Cost of Living Comparison Between Toluca and Monterrey Cost of Living Comparison Between Toluca and Monterrey

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,170 in Toluca versus $1,601 in Monterrey.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,881 in Toluca versus $2,585 in Monterrey.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,592 in Toluca versus $3,568 in Monterrey.

Living in Toluca costs roughly 27% less than in Monterrey, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Toluca is 13% below, Monterrey is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.99 MX$157

$13.01 MX$227

-30.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.08 MX$752

$53.8 MX$939

-19.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.86 MX$137

$10.21 MX$178

-23.02%

Cappuccino

$2.90 MX$50.6

$3.68 MX$64.3

-21.20%

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

$1.16 MX$20.31

$1.46 MX$25.54

-20.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 MX$15.16

$1.00 MX$17.45

-13.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.10 MX$36.65

$2.70 MX$47.07

-22.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 MX$60.5

$4.27 MX$74.6

-18.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$24.97

$1.67 MX$29.09

-14.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 MX$59.3

$2.68 MX$46.80

26.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 MX$34.07

$1.93 MX$33.67

1.04%

Eggs

$2.54 MX$44.41

$2.63 MX$45.93

-3.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.81 MX$101

$10.34 MX$181

-43.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.12 MX$177

$9.22 MX$161

9.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.78 MX$206

$13.84 MX$242

-14.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.23 MX$73.9

$3.15 MX$55.0

34.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 MX$29.68

$1.39 MX$24.24

22.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 MX$33.98

$2.00 MX$34.92

-2.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.28 MX$39.86

$2.14 MX$37.39

6.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 MX$42.13

$2.27 MX$39.57

6.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 MX$39.96

$2.54 MX$44.43

-9.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.82 MX$31.87

$1.57 MX$27.35

15.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 MX$17.01

$1.07 MX$18.67

-9.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.96 MX$86.7

$4.25 MX$74.2

16.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 MX$235

$14.36 MX$251

-6.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$33.21

$1.78 MX$31.11

6.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 MX$58.7

$3.14 MX$54.9

7.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 MX$11.40

$0.80 MX$14.00

-18.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.54 MX$708

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 MX$54.9

$1.68 MX$29.34

86.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 MX$38.36

$0.94 MX$16.44

134.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 MX$138

$10.76 MX$188

-26.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 MX$22.00

$1.37 MX$23.91

-8.03%

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

$28.2K MX$493.3K

$26.7K MX$467.1K

5.62%

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

$28.0K MX$489.6K

$25.6K MX$446.8K

9.57%

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

$46.91 MX$819

$122 MX$2,125

-61.44%

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

$21.61 MX$377

$27.19 MX$475

-20.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.03 MX$612

$29.82 MX$521

17.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 MX$897

$38.49 MX$672

33.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.78 MX$398

$21.46 MX$375

6.15%

Cinema Ticket

$6.90 MX$121

$5.92 MX$103

16.55%

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

$170 MX$2,977

$346 MX$6,037

-50.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,989 MX$87.1K

$8,997 MX$157.1K

-44.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 MX$960

$58.4 MX$1,020

-5.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.3 MX$1,054

$42.55 MX$743

41.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.6 MX$1,635

$109 MX$1,910

-14.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 MX$1,784

$129 MX$2,253

-20.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$660 MX$11.5K

$913 MX$15.9K

-27.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,538

$647 MX$11.3K

-42.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$929 MX$16.2K

$1,565 MX$27.3K

-40.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$747 MX$13.1K

$1,401 MX$24.5K

-46.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,396 MX$24.4K

$4,371 MX$76.3K

-68.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$977 MX$17.1K

$2,839 MX$49.6K

-65.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,345 MX$23.5K

$1,104 MX$19.3K

21.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.12

11.55

-3.72%

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

Last update for Toluca: May 30, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: June 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $660 in Toluca and $913 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toluca pays 22% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43.00 in Toluca vs $54.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $294 vs $298 per month, with Toluca cheaper across the board.

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

Toluca vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toluca and Monterrey differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($1,170 vs $1,601 including rent). Toluca is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Toluca pays 22% more on average, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $660 in Toluca versus $913 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $170 in Toluca versus $346 in Monterrey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Toluca – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $54.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,170 in Toluca versus $1,601 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Toluca but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Toluca 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 Toluca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.