Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rionegro and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Rionegro: $1,348 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Rionegro
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Rionegro Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Rionegro

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,348

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,348 in Rionegro versus $1,608 in Monterrey.

Rionegro $1,348
Monterrey $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,161 in Rionegro versus $2,521 in Monterrey.

Rionegro $2,161
Monterrey $2,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,974 in Rionegro versus $3,433 in Monterrey.

Rionegro $2,974
Monterrey $3,433

Living in Rionegro costs roughly 16% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rionegro 0% above, Monterrey 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.32 COP 26.4K

$13.85 MX$256

-39.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.30 COP 146.8K

$49.70 MX$918

-6.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.13 COP 29.0K

$11.05 MX$204

-17.38%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,848

$4.09 MX$75.6

-23.96%

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

$1.84 COP 5,837

$1.68 MX$30.97

9.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 COP 4,312

$1.03 MX$18.98

32.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 COP 9,636

$2.40 MX$44.28

26.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.52 COP 17.5K

$4.35 MX$80.3

26.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 COP 4,735

$1.92 MX$35.55

-22.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 COP 7,620

$2.94 MX$54.2

-18.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 COP 5,528

$1.88 MX$34.66

-7.45%

Eggs

$2.90 COP 9,200

$2.55 MX$47.06

13.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 COP 31.5K

$11.84 MX$219

-16.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 COP 30.2K

$9.36 MX$173

1.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.07 COP 44.6K

$13.10 MX$242

7.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.88 COP 12.3K

$3.38 MX$62.5

14.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,757

$1.52 MX$28.13

-1.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 COP 6,965

$2.19 MX$40.51

0.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,045

$2.36 MX$43.63

-5.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 COP 6,027

$2.26 MX$41.76

-15.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 COP 5,221

$2.73 MX$50.5

-39.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,753

$1.52 MX$28.17

-22.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 COP 3,901

$1.24 MX$22.90

-0.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 COP 12.1K

$4.75 MX$87.8

-19.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.77 COP 43.7K

$13.66 MX$252

0.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 COP 5,181

$1.89 MX$34.95

-13.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 COP 7,339

$2.99 MX$55.2

-22.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 COP 3,185

$0.85 MX$15.78

17.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,198

$1.68 MX$30.98

-21.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 COP 6,713

$1.13 MX$20.87

87.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.48 COP 26.9K

$11.15 MX$206

-23.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,069

$1.56 MX$28.91

-17.95%

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

$27.8K COP 88.2M

$21.4K MX$395.8K

29.85%

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

$36.0K COP 114.2M

$25.1K MX$463.2K

43.64%

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

$170 COP 539.4K

$119 MX$2,206

42.50%

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

$13.44 COP 42.6K

$26.21 MX$484

-48.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.48 COP 90.3K

$26.78 MX$495

6.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 COP 132.7K

$31.03 MX$573

34.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$6.29 COP 20.0K

$5.29 MX$97.7

18.90%

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

$800 COP 2.5M

$691 MX$12.8K

15.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,001 COP 28.5M

$11.5K MX$212.1K

-21.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.9 COP 269.1K

$72.3 MX$1,335

17.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.3 COP 181.7K

$42.72 MX$789

34.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 426.8K

$110 MX$2,024

22.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$117 MX$2,158

-16.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$593 COP 1.9M

$970 MX$17.9K

-38.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$433 COP 1.4M

$664 MX$12.3K

-34.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$965 COP 3.1M

$1,857 MX$34.3K

-48.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$987 COP 3.1M

$1,287 MX$23.8K

-23.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,161 COP 6.9M

$4,162 MX$76.9K

-48.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,537 COP 4.9M

$2,349 MX$43.4K

-34.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.79

-7.21%

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

Last update for Rionegro: October 13, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rionegro

$433 32.1%

Monterrey

$664 41.3% 53.3% $231

Groceries & Markets

Rionegro

$294 21.8%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 5.5% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rionegro

$212 15.7%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 18.7% $40

Eating Out

Rionegro

$170 12.6%

Monterrey

$225 14% 31.9% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Rionegro

$169 12.5%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 8.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Rionegro

$54 4%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 23.5% $13

Getting Around

Rionegro

$16 * 1.2%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 162% $26

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 $593 in Rionegro and $970 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46.00 in Rionegro vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $294 vs $310 per month, with Rionegro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Rionegro

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

22:20 10:20 PM

21:20 9:20 PM

1 h behind Rionegro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

130,000

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rionegro Monterrey 3,430 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Rionegro
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

Rionegro vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rionegro and Monterrey differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($1,348 vs $1,608 including rent). Rionegro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,023 in Rionegro and $2,412 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: $593 in Rionegro versus $970 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $800 in Rionegro versus $691 in Monterrey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rionegro – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $50.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,348 in Rionegro versus $1,608 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Rionegro but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Rionegro 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, Rionegro 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 Rionegro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.