Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Tuxtla Gutierrez

For one person, living is cheaper in Tuxtla Gutierrez: $915 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Tuxtla Gutierrez
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Tuxtla Gutierrez Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Tuxtla Gutierrez

🇲🇽 Mexico

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Tuxtla Gutierrez

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Monterrey versus $915 in Tuxtla Gutierrez.

Monterrey $1,608
Tuxtla Gutierrez $915

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,521 in Monterrey versus $1,529 in Tuxtla Gutierrez.

Monterrey $2,521
Tuxtla Gutierrez $1,529

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,433 in Monterrey versus $2,142 in Tuxtla Gutierrez.

Monterrey $3,433
Tuxtla Gutierrez $2,142

Living in Monterrey is roughly 76% more expensive than in Tuxtla Gutierrez, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 19% above, Tuxtla Gutierrez is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 MX$256

$6.69 MX$124

107.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 MX$918

$19.09 MX$353

160.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 MX$204

$7.30 MX$135

51.37%

Cappuccino

$4.09 MX$75.6

$3.87 MX$71.4

5.68%

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

$1.68 MX$30.97

$1.38 MX$25.53

21.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$18.98

$1.09 MX$20.08

-5.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MX$44.28

$2.16 MX$39.85

11.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.3

$2.48 MX$45.86

75.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.55

$1.55 MX$28.61

23.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.2

$2.76 MX$51.1

6.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.66

$1.75 MX$32.33

7.43%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$47.06

$2.61 MX$48.31

-2.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 MX$219

$18.67 MX$345

-36.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 MX$173

$7.96 MX$147

17.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 MX$242

$10.75 MX$199

21.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$2.70 MX$49.81

25.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.39 MX$25.64

9.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.51

$2.53 MX$46.74

-13.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.63

$1.64 MX$30.34

43.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.76

$1.76 MX$32.54

28.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.03 MX$37.46

34.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.17

$1.13 MX$20.91

34.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.90

$0.65 MX$12.06

90.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$4.51 MX$83.3

5.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 MX$252

$11.03 MX$204

23.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 MX$34.95

$1.45 MX$26.76

30.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MX$55.2

$3.86 MX$71.4

-22.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.78

$0.53 MX$9.74

60.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

$29.17 MX$539

6.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$30.98

$2.70 MX$49.83

-37.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.87

$2.81 MX$52.0

-59.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 MX$206

$8.18 MX$151

36.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.91

$1.45 MX$26.87

7.59%

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

$21.4K MX$395.8K

$22.3K MX$411.3K

-3.78%

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

$25.1K MX$463.2K

$25.1K MX$463.4K

-0.04%

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

$119 MX$2,206

$24.62 MX$455

384.93%

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

$26.21 MX$484

$20.22 MX$374

29.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 MX$495

$25.40 MX$469

5.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 MX$573

$41.92 MX$775

-25.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

$13.75 MX$254

55.85%

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$97.7

$5.90 MX$109

-10.34%

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

$691 MX$12.8K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$212.1K

$2,297 MX$42.5K

399.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 MX$1,335

$33.97 MX$628

112.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 MX$789

$16.54 MX$306

158.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,024

$68.6 MX$1,267

59.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,158

$55.6 MX$1,028

109.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 MX$17.9K

$330 MX$6,099

193.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.3K

$229 MX$4,240

189.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 MX$34.3K

$821 MX$15.2K

126.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 MX$23.8K

$608 MX$11.2K

111.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$76.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 MX$43.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

$501 MX$9,254

128.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Last update for Tuxtla Gutierrez: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

Tuxtla Gutierrez

$229 25.1% 65.4% $434

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$310 19.3%

Tuxtla Gutierrez

$288 31.4% 7.4% $23

Eating Out

Monterrey

$225 14%

Tuxtla Gutierrez

$147 16.1% 34.3% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$172 10.7%

Tuxtla Gutierrez

$70 7.7% 59.3% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$154 9.6%

Tuxtla Gutierrez

$79 8.6% 48.8% $75

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Tuxtla Gutierrez

$48 5.3% 15.3% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Tuxtla Gutierrez

$54 5.9% 29.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $970 in Monterrey and $330 in Tuxtla Gutierrez. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 129% 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: $50.0 in Monterrey vs $19.00 in Tuxtla Gutierrez for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $288 per month, with Tuxtla Gutierrez cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇲🇽 Tuxtla Gutierrez

🕒 Local time

01:59 1:59 AM

Same time as Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

578,830

💱 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

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Monterrey Tuxtla Gutierrez 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Tuxtla Gutierrez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey and Tuxtla Gutierrez differ by about 76% in total monthly costs ($1,608 vs $915 including rent). Tuxtla Gutierrez is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 129% 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: $970 in Monterrey versus $330 in Tuxtla Gutierrez. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Tuxtla Gutierrez – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $50.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Tuxtla Gutierrez runs roughly 6% less than in Monterrey. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $915 in Tuxtla Gutierrez versus $1,608 in Monterrey, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tuxtla Gutierrez but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Tuxtla Gutierrez 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 Tuxtla Gutierrez gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.