Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Toluca Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Toluca

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,574 in Monterrey versus $1,162 in Toluca.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,529 in Monterrey versus $1,869 in Toluca.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,484 in Monterrey versus $2,575 in Toluca.

Living in Monterrey is roughly 35% more expensive than Toluca, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 17% above, Toluca is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.42 MX$230

$9.20 MX$158

45.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.9 MX$924

$41.76 MX$717

28.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.32 MX$177

$7.82 MX$134

31.97%

Cappuccino

$3.58 MX$61.4

$2.81 MX$48.19

27.40%

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

$1.43 MX$24.60

$1.12 MX$19.21

27.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$17.00

$0.81 MX$13.85

22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 MX$44.41

$2.18 MX$37.47

18.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 MX$73.4

$3.51 MX$60.3

21.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 MX$28.69

$1.37 MX$23.47

21.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 MX$45.30

$3.39 MX$58.2

-22.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 MX$32.15

$1.91 MX$32.79

-2.09%

Eggs

$2.67 MX$45.90

$2.61 MX$44.85

2.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.49 MX$180

$5.76 MX$98.9

82.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.13 MX$157

$9.87 MX$169

-7.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.85 MX$238

$11.82 MX$203

17.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 MX$52.3

$4.07 MX$69.9

-25.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 MX$24.09

$1.63 MX$28.05

-14.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 MX$36.41

$1.94 MX$33.25

9.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$35.33

$2.24 MX$38.41

-8.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 MX$38.25

$2.49 MX$42.73

-10.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 MX$43.99

$2.36 MX$40.55

8.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 MX$26.22

$1.80 MX$30.83

-15.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$18.45

$1.02 MX$17.54

4.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 MX$70.8

$4.96 MX$85.1

-16.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.34 MX$246

$13.32 MX$229

7.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 MX$30.68

$1.98 MX$34.06

-9.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 MX$54.5

$3.26 MX$56.0

-2.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 MX$13.16

$0.62 MX$10.58

24.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.85 MX$701

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 MX$29.77

$3.20 MX$54.9

-45.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 MX$16.44

$2.28 MX$39.21

-57.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.72 MX$184

$8.15 MX$140

31.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 MX$23.36

$1.25 MX$21.43

8.80%

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

$26.5K MX$454.9K

$28.0K MX$480.5K

-5.34%

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

$25.9K MX$443.8K

$27.7K MX$474.7K

-6.52%

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

$123 MX$2,113

$47.02 MX$807

161.82%

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

$27.98 MX$480

$21.19 MX$364

32.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.71 MX$510

$34.94 MX$600

-14.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.13 MX$637

$50.9 MX$874

-27.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.88 MX$376

$22.33 MX$383

-2.02%

Cinema Ticket

$5.71 MX$97.9

$7.05 MX$121

-19.01%

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

$348 MX$5,972

$167 MX$2,874

107.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,997 MX$154.4K

$5,169 MX$88.7K

74.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 MX$1,028

$54.5 MX$935

9.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.22 MX$742

$61.7 MX$1,059

-29.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$1,878

$94.1 MX$1,614

16.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 MX$2,228

$105 MX$1,798

23.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$894 MX$15.3K

$644 MX$11.0K

38.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$656 MX$11.3K

$379 MX$6,510

72.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 MX$27.1K

$921 MX$15.8K

71.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 MX$24.4K

$759 MX$13.0K

87.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,316 MX$74.1K

$1,337 MX$23.0K

222.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,873 MX$49.3K

$956 MX$16.4K

200.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,101 MX$18.9K

$1,350 MX$23.2K

-18.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.55

11.12

3.87%

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

Last update for Monterrey: June 8, 2026

Last update for Toluca: June 6, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $894 in Monterrey and $644 in Toluca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toluca pays 23% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $54.0 in Monterrey vs $42.00 in Toluca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $292 per month, with Toluca 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 Toluca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey and Toluca differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($1,574 vs $1,162 including rent). Toluca is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Toluca earns 23% less. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $894 in Monterrey versus $644 in Toluca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $348 in Monterrey versus $167 in Toluca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Toluca – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $54.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,162 in Toluca versus $1,574 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Toluca but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Toluca 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 Toluca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.