Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nogales and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Nogales: $1,134 a month against $1,599 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Nogales
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Nogales Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Nogales

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,134

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nogales and in Monterrey

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nogales and in Monterrey actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,134 in Nogales versus $1,599 in Monterrey.

Nogales $1,134
Monterrey $1,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,833 in Nogales versus $2,493 in Monterrey.

Nogales $1,833
Monterrey $2,493

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,532 in Nogales versus $3,387 in Monterrey.

Nogales $2,532
Monterrey $3,387

Living in Nogales costs roughly 29% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nogales is 16% below, Monterrey is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.82 MX$200

$13.80 MX$255

-21.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.93 MX$812

$47.99 MX$887

-8.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.50 MX$157

$10.65 MX$197

-20.19%

Cappuccino

$3.50 MX$64.7

$3.99 MX$73.7

-12.28%

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

$1.40 MX$25.88

$1.66 MX$30.76

-15.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 MX$18.86

$0.99 MX$18.21

3.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 MX$46.33

$2.36 MX$43.64

6.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.14 MX$76.6

$4.43 MX$81.8

-6.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 MX$30.76

$1.82 MX$33.58

-8.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 MX$47.18

$2.83 MX$52.4

-9.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 MX$31.51

$1.92 MX$35.44

-10.94%

Eggs

$2.40 MX$44.30

$2.48 MX$45.78

-3.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.29 MX$153

$11.74 MX$217

-29.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.43 MX$156

$9.10 MX$168

-7.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.58 MX$214

$12.53 MX$232

-7.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 MX$51.0

$3.34 MX$61.6

-17.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 MX$29.43

$1.57 MX$29.10

1.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 MX$36.40

$2.16 MX$39.86

-8.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 MX$32.28

$2.47 MX$45.65

-29.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.88

$2.31 MX$42.64

-13.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.00

$2.68 MX$49.47

-29.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 MX$26.40

$1.46 MX$26.90

-2.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 MX$21.00

$1.19 MX$22.07

-4.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 MX$83.2

$4.75 MX$87.8

-5.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.38 MX$192

$13.58 MX$251

-23.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 MX$33.70

$1.92 MX$35.52

-5.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 MX$57.2

$2.88 MX$53.2

7.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 MX$11.96

$0.79 MX$14.66

-17.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 MX$48.27

$1.59 MX$29.44

64.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.06 MX$19.58

89.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.75 MX$199

$10.80 MX$200

-0.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 MX$26.18

$1.55 MX$28.59

-8.39%

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

$21.1K MX$390.7K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

-12.47%

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

$23.9K MX$442.2K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

-1.59%

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

$57.9 MX$1,070

$117 MX$2,159

-50.44%

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

$23.08 MX$426

$26.38 MX$488

-12.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.99 MX$536

$26.04 MX$481

11.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.67 MX$622

$30.26 MX$559

11.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.37 MX$376

$21.25 MX$393

-4.14%

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 MX$96.6

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

$222 MX$4,099

$673 MX$12.4K

-67.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,589 MX$84.8K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

-58.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 MX$1,021

$72.1 MX$1,332

-23.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.95 MX$738

$42.38 MX$783

-5.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 MX$1,885

$112 MX$2,066

-8.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,634

$119 MX$2,200

-25.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$596 MX$11.0K

$949 MX$17.5K

-37.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$386 MX$7,131

$666 MX$12.3K

-42.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,046 MX$19.3K

$1,821 MX$33.7K

-42.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$1,271 MX$23.5K

-39.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,940 MX$35.9K

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-52.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,163 MX$21.5K

$2,348 MX$43.4K

-50.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

11.79

-4.16%

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

Last update for Nogales: October 19, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nogales

$386 34%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 72.7% $280

Groceries & Markets

Nogales

$266 23.4%

Monterrey

$304 19% 14.7% $39

Eating Out

Nogales

$185 16.3%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 20% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Nogales

$129 11.3%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 20.9% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nogales

$110 9.7%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 53.9% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Nogales

$44 3.9%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 7.7% $3.4

Getting Around

Nogales

$15 * 1.3%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 172% $26

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 $596 in Nogales and $949 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44.00 in Nogales vs $48.00 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $304 per month, with Nogales cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Nogales

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

22:22 10:22 PM

23:22 11:22 PM

1 h ahead of Nogales

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

261,137

1,142,994

💱 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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Between locations

Nogales Monterrey 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Nogales
Monterrey

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

Nogales vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nogales and Monterrey differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($1,134 vs $1,599 including rent). Nogales is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,701 in Nogales and $2,399 in Monterrey to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $596 in Nogales versus $949 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $222 in Nogales versus $673 in Monterrey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nogales – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $48.00 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,134 in Nogales versus $1,599 in Monterrey, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nogales but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Nogales 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 Nogales gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.