18 MX$589
71.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.45 MX$198
$7.86 MX$149
32.95%
Cappuccino
$3.69 MX$69.7
$3.9 MX$73.7
-5.38%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.29
$1.14 MX$21.64
26.32%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.99 MX$18.72
$0.98 MX$18.54
1.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.62 MX$49.49
$2.89 MX$54.6
-9.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.27 MX$80.8
$4.97 MX$94
-14.08%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Monterrey
Tijuana
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.65 MX$31.24
$1.59 MX$30.03
3.77%
White Bread (500g)
$2.63 MX$49.78
$2.47 MX$46.79
6.48%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.86 MX$35.1
$1.81 MX$34.13
2.76%
Eggs
$2.72 MX$51.4
$3.26 MX$61.7
-16.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.13 MX$191
$7.58 MX$143
33.64%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.06 MX$171
$5.87 MX$111
54.34%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.66 MX$258
$10.39 MX$196
31.47%
Apples (1kg)
$3.04 MX$57.5
$2.6 MX$49.12
16.92%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 MX$27.52
$1.57 MX$29.59
-7.01%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$38.39
$1.82 MX$34.48
11.54%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 MX$39.26
$1.66 MX$31.4
25.30%
Potato (1kg)
$2.23 MX$42.09
$1.7 MX$32.17
31.18%
Onion (1kg)
$2.53 MX$47.89
$1.78 MX$33.62
42.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.5 MX$28.33
$1.05 MX$19.92
42.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$20.4
$0.98 MX$18.5
10.20%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$80.8
$4.17 MX$78.8
2.40%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.62 MX$257
$8 MX$151
70.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.44
$1.93 MX$36.56
-10.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.16 MX$59.8
$3.21 MX$60.8
-1.56%
🚌 Getting Around
Monterrey
Tijuana
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.83 MX$15.62
$0.97 MX$18.28
-14.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$40.3 MX$762
$19.19 MX$363
110.01%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.7 MX$32.18
$2.85 MX$54
-40.35%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.01 MX$19.06
$2.85 MX$53.9
-64.56%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.55 MX$199
$3.2 MX$60.6
229.69%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.3 MX$24.5
$1.31 MX$24.75
-0.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.6K MX$502.3K
$22.8K MX$431.9K
16.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.6K MX$484.3K
$20.8K MX$392.8K
23.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monterrey
Tijuana
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$121 MX$2,296
$57.8 MX$1,092
110.28%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.79 MX$525
$27.53 MX$520
0.94%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.17 MX$570
$31.84 MX$602
-5.24%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Monterrey
Tijuana
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.83 MX$715
$38.75 MX$733
-2.37%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.73 MX$411
$19.69 MX$372
10.36%
Cinema Ticket
$5.99 MX$113
$4.57 MX$86.5
31.07%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Monterrey
Tijuana
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$346 MX$6,550
$210 MX$3,966
65.13%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,005 MX$170.2K
$2,790 MX$52.7K
222.82%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Monterrey
Tijuana
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.1 MX$1,099
$42.82 MX$809
35.75%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.69 MX$788
$35.34 MX$668
17.97%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 MX$2,030
$85.7 MX$1,621
25.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$127 MX$2,398
$69 MX$1,305
83.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Monterrey
Tijuana
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$888 MX$16.8K
$811 MX$15.3K
9.46%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$654 MX$12.4K
$512 MX$9,684
27.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,585 MX$30K
$1,560 MX$29.5K
1.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,412 MX$26.7K
$963 MX$18.2K
46.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,043 MX$57.5K
$3,098 MX$58.6K
-1.78%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,611 MX$68.3K
$2,349 MX$44.4K
53.72%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Monterrey
Tijuana
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,026 MX$19.4K
$981 MX$18.5K
4.65%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.55
11.8
-2.12%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 28, 2025

Last update for Tijuana: October 28, 2025

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