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: $1,162 in Toluca versus $1,615 in Monterrey.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,878 in Toluca versus $2,601 in Monterrey.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,594 in Toluca versus $3,587 in Monterrey.

Living in Toluca costs roughly 28% less than in Monterrey, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Toluca is 13% below, Monterrey is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.35 MX$163

$13.05 MX$227

-28.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.19 MX$734

$52.1 MX$907

-19.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.74 MX$135

$10.14 MX$177

-23.67%

Cappuccino

$2.93 MX$51.0

$3.57 MX$62.2

-17.93%

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

$1.14 MX$19.87

$1.40 MX$24.38

-18.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 MX$14.08

$1.03 MX$17.99

-21.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 MX$37.70

$2.69 MX$46.82

-19.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 MX$58.3

$4.12 MX$71.7

-18.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 MX$23.68

$1.60 MX$27.85

-15.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.37 MX$58.6

$2.58 MX$44.96

30.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$33.52

$1.87 MX$32.46

3.21%

Eggs

$2.66 MX$46.23

$2.70 MX$47.02

-1.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.81 MX$101

$10.40 MX$181

-44.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.79 MX$170

$8.78 MX$153

11.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.90 MX$207

$13.45 MX$234

-11.52%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 MX$72.3

$3.22 MX$56.1

28.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 MX$29.96

$1.40 MX$24.43

22.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 MX$35.13

$2.01 MX$34.99

0.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 MX$38.87

$2.15 MX$37.38

3.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 MX$43.22

$2.35 MX$40.97

5.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 MX$41.56

$2.45 MX$42.63

-2.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 MX$32.74

$1.50 MX$26.11

25.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 MX$17.02

$1.07 MX$18.66

-8.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 MX$83.6

$4.19 MX$72.9

14.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.95 MX$225

$14.43 MX$251

-10.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$34.01

$1.77 MX$30.87

10.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 MX$59.1

$3.18 MX$55.4

6.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 MX$10.54

$0.75 MX$13.07

-18.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.81 MX$710

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 MX$56.2

$1.67 MX$29.11

93.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 MX$39.35

$0.94 MX$16.33

140.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 MX$139

$10.65 MX$185

-25.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 MX$21.75

$1.31 MX$22.82

-4.58%

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

$28.1K MX$489.4K

$26.1K MX$455.0K

7.55%

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

$28.3K MX$492.5K

$26.3K MX$457.4K

7.67%

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

$47.16 MX$821

$123 MX$2,133

-61.53%

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

$21.30 MX$371

$27.94 MX$486

-23.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.91 MX$590

$29.69 MX$517

14.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.7 MX$882

$37.16 MX$647

36.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.64 MX$394

$21.68 MX$377

4.43%

Cinema Ticket

$6.72 MX$117

$5.88 MX$102

14.29%

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

$169 MX$2,936

$339 MX$5,904

-50.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,076 MX$88.3K

$8,746 MX$152.2K

-41.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 MX$952

$59.4 MX$1,033

-7.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.6 MX$1,073

$42.83 MX$745

43.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.2 MX$1,638

$107 MX$1,865

-12.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 MX$1,785

$125 MX$2,180

-18.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$644 MX$11.2K

$894 MX$15.6K

-27.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,509

$652 MX$11.4K

-42.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$951 MX$16.5K

$1,613 MX$28.1K

-41.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 MX$12.9K

$1,380 MX$24.0K

-46.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,347 MX$23.4K

$4,271 MX$74.3K

-68.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$950 MX$16.5K

$2,825 MX$49.2K

-66.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,316 MX$22.9K

$1,112 MX$19.3K

18.40%

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: July 21, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: July 19, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $644 in Toluca and $894 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toluca pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $42.00 in Toluca vs $52.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $294 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 39% in total monthly costs ($1,162 vs $1,615 including rent). Toluca is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 18% higher in Toluca, 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: $644 in Toluca versus $894 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $169 in Toluca versus $339 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 $42.00 versus $52.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,162 in Toluca versus $1,615 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 39% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.