Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saltillo and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Saltillo: $1,313 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Saltillo
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Saltillo Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Saltillo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,313

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,313 in Saltillo versus $1,608 in Monterrey.

Saltillo $1,313
Monterrey $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,095 in Saltillo versus $2,521 in Monterrey.

Saltillo $2,095
Monterrey $2,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,877 in Saltillo versus $3,433 in Monterrey.

Saltillo $2,877
Monterrey $3,433

Living in Saltillo costs roughly 18% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Saltillo is 3% below, Monterrey is 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.88 MX$201

$13.85 MX$256

-21.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 MX$912

$49.70 MX$918

-0.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.49 MX$120

$11.05 MX$204

-41.27%

Cappuccino

$3.50 MX$64.7

$4.09 MX$75.6

-14.43%

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

$1.32 MX$24.35

$1.68 MX$30.97

-21.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$19.73

$1.03 MX$18.98

3.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 MX$39.72

$2.40 MX$44.28

-10.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 MX$69.5

$4.35 MX$80.3

-13.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$27.98

$1.92 MX$35.55

-21.35%

White Bread (500g)

$3.60 MX$66.6

$2.94 MX$54.2

22.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.27

$1.88 MX$34.66

4.26%

Eggs

$2.34 MX$43.32

$2.55 MX$47.06

-8.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 MX$199

$11.84 MX$219

-9.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.34 MX$154

$9.36 MX$173

-10.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.76 MX$180

$13.10 MX$242

-25.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.69 MX$49.79

$3.38 MX$62.5

-20.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 MX$23.10

$1.52 MX$28.13

-17.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 MX$31.97

$2.19 MX$40.51

-21.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.26

$2.36 MX$43.63

-16.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 MX$40.65

$2.26 MX$41.76

-2.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 MX$45.80

$2.73 MX$50.5

-9.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 MX$23.22

$1.52 MX$28.17

-17.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$19.79

$1.24 MX$22.90

-13.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.0

$4.75 MX$87.8

-10.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.45 MX$193

$13.66 MX$252

-23.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 MX$42.44

$1.89 MX$34.95

21.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 MX$26.72

$2.99 MX$55.2

-51.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 MX$14.95

$0.85 MX$15.78

-4.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.67 MX$308

$30.95 MX$572

-46.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 MX$49.42

$1.68 MX$30.98

58.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 MX$36.75

$1.13 MX$20.87

76.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 MX$308

$11.15 MX$206

49.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.60

$1.56 MX$28.91

-7.69%

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

$18.9K MX$349.5K

$21.4K MX$395.8K

-11.70%

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

$24.0K MX$442.9K

$25.1K MX$463.2K

-4.39%

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

$47.87 MX$885

$119 MX$2,206

-59.90%

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

$33.45 MX$618

$26.21 MX$484

27.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.82 MX$551

$26.78 MX$495

11.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 MX$1,034

$31.03 MX$573

80.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.65 MX$252

$21.43 MX$396

-36.30%

Cinema Ticket

$5.86 MX$108

$5.29 MX$97.7

10.78%

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

$249 MX$4,600

$691 MX$12.8K

-63.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,673 MX$49.4K

$11.5K MX$212.1K

-76.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 MX$1,048

$72.3 MX$1,335

-21.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.7 MX$1,028

$42.72 MX$789

30.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.2 MX$1,612

$110 MX$2,024

-20.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 MX$2,310

$117 MX$2,158

7.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$561 MX$10.4K

$970 MX$17.9K

-42.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$506 MX$9,344

$664 MX$12.3K

-23.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$967 MX$17.9K

$1,857 MX$34.3K

-47.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$962 MX$17.8K

$1,287 MX$23.8K

-25.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$545 MX$10.1K

$4,162 MX$76.9K

-86.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$891 MX$16.5K

$2,349 MX$43.4K

-62.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$796 MX$14.7K

$1,146 MX$21.2K

-30.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.53

11.79

-10.69%

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

Last update for Saltillo: October 10, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saltillo

$506 38.5%

Monterrey

$664 41.3% 31.3% $158

Groceries & Markets

Saltillo

$274 20.9%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 13.3% $36

Eating Out

Saltillo

$176 13.4%

Monterrey

$225 14% 27.3% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Saltillo

$146 11.1%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 5.1% $7.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saltillo

$111 8.5%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 55.1% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Saltillo

$68 5.2%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 38.5% $26

Getting Around

Saltillo

$33 2.5%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 28.1% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $561 in Saltillo and $970 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 44% 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: $49.00 in Saltillo vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $274 vs $310 per month, with Saltillo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Saltillo

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

18:31 6:31 PM

Same time as Saltillo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

864,431

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

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Saltillo Monterrey 74 km

From you

Saltillo
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

Saltillo vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saltillo and Monterrey differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($1,313 vs $1,608 including rent). Saltillo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 44% 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: $561 in Saltillo versus $970 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Saltillo – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $50.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,313 per month in Saltillo versus $1,608 in Monterrey – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,313 in Saltillo versus $1,608 in Monterrey, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Saltillo but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Saltillo 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, Saltillo 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 Saltillo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.