Cost of Living in Monterrey — A Korean Exchange Student Tells All (2026)
Should I really share all of this? Yes. Someone needs to know.
Fixed Monthly Expenses
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Rent (water & gas included) | 7,000 pesos |
| Electricity | 300 pesos |
| Telcel SIM top-up | 200 pesos |
| Uber Eats student membership | 49 pesos |
| Total fixed costs | ~7,549 pesos |
Rent includes water and gas which is a good deal. Electricity is separate at around 300 pesos. The Uber Eats student membership at 49 pesos is basically essential here — more on that below.
Variable Expenses — Depends on the Month
Food and Uber costs vary a lot depending on how you live that month.
On a careful month with no travel, my average weekly spending was around 1,500 pesos.
Why is Uber Eats essential?
Public transport in Monterrey is rough — I covered that in a separate post. There’s a Soriana supermarket near my place which helps, but the real issue is drinking water.
You cannot drink tap water in Mexico. Everyone buys 10L water jugs and getting those delivered via Uber Eats is just way more practical than carrying them home. And if you want HEB ice cream? Delivery only. Non-negotiable.
When You Travel — Everything Changes
Add flights + accommodation + food + activities whenever you travel.
Here’s something interesting though — Monterrey is actually one of the more expensive cities in Mexico.
When I visited smaller cities like Guadalajara, Guanajuato, or Oaxaca, food felt incredibly cheap in comparison.
And the fruit. Oh, the fruit.
Monterrey is a northern industrial city — the produce is fine. But go south near the farming regions and the fruit is on a completely different level. I genuinely got obsessed. Fresh tropical fruit straight from the source hits differently.
When you’re traveling somewhere you might never return to, you naturally become more generous with experience spending. Even so, keeping travel costs to around 200,000~300,000 KRW (~$150-220 USD) per trip is very doable if you’re careful.
Oh and — I once took a Mexican intercity bus for 8 hours one way to save on flights. That story deserves its own post.
Monthly Cost Summary
| Situation | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|
| Fixed costs | ~7,549 pesos |
| No-travel month (food + transport) | +6,000 pesos |
| Total no-travel month | ~13,000-14,000 pesos |
| Travel month | add ~$150-220 USD |
In Korean won, a no-travel month comes out to roughly 1,000,000~1,100,000 KRW.
For a city that’s considered expensive by Mexican standards, that’s not bad at all.
One Line Summary
Fixed costs ~7,500 pesos. Add living expenses and you’re at 13,000-14,000 pesos a month. Travel adds another $150-220 USD. That’s the honest breakdown.
👉 Next post: I Took an 8-Hour Bus in Mexico to Save Money — Here’s What Happened