Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nuevo Laredo and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Nuevo Laredo: $1,189 a month against $1,641 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Nuevo Laredo
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Nuevo Laredo Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Nuevo Laredo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,189

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nuevo Laredo 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 Nuevo Laredo and in Monterrey actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,189 in Nuevo Laredo versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Nuevo Laredo $1,189
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,860 in Nuevo Laredo versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Nuevo Laredo $1,860
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,530 in Nuevo Laredo versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Nuevo Laredo $2,530
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Nuevo Laredo costs roughly 28% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nuevo Laredo is 12% below, Monterrey is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.71 MX$199

$13.37 MX$249

-19.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.79 MX$908

$47.95 MX$892

1.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.42 MX$120

$10.79 MX$201

-40.50%

Cappuccino

$3.43 MX$63.9

$3.77 MX$70.1

-9.02%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$1.51 MX$28.11

-13.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.43

$1.03 MX$19.15

-3.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 MX$40.27

$2.48 MX$46.17

-12.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 MX$72.0

$4.36 MX$81.1

-11.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.60

$1.89 MX$35.25

-21.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 MX$49.38

$2.85 MX$53.0

-7.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 MX$29.90

$1.86 MX$34.54

-13.44%

Eggs

$2.22 MX$41.26

$2.47 MX$45.89

-10.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.82 MX$183

$11.81 MX$220

-16.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.04 MX$112

$8.97 MX$167

-32.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.55 MX$178

$12.57 MX$234

-24.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 MX$49.08

$3.20 MX$59.5

-17.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 MX$19.80

$1.50 MX$27.97

-29.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 MX$30.57

$2.12 MX$39.54

-22.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.26

$2.33 MX$43.42

-32.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 MX$24.66

$2.22 MX$41.37

-40.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.61

$2.58 MX$48.10

-46.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 MX$19.55

$1.45 MX$26.90

-27.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.49

$1.22 MX$22.73

-36.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.19 MX$77.9

$4.80 MX$89.3

-12.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.04 MX$187

$13.30 MX$248

-24.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 MX$43.77

$1.93 MX$35.95

21.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 MX$26.36

$2.86 MX$53.1

-50.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 MX$12.34

$0.80 MX$14.86

-17.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.22 MX$562

$30.94 MX$576

-2.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 MX$47.87

$1.83 MX$34.10

40.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 MX$36.58

$1.06 MX$19.68

85.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.93 MX$203

$10.82 MX$201

1.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 MX$20.70

$1.47 MX$27.40

-24.49%

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

$19.0K MX$354.3K

$24.1K MX$448.2K

-20.95%

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

$23.4K MX$434.7K

$23.5K MX$437.9K

-0.75%

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

$46.43 MX$864

$115 MX$2,133

-59.49%

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

$32.80 MX$610

$26.37 MX$491

24.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.09 MX$541

$25.70 MX$478

13.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.02 MX$596

$30.53 MX$568

4.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.58 MX$364

$21.27 MX$396

-7.95%

Cinema Ticket

$5.56 MX$104

$4.96 MX$92.3

12.10%

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

$243 MX$4,516

$679 MX$12.6K

-64.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,620 MX$48.8K

$14.2K MX$263.9K

-81.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 MX$1,038

$72.2 MX$1,344

-22.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 MX$1,044

$41.94 MX$780

33.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.3 MX$1,587

$107 MX$2,000

-20.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 MX$2,302

$119 MX$2,208

4.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$595 MX$11.1K

$1,018 MX$18.9K

-41.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$440 MX$8,195

$722 MX$13.4K

-38.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,037 MX$19.3K

$1,966 MX$36.6K

-47.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$742 MX$13.8K

$1,416 MX$26.3K

-47.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,893 MX$35.2K

$4,203 MX$78.2K

-54.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,124 MX$20.9K

$2,782 MX$51.8K

-59.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.53

11.79

-10.69%

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

Last update for Nuevo Laredo: November 3, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nuevo Laredo

$440 37%

Monterrey

$722 44% 63.9% $281

Groceries & Markets

Nuevo Laredo

$234 19.7%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 29.1% $68

Eating Out

Nuevo Laredo

$174 14.6%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 24.1% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Nuevo Laredo

$144 12.1%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 6.1% $8.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nuevo Laredo

$108 9.1%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 53.9% $58

Getting Around

Nuevo Laredo

$45 3.8%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 8.9% $4

Sport & Entertainment

Nuevo Laredo

$43 3.6%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 6.2% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $595 in Nuevo Laredo and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49 in Nuevo Laredo vs $48 in Monterrey. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $302, with Nuevo Laredo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Nuevo Laredo

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

07:21 7:21 AM

Same time as Nuevo Laredo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

416,055

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Nuevo Laredo vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,189 in Nuevo Laredo and $1,641 in Monterrey, so Nuevo Laredo is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,784 in Nuevo Laredo and $2,461 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: $595 in Nuevo Laredo versus $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $243 in Nuevo Laredo versus $679 in Monterrey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,189 per month in Nuevo Laredo versus $1,641 in Monterrey – Nuevo Laredo is about 28% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Nuevo Laredo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.