Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Soledad and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Soledad: $1,307 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Soledad
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Soledad Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Soledad

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,307

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,307 in Soledad versus $1,608 in Monterrey.

Soledad $1,307
Monterrey $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,057 in Soledad versus $2,521 in Monterrey.

Soledad $2,057
Monterrey $2,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,806 in Soledad versus $3,433 in Monterrey.

Soledad $2,806
Monterrey $3,433

Living in Soledad costs roughly 19% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.83 COP 18.6K

$13.85 MX$256

-57.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.55 COP 135.3K

$49.70 MX$918

-14.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.03 COP 31.9K

$11.05 MX$204

-9.23%

Cappuccino

$2.56 COP 8,136

$4.09 MX$75.5

-37.41%

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

$2.55 COP 8,119

$1.68 MX$30.94

51.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 COP 7,155

$1.03 MX$18.96

118.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 COP 10.6K

$2.40 MX$44.23

38.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.15 COP 16.4K

$4.35 MX$80.3

18.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 COP 6,155

$1.92 MX$35.51

1.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 COP 8,795

$2.94 MX$54.2

-5.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 COP 4,543

$1.88 MX$34.63

-23.94%

Eggs

$4.98 COP 15.8K

$2.55 MX$47.01

95.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.85 COP 25.0K

$11.84 MX$219

-33.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 31.0K

$9.36 MX$173

4.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.34 COP 42.4K

$13.10 MX$242

1.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 COP 11.0K

$3.38 MX$62.4

2.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 COP 5,235

$1.52 MX$28.10

8.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 COP 6,361

$2.19 MX$40.47

-8.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,341

$2.36 MX$43.58

-28.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 COP 3,960

$2.26 MX$41.72

-44.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 COP 4,330

$2.73 MX$50.5

-50.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 COP 3,442

$1.52 MX$28.14

-28.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 COP 3,799

$1.24 MX$22.88

-4.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.55 COP 11.3K

$4.75 MX$87.8

-25.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.35 COP 45.6K

$13.66 MX$252

5.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,477

$1.89 MX$34.92

-25.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 COP 7,011

$2.99 MX$55.1

-26.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.26 COP 4,008

$0.85 MX$15.76

48.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$571

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 COP 5,017

$1.68 MX$30.95

-5.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.65 COP 11.6K

$1.13 MX$20.85

223.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.19 COP 29.2K

$11.15 MX$206

-17.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 COP 4,240

$1.56 MX$28.88

-14.74%

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

$23.1K COP 73.5M

$21.4K MX$395.4K

7.89%

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

$34.0K COP 108.0M

$25.1K MX$462.7K

35.52%

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

$79.3 COP 252.3K

$119 MX$2,204

-33.56%

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

$11.95 COP 38.0K

$26.21 MX$484

-54.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.61 COP 81.5K

$26.78 MX$494

-4.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.77 COP 104.2K

$31.03 MX$573

5.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 COP 25.6K

$5.29 MX$97.6

52.17%

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

$627 COP 2.0M

$691 MX$12.8K

-9.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,760 COP 18.3M

$11.5K MX$211.9K

-49.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 COP 295.3K

$72.3 MX$1,334

28.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.49 COP 154.2K

$42.72 MX$789

13.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 COP 370.5K

$110 MX$2,022

6.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 COP 347.8K

$117 MX$2,156

-6.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$629 COP 2.0M

$970 MX$17.9K

-35.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$504 COP 1.6M

$664 MX$12.3K

-24.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$876 COP 2.8M

$1,857 MX$34.3K

-52.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$973 COP 3.1M

$1,287 MX$23.8K

-24.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,768 COP 5.6M

$4,162 MX$76.8K

-57.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,584 COP 5.0M

$2,349 MX$43.4K

-32.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

27.23%

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

Last update for Soledad: 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

Soledad

$504 38.6%

Monterrey

$664 41.3% 31.8% $160

Groceries & Markets

Soledad

$294 22.5%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 5.7% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Soledad

$165 12.6%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 7.1% $12

Eating Out

Soledad

$154 11.8%

Monterrey

$225 14% 46.1% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Soledad

$117 8.9%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 47.5% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Soledad

$49 3.7%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 14.9% $7.3

Getting Around

Soledad

$25 * 1.9%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 67.7% $17

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 $629 in Soledad and $970 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43.00 in Soledad vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $294 vs $310 per month, with Soledad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Soledad

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

03:01 3:01 AM

02:01 2:01 AM

1 h behind Soledad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

582,156

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.42 USD

100 MXN = 4.84 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 3,181 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,561 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 18.46 MXN (100 MXN = 5.42 USD). 1 EUR = 20.67 MXN (100 MXN = 4.84 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Soledad Monterrey 3,150 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Soledad
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

Soledad vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Soledad and Monterrey differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($1,307 vs $1,608 including rent). Soledad is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,960 in Soledad 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: $629 in Soledad versus $970 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $627 in Soledad 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 Soledad – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $50.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,307 in Soledad versus $1,608 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Soledad but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Soledad 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 Soledad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.