Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Tlaxcala

For one person, living is cheaper in Tlaxcala: $758 a month against $1,647 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Tlaxcala
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Tlaxcala Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,647

/mo nomad

Tlaxcala

🇲🇽 Mexico

$758

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Tlaxcala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,647 in Monterrey versus $758 in Tlaxcala.

Monterrey $1,647
Tlaxcala $758

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,591 in Monterrey versus $1,237 in Tlaxcala.

Monterrey $2,591
Tlaxcala $1,237

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,536 in Monterrey versus $1,717 in Tlaxcala.

Monterrey $3,536
Tlaxcala $1,717

Living in Monterrey is roughly 117% more expensive than in Tlaxcala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 21% above, Tlaxcala is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.45 MX$251

$5.28 MX$98.5

154.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.43 MX$903

$22.57 MX$421

114.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$203

$6.41 MX$120

70.05%

Cappuccino

$3.82 MX$71.2

$2.82 MX$52.6

35.46%

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

$1.67 MX$31.06

$1.34 MX$25.00

24.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 MX$18.32

$0.99 MX$18.38

-1.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 MX$43.81

$1.86 MX$34.71

26.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MX$82.2

$2.27 MX$42.26

94.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 MX$33.58

$1.62 MX$30.17

11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 MX$52.1

$1.99 MX$37.13

40.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.02

$1.44 MX$26.78

26.39%

Eggs

$2.51 MX$46.84

$2.26 MX$42.11

11.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.09 MX$225

$6.98 MX$130

73.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 MX$175

$5.99 MX$112

57.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.71 MX$237

$10.61 MX$198

19.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 MX$59.8

$2.19 MX$40.77

46.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$27.92

$1.16 MX$21.58

29.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.97

$1.70 MX$31.64

25.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 MX$43.28

$1.18 MX$22.07

96.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 MX$41.04

$0.90 MX$16.78

144.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 MX$48.43

$1.06 MX$19.74

145.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.85

$0.82 MX$15.32

75.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 MX$21.88

$1.14 MX$21.16

2.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.79 MX$89.3

$4.37 MX$81.5

9.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.22 MX$247

$9.40 MX$175

40.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 MX$36.21

$1.44 MX$26.88

34.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.56 MX$28.99

85.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 MX$16.26

$0.44 MX$8.25

97.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.14 MX$581

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MX$30.88

$2.67 MX$49.73

-37.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 MX$20.39

$1.77 MX$32.96

-38.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.67 MX$199

$5.55 MX$103

92.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.47

$1.42 MX$26.40

3.52%

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

$24.2K MX$451.9K

$23.7K MX$441.0K

2.48%

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

$23.6K MX$439.1K

$25.3K MX$472.5K

-7.09%

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

$118 MX$2,197

$32.88 MX$613

258.49%

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

$25.55 MX$476

$19.21 MX$358

33.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.43 MX$493

$33.93 MX$633

-22.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.77 MX$574

$32.44 MX$605

-5.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 MX$393

$21.49 MX$401

-1.95%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$94.9

$4.71 MX$87.9

8.07%

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

$694 MX$12.9K

$242 MX$4,512

186.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K MX$211.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 MX$1,351

$29.97 MX$559

141.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.51 MX$774

$49.21 MX$917

-15.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,046

$115 MX$2,150

-4.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MX$2,143

$90.3 MX$1,684

27.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 MX$19.7K

$253 MX$4,711

317.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$721 MX$13.4K

$155 MX$2,893

364.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,999 MX$37.3K

$492 MX$9,175

306.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 MX$26.7K

$356 MX$6,630

303.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,219 MX$78.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,731 MX$50.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,149 MX$21.4K

$648 MX$12.1K

77.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

10.87

8.46%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tlaxcala: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$721 43.8%

Tlaxcala

$155 20.5% 78.5% $566

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$303 18.4%

Tlaxcala

$215 28.4% 29.1% $88

Eating Out

Monterrey

$217 13.2%

Tlaxcala

$119 15.6% 45.5% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$170 10.3%

Tlaxcala

$86 11.4% 49.4% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$152 9.3%

Tlaxcala

$128 16.9% 15.9% $24

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.5%

Tlaxcala

$13 * 1.8% 68.2% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Tlaxcala

$42 5.5% 2.2% $0.9

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 $1,056 in Monterrey and $253 in Tlaxcala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 77% 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 in Monterrey vs $23 in Tlaxcala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $303 vs $215 per month, with Tlaxcala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇲🇽 Tlaxcala

🕒 Local time

16:56 4:56 PM

Same time as Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

13,555

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Tlaxcala 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Tlaxcala

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 Tlaxcala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,647 in Monterrey and $758 in Tlaxcala, so Tlaxcala is about 54% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 77% 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: $1,056 in Monterrey versus $253 in Tlaxcala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $694 in Monterrey versus $242 in Tlaxcala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tlaxcala – a meal for two runs $23 versus $48 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $758 in Tlaxcala versus $1,647 in Monterrey, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tlaxcala but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Tlaxcala 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.

It comes down to priorities – Tlaxcala wins on affordability, Monterrey on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.