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: $1,581 in Monterrey versus $1,157 in Toluca.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,534 in Monterrey versus $1,877 in Toluca.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,488 in Monterrey versus $2,597 in Toluca.

Living in Monterrey is roughly 37% more expensive than in Toluca, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 19% above, Toluca is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.12 MX$227

$9.19 MX$159

42.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$899

$42.15 MX$729

23.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.46 MX$181

$7.82 MX$135

33.76%

Cappuccino

$3.73 MX$64.5

$2.87 MX$49.66

29.97%

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

$1.40 MX$24.23

$1.16 MX$20.07

20.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 MX$18.17

$0.82 MX$14.25

28.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.69 MX$46.49

$2.09 MX$36.13

28.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 MX$74.9

$3.38 MX$58.5

28.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 MX$28.77

$1.37 MX$23.73

21.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 MX$45.74

$3.35 MX$57.9

-21.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 MX$33.94

$1.95 MX$33.65

0.51%

Eggs

$2.62 MX$45.41

$2.53 MX$43.76

3.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.49 MX$181

$5.86 MX$101

79.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 MX$154

$10.10 MX$175

-12.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.56 MX$235

$11.74 MX$203

15.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$52.8

$4.06 MX$70.3

-24.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 MX$25.36

$1.72 MX$29.83

-14.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 MX$35.22

$1.91 MX$33.08

6.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.07 MX$35.73

$2.25 MX$39.00

-8.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$40.47

$2.48 MX$42.96

-5.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 MX$43.52

$2.39 MX$41.37

5.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 MX$27.17

$1.87 MX$32.44

-16.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 MX$19.31

$1.01 MX$17.51

10.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$73.9

$5.03 MX$87.1

-15.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.06 MX$243

$12.96 MX$224

8.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 MX$31.00

$1.96 MX$33.94

-8.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 MX$53.5

$3.22 MX$55.7

-4.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 MX$14.19

$0.65 MX$11.26

26.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.01 MX$692

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.75 MX$30.28

$3.12 MX$54.0

-43.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 MX$16.78

$2.19 MX$37.94

-55.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.63 MX$184

$8.06 MX$140

31.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 MX$23.65

$1.25 MX$21.56

9.60%

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

$26.3K MX$455.2K

$27.9K MX$482.5K

-5.66%

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

$25.5K MX$441.3K

$28.7K MX$497.0K

-11.21%

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

$123 MX$2,125

$47.26 MX$818

159.84%

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

$27.58 MX$477

$21.45 MX$371

28.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.78 MX$515

$35.26 MX$610

-15.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.38 MX$664

$51.5 MX$890

-25.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.94 MX$380

$22.41 MX$388

-2.10%

Cinema Ticket

$5.86 MX$101

$7.07 MX$122

-17.11%

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

$347 MX$6,004

$171 MX$2,954

103.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,938 MX$154.6K

$5,137 MX$88.9K

73.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.2 MX$1,006

$55.2 MX$954

5.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.19 MX$747

$61.2 MX$1,059

-29.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$1,884

$94.9 MX$1,642

14.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 MX$2,187

$102 MX$1,756

24.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 MX$15.6K

$658 MX$11.4K

37.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$661 MX$11.4K

$378 MX$6,532

75.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,595 MX$27.6K

$941 MX$16.3K

69.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,398 MX$24.2K

$744 MX$12.9K

87.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,267 MX$73.8K

$1,359 MX$23.5K

214.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,840 MX$49.1K

$953 MX$16.5K

198.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,135 MX$19.6K

$1,311 MX$22.7K

-13.41%

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: July 27, 2026

Last update for Toluca: July 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $903 in Monterrey and $658 in Toluca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toluca pays 15% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $52.0 in Monterrey vs $42.00 in Toluca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $296 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 37% in total monthly costs ($1,581 vs $1,157 including rent). Toluca is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 15% lower in Toluca. 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: $903 in Monterrey versus $658 in Toluca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $347 in Monterrey versus $171 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 $52.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,157 in Toluca versus $1,581 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 37% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.