Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pachuca and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Pachuca: $886 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Pachuca
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Pachuca Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Pachuca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$886

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $886 in Pachuca versus $1,608 in Monterrey.

Pachuca $886
Monterrey $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,483 in Pachuca versus $2,521 in Monterrey.

Pachuca $1,483
Monterrey $2,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,079 in Pachuca versus $3,433 in Monterrey.

Pachuca $2,079
Monterrey $3,433

Living in Pachuca costs roughly 45% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Pachuca is 34% below, Monterrey is 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.80 MX$88.8

$13.85 MX$256

-65.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.48 MX$489

$49.70 MX$918

-46.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.03 MX$148

$11.05 MX$204

-27.33%

Cappuccino

$3.09 MX$57.0

$4.09 MX$75.6

-24.45%

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

$1.16 MX$21.50

$1.68 MX$30.97

-30.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.16

$1.03 MX$18.98

-20.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.61 MX$29.79

$2.40 MX$44.28

-32.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 MX$62.2

$4.35 MX$80.3

-22.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 MX$29.20

$1.92 MX$35.55

-17.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 MX$46.99

$2.94 MX$54.2

-13.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 MX$34.93

$1.88 MX$34.66

0.53%

Eggs

$2.72 MX$50.4

$2.55 MX$47.06

6.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.22 MX$133

$11.84 MX$219

-39.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.74 MX$87.5

$9.36 MX$173

-49.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.44 MX$138

$13.10 MX$242

-43.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.08 MX$38.53

$3.38 MX$62.5

-38.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 MX$23.82

$1.52 MX$28.13

-15.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.10

$2.19 MX$40.51

-30.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 MX$29.91

$2.36 MX$43.63

-31.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 MX$28.33

$2.26 MX$41.76

-32.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 MX$24.70

$2.73 MX$50.5

-50.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 MX$17.14

$1.52 MX$28.17

-38.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 MX$17.46

$1.24 MX$22.90

-24.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 MX$80.0

$4.75 MX$87.8

-8.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.19 MX$151

$13.66 MX$252

-40.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 MX$25.71

$1.89 MX$34.95

-26.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 MX$46.08

$2.99 MX$55.2

-16.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.52

$0.85 MX$15.78

-32.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.85 MX$496

$30.95 MX$572

-13.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 MX$48.55

$1.68 MX$30.98

56.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.62 MX$48.34

$1.13 MX$20.87

131.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.11 MX$205

$11.15 MX$206

-0.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 MX$25.51

$1.56 MX$28.91

-11.54%

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

$21.4K MX$395.5K

$21.4K MX$395.8K

-0.08%

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

$23.5K MX$433.6K

$25.1K MX$463.2K

-6.39%

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

$47.05 MX$869

$119 MX$2,206

-60.59%

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

$19.21 MX$355

$26.21 MX$484

-26.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.45 MX$415

$26.78 MX$495

-16.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.51 MX$434

$31.03 MX$573

-24.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 MX$203

$21.43 MX$396

-48.72%

Cinema Ticket

$4.30 MX$79.4

$5.29 MX$97.7

-18.71%

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

$165 MX$3,049

$691 MX$12.8K

-76.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,599 MX$48.0K

$11.5K MX$212.1K

-77.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 MX$983

$72.3 MX$1,335

-26.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.32 MX$745

$42.72 MX$789

-5.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.8 MX$1,751

$110 MX$2,024

-13.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.4 MX$1,430

$117 MX$2,158

-33.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$400 MX$7,386

$970 MX$17.9K

-58.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 MX$4,963

$664 MX$12.3K

-59.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$603 MX$11.1K

$1,857 MX$34.3K

-67.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$688 MX$12.7K

$1,287 MX$23.8K

-46.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$728 MX$13.5K

$4,162 MX$76.9K

-82.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$638 MX$11.8K

$2,349 MX$43.4K

-72.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 MX$12.2K

$1,146 MX$21.2K

-42.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.8

11.79

-8.40%

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

Last update for Pachuca: October 12, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pachuca

$269 30.3%

Monterrey

$664 41.3% 147% $395

Groceries & Markets

Pachuca

$210 23.7%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 47.6% $100

Eating Out

Pachuca

$122 13.8%

Monterrey

$225 14% 83.6% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Pachuca

$120 13.5%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 28.5% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pachuca

$89 10%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 94.3% $84

Getting Around

Pachuca

$45 5.1%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 7% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Pachuca

$32 3.6%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 29.6% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $400 in Pachuca and $970 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 73% 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: $26.00 in Pachuca vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $310 per month, with Pachuca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Pachuca

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

00:29 12:29 AM

Same time as Pachuca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

297,848

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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pachuca Monterrey 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Pachuca
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

Pachuca vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pachuca and Monterrey differ by about 81% in total monthly costs ($886 vs $1,608 including rent). Pachuca is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 73% lower in Monterrey. 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: $400 in Pachuca versus $970 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Pachuca – a meal for two runs $26.00 versus $50.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $886 per month in Pachuca versus $1,608 in Monterrey – a 81% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $886 in Pachuca versus $1,608 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Pachuca but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Pachuca 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.

Safety-wise, Pachuca and Monterrey are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Pachuca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.