Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Piura and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Piura: $700 a month against $1,599 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Piura
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Piura Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

Jump to prices

Piura

🇵🇪 Peru

$700

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $700 in Piura versus $1,599 in Monterrey.

Piura $700
Monterrey $1,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,196 in Piura versus $2,493 in Monterrey.

Piura $1,196
Monterrey $2,493

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,691 in Piura versus $3,387 in Monterrey.

Piura $1,691
Monterrey $3,387

Living in Piura costs roughly 56% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Piura is 48% below, Monterrey is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 PEN 12.27

$13.80 MX$255

-74.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.27 PEN 83.4

$47.99 MX$887

-49.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.12 PEN 24.45

$10.65 MX$197

-33.15%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.21

$3.99 MX$73.7

-18.30%

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

$1.08 PEN 3.69

$1.66 MX$30.76

-34.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 PEN 2.43

$0.99 MX$18.21

-28.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 PEN 8.01

$2.36 MX$43.64

-1.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 PEN 10.23

$4.43 MX$81.8

-32.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 PEN 5.05

$1.82 MX$33.58

-19.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 PEN 8.72

$2.83 MX$52.4

-10.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 PEN 5.60

$1.92 MX$35.44

-15.10%

Eggs

$2.87 PEN 9.86

$2.48 MX$45.78

15.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 PEN 35.16

$11.74 MX$217

-12.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.52 PEN 29.27

$9.10 MX$168

-6.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.38 PEN 35.65

$12.53 MX$232

-17.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$3.34 MX$61.6

-58.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 PEN 4.43

$1.57 MX$29.10

-17.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 PEN 4.91

$2.16 MX$39.86

-33.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.34 PEN 4.59

$2.47 MX$45.65

-45.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 PEN 4.27

$2.31 MX$42.64

-46.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 PEN 2.38

$2.68 MX$49.47

-74.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.06

$1.46 MX$26.90

-39.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 PEN 4.42

$1.19 MX$22.07

8.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.21 PEN 28.18

$4.75 MX$87.8

72.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.93 PEN 37.53

$13.58 MX$251

-19.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 PEN 6.11

$1.92 MX$35.52

-7.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 PEN 9.89

$2.88 MX$53.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 PEN 2.16

$0.79 MX$14.66

-20.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.58 PEN 70.7

$31.36 MX$579

-34.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.97 PEN 10.19

$1.59 MX$29.44

86.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.30 PEN 7.90

$1.06 MX$19.58

116.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.29 PEN 25.03

$10.80 MX$200

-32.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 PEN 5.04

$1.55 MX$28.59

-5.16%

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

$21.9K PEN 75.2K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

-9.41%

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

$22.8K PEN 78.3K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

-6.30%

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

$41.19 PEN 141

$117 MX$2,159

-64.74%

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

$8.93 PEN 30.67

$26.38 MX$488

-66.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.04 MX$481

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.51 PEN 101

$30.26 MX$559

-2.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$2.26 PEN 7.75

$5.23 MX$96.6

-56.79%

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

$197 PEN 676

$673 MX$12.4K

-70.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,352 PEN 8,076

$11.1K MX$205.2K

-78.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.03 PEN 148

$72.1 MX$1,332

-40.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.89 PEN 44.27

$42.38 MX$783

-69.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.3 PEN 197

$112 MX$2,066

-48.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.7 PEN 246

$119 MX$2,200

-39.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$235 PEN 806

$949 MX$17.5K

-75.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$131 PEN 450

$666 MX$12.3K

-80.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$394 PEN 1,354

$1,821 MX$33.7K

-78.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$395 PEN 1,355

$1,271 MX$23.5K

-68.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,755 PEN 12.9K

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-7.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,348 MX$43.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$529 PEN 1,817

$1,155 MX$21.3K

-54.19%

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 Piura: October 19, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Piura

$250 35.8%

Monterrey

$304 19% 21.7% $54

Accommodation & Living

Piura

$131 18.7%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 409% $535

Eating Out

Piura

$114 16.3%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 94.6% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Piura

$83 11.9%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 86.8% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Piura

$50 * 7.2%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 238% $119

Getting Around

Piura

$38 5.4%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 10.3% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

Piura

$34 4.9%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 19.7% $6.7

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 $235 in Piura and $949 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 118% 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: $24.00 in Piura vs $48.00 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $250 vs $304 per month, with Piura cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Piura

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

17:40 5:40 PM

16:40 4:40 PM

1 h behind Piura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

158,495

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Piura Monterrey 4,040 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Piura
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

Piura vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Piura and Monterrey differ by about 128% in total monthly costs ($700 vs $1,599 including rent). Piura is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 118% 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: $235 in Piura versus $949 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Piura – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $48.00 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $700 per month in Piura versus $1,599 in Monterrey – a 128% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $700 in Piura versus $1,599 in Monterrey, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Piura but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Piura 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 Piura gentler on the wallet – expenses run 128% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.