Comparación del coste de vida entre Tulum y Monterrey Comparación del coste de vida entre Tulum y Monterrey

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,046 in Tulum versus $1,595 in Monterrey.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,936 in Tulum versus $2,536 in Monterrey.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,827 in Tulum versus $3,477 in Monterrey.

Living in Tulum costs roughly 34% less than in Monterrey, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tulum is 22% below, Monterrey is 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.40 MX$182

$13.02 MX$228

-20.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.2 MX$897

$53.6 MX$938

-4.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.16 MX$143

$10.17 MX$178

-19.76%

Cappuccino

$3.70 MX$64.7

$3.75 MX$65.6

-1.33%

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

$1.21 MX$21.21

$1.44 MX$25.24

-15.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 MX$19.37

$1.04 MX$18.16

6.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 MX$48.32

$2.58 MX$45.11

6.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 MX$69.6

$4.11 MX$71.9

-3.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$25.08

$1.67 MX$29.31

-14.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 MX$20.72

$2.63 MX$46.07

-55.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 MX$27.02

$1.93 MX$33.81

-20.21%

Eggs

$1.99 MX$34.77

$2.60 MX$45.51

-23.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.44 MX$95.2

$10.47 MX$183

-48.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.00 MX$123

$9.07 MX$159

-22.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.52 MX$114

$13.42 MX$235

-51.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 MX$37.85

$3.16 MX$55.2

-31.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$24.85

$1.40 MX$24.58

1.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 MX$24.48

$2.09 MX$36.60

-33.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 MX$23.86

$2.09 MX$36.56

-34.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 MX$38.07

$2.32 MX$40.64

-6.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 MX$34.14

$2.53 MX$44.35

-22.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 MX$18.83

$1.55 MX$27.16

-30.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 MX$17.43

$1.11 MX$19.50

-9.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 MX$74.8

$4.25 MX$74.4

0.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.79 MX$154

$11.83 MX$207

-25.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$22.95

$1.80 MX$31.46

-27.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$22.69

$3.12 MX$54.5

-58.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 MX$19.47

$0.75 MX$13.16

48.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.49 MX$691

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 MX$36.09

$1.76 MX$30.78

17.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 MX$39.06

$0.99 MX$17.35

125.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.16 MX$90.2

$10.60 MX$186

-51.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 MX$22.79

$1.31 MX$22.88

-0.76%

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

$15.8K MX$276.4K

$26.6K MX$465.7K

-40.64%

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

$21.2K MX$371.3K

$25.7K MX$450.3K

-17.53%

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

$84.2 MX$1,474

$124 MX$2,164

-31.87%

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

$22.28 MX$390

$27.80 MX$486

-19.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.45 MX$515

$29.57 MX$517

-0.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.29 MX$583

$38.39 MX$672

-13.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.80 MX$277

$21.87 MX$383

-27.75%

Cinema Ticket

$4.65 MX$81.5

$5.95 MX$104

-21.85%

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

$204 MX$3,564

$337 MX$5,896

-39.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,835 MX$49.6K

$8,908 MX$155.9K

-68.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.94 MX$454

$58.3 MX$1,020

-55.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.52 MX$552

$41.99 MX$735

-24.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.8 MX$1,414

$108 MX$1,897

-25.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$45.62 MX$798

$126 MX$2,207

-63.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 MX$12.2K

$911 MX$15.9K

-23.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$397 MX$6,945

$660 MX$11.5K

-39.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,432 MX$25.1K

$1,570 MX$27.5K

-8.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,256 MX$22.0K

$1,426 MX$25.0K

-11.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,268 MX$57.2K

$4,178 MX$73.1K

-21.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,855 MX$32.5K

$2,845 MX$49.8K

-34.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$781 MX$13.7K

$1,113 MX$19.5K

-29.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.55

-4.76%

Los datos de CityCost se basan en IA y aportaciones de usuarios. Puede haber pequeñas variaciones.

Última actualización para Tulum: April 27, 2026

Última actualización para Monterrey: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $699 in Tulum and $911 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 42% 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: $51.0 in Tulum vs $54.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $196 vs $292 per month, with Tulum cheaper across the board.

Comparación de velocidades medias de internet por ciudad (actualizado April 2026)

El gráfico resalta el umbral de precisión para velocidades de internet móvil y fija, actualizado trimestralmente.

Índice del coste de vida para nómadas digitales

Tulum vs Monterrey: Coste de vida - preguntas frecuentes

Tulum and Monterrey differ by about 52% in total monthly costs ($1,046 vs $1,595 including rent). Tulum is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Monterrey earns 42% less. 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: $699 in Tulum versus $911 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $204 in Tulum versus $337 in Monterrey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tulum – a meal for two runs $51.0 versus $54.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,046 in Tulum versus $1,595 in Monterrey, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tulum but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Tulum 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 Tulum gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.