Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Piedras Negras and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Piedras Negras: $1,204 a month against $1,641 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Piedras Negras
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Piedras Negras Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Piedras Negras

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Piedras Negras versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Piedras Negras $1,204
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,874 in Piedras Negras versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Piedras Negras $1,874
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,544 in Piedras Negras versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Piedras Negras $2,544
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Piedras Negras costs roughly 27% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Piedras Negras is 11% below, Monterrey is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.98 MX$206

$13.37 MX$251

-17.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.64 MX$801

$47.95 MX$900

-11.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 MX$159

$10.79 MX$203

-21.59%

Cappuccino

$3.58 MX$67.3

$3.77 MX$70.7

-5.04%

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

$1.33 MX$25.06

$1.51 MX$28.37

-11.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$19.55

$1.03 MX$19.33

0.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 MX$44.09

$2.48 MX$46.60

-5.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 MX$73.7

$4.36 MX$81.8

-10.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 MX$30.40

$1.89 MX$35.58

-14.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 MX$49.02

$2.85 MX$53.5

-8.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 MX$30.71

$1.86 MX$34.86

-11.83%

Eggs

$2.51 MX$47.07

$2.47 MX$46.31

1.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.99 MX$150

$11.81 MX$222

-32.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.43 MX$158

$8.97 MX$168

-6.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.13 MX$209

$12.57 MX$236

-11.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 MX$51.5

$3.20 MX$60.0

-14.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.18

$1.50 MX$28.23

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.97

$2.12 MX$39.90

-12.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.85 MX$34.81

$2.33 MX$43.82

-20.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.87

$2.22 MX$41.75

-11.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 MX$34.29

$2.58 MX$48.54

-29.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.45 MX$27.15

-5.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 MX$19.94

$1.22 MX$22.94

-13.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.39 MX$82.4

$4.80 MX$90.1

-8.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.39 MX$195

$13.30 MX$250

-21.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 MX$32.43

$1.93 MX$36.28

-10.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$2.86 MX$53.6

10.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 MX$12.52

$0.80 MX$15.00

-16.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.73 MX$558

$30.94 MX$581

-3.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.60 MX$48.79

$1.83 MX$34.42

42.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 MX$36.95

$1.06 MX$19.86

85.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.94 MX$205

$10.82 MX$203

1.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 MX$24.66

$1.47 MX$27.65

-10.88%

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

$24.1K MX$452.3K

-0.00%

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

$23.3K MX$438.3K

$23.5K MX$442.0K

-0.82%

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

$56.8 MX$1,067

$115 MX$2,152

-50.42%

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

$22.71 MX$426

$26.37 MX$495

-13.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.38 MX$552

$25.70 MX$483

14.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.02 MX$601

$30.53 MX$573

4.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.04 MX$376

$21.27 MX$400

-5.78%

Cinema Ticket

$5.04 MX$94.6

$4.96 MX$93.1

1.61%

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

$216 MX$4,061

$679 MX$12.7K

-68.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,504 MX$84.6K

$14.2K MX$266.4K

-68.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 MX$1,028

$72.2 MX$1,356

-24.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.49 MX$742

$41.94 MX$788

-5.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.4 MX$1,866

$107 MX$2,019

-7.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.8 MX$1,649

$119 MX$2,228

-26.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$605 MX$11.4K

$1,018 MX$19.1K

-40.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$435 MX$8,165

$722 MX$13.6K

-39.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,007 MX$18.9K

$1,966 MX$36.9K

-48.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 MX$14.1K

$1,416 MX$26.6K

-47.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,916 MX$36.0K

$4,203 MX$78.9K

-54.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,103 MX$20.7K

$2,782 MX$52.2K

-60.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,638 MX$30.8K

$1,096 MX$20.6K

49.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.31

11.79

-4.07%

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

Last update for Piedras Negras: 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

Piedras Negras

$435 36.1%

Monterrey

$722 44% 66% $287

Groceries & Markets

Piedras Negras

$261 21.7%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 15.7% $41

Eating Out

Piedras Negras

$185 15.4%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 16.4% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Piedras Negras

$127 10.5%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 20.9% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Piedras Negras

$109 9.1%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 53% $58

Getting Around

Piedras Negras

$45 3.7%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 8% $3.6

Sport & Entertainment

Piedras Negras

$42 3.5%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 3.9% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $605 in Piedras Negras and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Piedras Negras pays 49% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43 in Piedras Negras vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $261 vs $302 per month, with Piedras Negras cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Piedras Negras

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

06:26 6:26 AM

Same time as Piedras Negras

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

173,959

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Piedras Negras vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Piedras Negras and $1,641 in Monterrey, so Piedras Negras is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 49% higher in Piedras Negras, 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: $605 in Piedras Negras versus $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Piedras Negras – a meal for two runs $43 versus $48 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Piedras Negras versus $1,641 in Monterrey – Piedras Negras is about 27% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,204 in Piedras Negras versus $1,641 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Piedras Negras but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Piedras Negras 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 Piedras Negras gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.