Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Vallarta and Monterrey

For one person, living costs are similar in Puerto Vallarta and in Monterrey: $1,592 and $1,599 a month, rent and utilities included.

77

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Vallarta
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Puerto Vallarta Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Puerto Vallarta

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,592

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,592 in Puerto Vallarta versus $1,599 in Monterrey.

Puerto Vallarta $1,592
Monterrey $1,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,416 in Puerto Vallarta versus $2,493 in Monterrey.

Puerto Vallarta $2,416
Monterrey $2,493

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,240 in Puerto Vallarta versus $3,387 in Monterrey.

Puerto Vallarta $3,240
Monterrey $3,387

Monthly costs are close between Puerto Vallarta and Monterrey; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Puerto Vallarta 17% above, Monterrey 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.33 MX$246

$13.80 MX$255

-3.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.1 MX$1,055

$47.99 MX$887

19.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.97 MX$203

$10.65 MX$197

3.00%

Cappuccino

$4.12 MX$76.1

$3.99 MX$73.7

3.26%

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

$1.87 MX$34.53

$1.66 MX$30.76

12.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 MX$25.46

$0.99 MX$18.21

39.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.00 MX$55.5

$2.36 MX$43.64

27.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.23 MX$78.2

$4.43 MX$81.8

-4.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 MX$33.15

$1.82 MX$33.58

-1.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 MX$64.6

$2.83 MX$52.4

23.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 MX$36.12

$1.92 MX$35.44

1.56%

Eggs

$2.25 MX$41.58

$2.48 MX$45.78

-9.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.02 MX$185

$11.74 MX$217

-14.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.04 MX$204

$9.10 MX$168

21.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.27 MX$301

$12.53 MX$232

29.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 MX$50.9

$3.34 MX$61.6

-17.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 MX$27.82

$1.57 MX$29.10

-3.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 MX$34.92

$2.16 MX$39.86

-12.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.11 MX$38.91

$2.47 MX$45.65

-14.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 MX$42.20

$2.31 MX$42.64

-1.30%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 MX$58.1

$2.68 MX$49.47

17.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 MX$25.33

$1.46 MX$26.90

-6.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 MX$20.74

$1.19 MX$22.07

-5.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$78.9

$4.75 MX$87.8

-10.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.00 MX$203

$13.58 MX$251

-19.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 MX$32.81

$1.92 MX$35.52

-7.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 MX$47.15

$2.88 MX$53.2

-11.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 MX$10.80

$0.79 MX$14.66

-26.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.41 MX$396

$31.36 MX$579

-31.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.55 MX$84.0

$1.59 MX$29.44

186.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.89 MX$53.4

$1.06 MX$19.58

172.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.21 MX$77.9

$10.80 MX$200

-61.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 MX$27.50

$1.55 MX$28.59

-3.87%

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

$23.9K MX$442.4K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

-0.90%

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

$23.3K MX$430.8K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

-4.15%

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

$85.9 MX$1,587

$117 MX$2,159

-26.47%

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

$26.05 MX$481

$26.38 MX$488

-1.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.41 MX$599

$26.04 MX$481

24.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.34 MX$672

$30.26 MX$559

20.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.02 MX$278

$21.25 MX$393

-29.32%

Cinema Ticket

$8.20 MX$151

$5.23 MX$96.6

56.79%

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

$322 MX$5,949

$673 MX$12.4K

-52.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,319 MX$116.8K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

-43.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 MX$996

$72.1 MX$1,332

-25.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.72 MX$642

$42.38 MX$783

-18.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 MX$1,915

$112 MX$2,066

-7.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.1 MX$1,740

$119 MX$2,200

-20.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 MX$24.1K

$949 MX$17.5K

37.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$685 MX$12.7K

$666 MX$12.3K

2.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,992 MX$36.8K

$1,821 MX$33.7K

9.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,112 MX$20.5K

$1,271 MX$23.5K

-12.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,088 MX$94.0K

$4,050 MX$74.8K

25.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,594 MX$47.9K

$2,348 MX$43.4K

10.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$934 MX$17.3K

$1,155 MX$21.3K

-19.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.7

11.79

-0.76%

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

Last update for Puerto Vallarta: October 18, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Puerto Vallarta

$685 43%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 2.7% $18

Groceries & Markets

Puerto Vallarta

$313 19.7%

Monterrey

$304 19% 2.6% $8.2

Eating Out

Puerto Vallarta

$225 14.2%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 1.7% $3.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto Vallarta

$144 9.1%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 17.2% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto Vallarta

$129 8.1%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 20.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto Vallarta

$53 3.3%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 22.8% $12

Getting Around

Puerto Vallarta

$43 2.7%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 3.1% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,305 in Puerto Vallarta and $949 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 24% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $57.0 in Puerto Vallarta vs $48.00 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $313 vs $304 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Puerto Vallarta

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

04:51 4:51 AM

Same time as Puerto Vallarta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

224,166

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

Puerto Vallarta Monterrey 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Puerto Vallarta
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

Puerto Vallarta vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 24% 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: $1,305 in Puerto Vallarta versus $949 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $322 in Puerto Vallarta 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 Puerto Vallarta – a meal for two runs $57.0 versus $48.00 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,592 in Puerto Vallarta versus $1,599 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Puerto Vallarta but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Puerto Vallarta 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, Puerto Vallarta 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.

It comes down to priorities – Puerto Vallarta wins on affordability, Monterrey on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.