Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Tlajomulco de Zúñiga

For one person, living is cheaper in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga: $1,120 a month against $1,599 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga
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Tlajomulco de Zúñiga Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Tlajomulco de Zúñiga

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,120

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga

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 Tlajomulco de Zúñiga actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,599 in Monterrey versus $1,120 in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga.

Monterrey $1,599
Tlajomulco de Zúñiga $1,120

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,493 in Monterrey versus $1,802 in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga.

Monterrey $2,493
Tlajomulco de Zúñiga $1,802

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Monterrey versus $2,484 in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga.

Monterrey $3,387
Tlajomulco de Zúñiga $2,484

Living in Monterrey is roughly 43% more expensive than in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 18% above, Tlajomulco de Zúñiga is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 MX$255

$13.43 MX$248

2.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.99 MX$887

$43.20 MX$798

11.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 MX$197

$9.12 MX$168

16.78%

Cappuccino

$3.99 MX$73.7

$3.22 MX$59.6

23.91%

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

$1.66 MX$30.76

$1.65 MX$30.57

0.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.21

$1.15 MX$21.18

-13.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 MX$43.64

$2.13 MX$39.33

10.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 MX$81.8

$4.91 MX$90.7

-9.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MX$33.58

$1.61 MX$29.82

13.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 MX$52.4

$2.61 MX$48.26

8.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.44

$1.55 MX$28.61

23.87%

Eggs

$2.48 MX$45.78

$2.42 MX$44.78

2.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.74 MX$217

$8.88 MX$164

32.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.10 MX$168

$8.37 MX$155

8.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.53 MX$232

$10.30 MX$190

21.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 MX$61.6

$2.38 MX$43.98

40.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.10

$1.55 MX$28.71

1.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.86

$1.32 MX$24.48

63.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 MX$45.65

$1.32 MX$24.44

87.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.64

$1.66 MX$30.76

39.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 MX$49.47

$1.11 MX$20.45

141.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 MX$26.90

$1.51 MX$27.82

-3.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$22.07

$1.00 MX$18.48

19.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$4.37 MX$80.8

8.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 MX$251

$9.52 MX$176

42.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 MX$35.52

$1.64 MX$30.34

17.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 MX$53.2

$3.29 MX$60.8

-12.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.66

$0.67 MX$12.40

17.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 MX$29.44

$2.23 MX$41.14

-28.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.58

$1.32 MX$24.48

-19.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.80 MX$200

$11.82 MX$218

-8.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$28.59

$1.34 MX$24.84

15.67%

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

$24.2K MX$446.4K

$21.2K MX$392.1K

13.85%

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

$24.3K MX$449.4K

$23.1K MX$426.9K

5.27%

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

$117 MX$2,159

$49.69 MX$918

135.08%

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

$26.38 MX$488

$22.89 MX$423

15.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.04 MX$481

$21.65 MX$400

20.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.26 MX$559

$34.43 MX$636

-12.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

$19.83 MX$366

7.16%

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 MX$96.6

$3.22 MX$59.6

62.42%

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

$673 MX$12.4K

$256 MX$4,739

162.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K MX$205.2K

$10.7K MX$197.2K

4.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 MX$1,332

$58.4 MX$1,080

23.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.38 MX$783

$40.50 MX$748

4.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,066

$104 MX$1,927

7.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,200

$81.2 MX$1,500

46.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$949 MX$17.5K

$596 MX$11.0K

59.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$666 MX$12.3K

$391 MX$7,219

70.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,821 MX$33.7K

$1,031 MX$19.1K

76.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 MX$23.5K

$751 MX$13.9K

69.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$74.8K

$1,802 MX$33.3K

124.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,348 MX$43.4K

$1,216 MX$22.5K

93.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

$616 MX$11.4K

87.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

5.32

121.62%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Last update for Tlajomulco de Zúñiga: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$666 41.7%

Tlajomulco de Zúñiga

$391 34.9% 41.4% $276

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$304 19%

Tlajomulco de Zúñiga

$250 22.3% 18% $55

Eating Out

Monterrey

$221 13.9%

Tlajomulco de Zúñiga

$205 18.3% 7.4% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$169 10.6%

Tlajomulco de Zúñiga

$94 8.4% 44.3% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$155 9.7%

Tlajomulco de Zúñiga

$128 11.4% 17.6% $27

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Tlajomulco de Zúñiga

$12 * 1% 72.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Tlajomulco de Zúñiga

$41 3.7% 0.4% $0.2

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 $949 in Monterrey and $596 in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 88% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $48.00 in Monterrey vs $43.00 in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $304 vs $250 per month, with Tlajomulco de Zúñiga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇲🇽 Tlajomulco de Zúñiga

🕒 Local time

04:21 4:21 AM

Same time as Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

44,103

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Tlajomulco de Zúñiga 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Tlajomulco de Zúñiga

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 Tlajomulco de Zúñiga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey and Tlajomulco de Zúñiga differ by about 43% in total monthly costs ($1,599 vs $1,120 including rent). Tlajomulco de Zúñiga is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 88% higher in Monterrey, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $949 in Monterrey versus $596 in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $673 in Monterrey versus $256 in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $48.00 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,120 in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga versus $1,599 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Tlajomulco de Zúñiga 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 Tlajomulco de Zúñiga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.