Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Tlalnepantla

For one person, living is cheaper in Tlalnepantla: $1,111 a month against $1,599 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 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 Tlalnepantla
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Tlalnepantla Living Index

Jump to prices

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Tlalnepantla

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,111

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Tlalnepantla

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,599 in Monterrey versus $1,111 in Tlalnepantla.

Monterrey $1,599
Tlalnepantla $1,111

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,493 in Monterrey versus $1,935 in Tlalnepantla.

Monterrey $2,493
Tlalnepantla $1,935

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Monterrey versus $2,760 in Tlalnepantla.

Monterrey $3,387
Tlalnepantla $2,760

Living in Monterrey is roughly 44% more expensive than in Tlalnepantla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 18% above, Tlalnepantla is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 MX$255

$10.84 MX$200

27.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.99 MX$887

$47.95 MX$886

0.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 MX$197

$9.52 MX$176

11.87%

Cappuccino

$3.99 MX$73.7

$3.59 MX$66.3

11.14%

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

$1.66 MX$30.76

$1.58 MX$29.12

5.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.21

$1.03 MX$19.12

-3.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 MX$43.64

$3.30 MX$61.0

-28.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 MX$81.8

$5.30 MX$98.0

-16.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MX$33.58

$1.70 MX$31.34

7.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 MX$52.4

$2.85 MX$52.6

-0.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.44

$1.93 MX$35.66

-0.52%

Eggs

$2.48 MX$45.78

$2.67 MX$49.27

-7.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.74 MX$217

$9.12 MX$168

28.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.10 MX$168

$8.85 MX$163

2.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.53 MX$232

$13.46 MX$249

-6.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 MX$61.6

$3.02 MX$55.8

10.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.10

$1.57 MX$28.99

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.86

$1.94 MX$35.85

11.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 MX$45.65

$1.88 MX$34.73

31.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.64

$1.81 MX$33.47

27.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 MX$49.47

$1.73 MX$31.91

54.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 MX$26.90

$1.44 MX$26.54

1.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$22.07

$1.23 MX$22.75

-3.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$4.46 MX$82.5

6.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 MX$251

$16.23 MX$300

-16.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 MX$35.52

$1.87 MX$34.57

2.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 MX$53.2

$3.94 MX$72.8

-26.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.66

$1.16 MX$21.49

-31.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

$23.26 MX$430

34.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 MX$29.44

$3.28 MX$60.6

-51.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.58

$1.61 MX$29.81

-34.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.80 MX$200

$5.56 MX$103

94.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$28.59

$1.44 MX$26.67

7.64%

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

$24.2K MX$446.4K

$24.4K MX$450.8K

-0.98%

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

$24.3K MX$449.4K

$23.2K MX$428.6K

4.86%

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

$117 MX$2,159

$57.9 MX$1,070

101.67%

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

$26.38 MX$488

$27.62 MX$510

-4.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.04 MX$481

$33.55 MX$620

-22.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.26 MX$559

$36.45 MX$674

-16.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

$18.68 MX$345

13.76%

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 MX$96.6

$6.36 MX$118

-17.77%

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

$673 MX$12.4K

$267 MX$4,933

152.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K MX$205.2K

$4,929 MX$91.1K

125.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 MX$1,332

$52.2 MX$964

38.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.38 MX$783

$43.99 MX$813

-3.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,066

$99.1 MX$1,832

12.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,200

$104 MX$1,930

14.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$949 MX$17.5K

$455 MX$8,403

108.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$666 MX$12.3K

$276 MX$5,104

141.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,821 MX$33.7K

$623 MX$11.5K

192.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 MX$23.5K

$812 MX$15.0K

56.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$74.8K

$1,941 MX$35.9K

108.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,348 MX$43.4K

$1,292 MX$23.9K

81.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

$984 MX$18.2K

17.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

11.3

4.34%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Last update for Tlalnepantla: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$666 41.7%

Tlalnepantla

$276 24.9% 58.5% $390

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$304 19%

Tlalnepantla

$297 26.7% 2.6% $7.9

Eating Out

Monterrey

$221 13.9%

Tlalnepantla

$196 17.6% 11.6% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$169 10.6%

Tlalnepantla

$119 10.7% 29.6% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$155 9.7%

Tlalnepantla

$135 12.1% 13.2% $21

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Tlalnepantla

$39 3.5% 5.2% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Tlalnepantla

$49 4.4% 20.8% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $949 in Monterrey and $455 in Tlalnepantla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 17% 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 $48.00 in Tlalnepantla. Groceries flip the comparison at $304 vs $297, with Tlalnepantla cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇲🇽 Tlalnepantla

🕒 Local time

09:36 9:36 AM

Same time as Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

653,410

💱 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 Tlalnepantla 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Tlalnepantla

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 Tlalnepantla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey and Tlalnepantla differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($1,599 vs $1,111 including rent). Tlalnepantla is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 17% 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 $455 in Tlalnepantla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you'll spend $1,599 per month in Monterrey versus $1,111 in Tlalnepantla – a 44% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,111 in Tlalnepantla versus $1,599 in Monterrey, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tlalnepantla but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Tlalnepantla 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 Tlalnepantla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.