✦ Compare
Madrid vs
Monterrey
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Madrid, ES vs Monterrey, MX at a glance — Monterrey, MX is 40% cheaper than Madrid, ES overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $650/mo versus $1,300/mo. Top income tax: 35% vs 47%.
To keep the same standard of living in Monterrey, MX, you'd need
$44,869 / year
Monterrey, MX is 40% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Monterrey, MX vs Madrid, ES)
- Housing-54%
- Food & groceries-38%
- Transport-40%
- Utilities-25%
- Healthcare-22%
- Goods & services-32%
◎ How Madrid, ES and Monterrey, MX compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Madrid, ES | Monterrey, MX | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 103 | 62 |
| Housing | 120 | 55 |
| Food | 100 | 62 |
| Transport | 80 | 48 |
| Utilities | 110 | 82 |
| Healthcare | 80 | 62 |
| Goods & services | 100 | 68 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,300/mo | $650/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $950/mo | — |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $2,600/mo | — |
| Buy price / m² centre | $6,000 | — |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $971 | $1,623 |
| Inexpensive meal | $14 | — |
| Monthly transit pass | $60 | — |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 47% | 35% |
| VAT / sales tax | 21% | 16% |
| Social security (employee) | 6.4% | — |
| Corporate tax | 25% | 30% |
| Capital gains | 28% | — |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $1,900/mo | $700/mo |
| Avg annual wage (OECD, PPP) | $57,779✓ | $24,463✓ |
| Minimum wage | $1,652/mo✓ | $420/mo |
| GDP per capita | $38,627✓ | $13,889✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | 2.7%✓ | 3.8%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | Yes | Yes |
| English proficiency | Low | — |
| Coworking spaces | 70 | — |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | — |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 74 | — |
| Safety index | 62 | — |
| Healthcare index | 80 | — |
| Pollution index | 45 | — |
| Internet speed | 200 Mbps | — |
| Walkability | 88 | — |
| Public transport | 90 | — |
| Family-friendly | 68 | — |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | — |
| Life expectancy | 84 yr✓ | 75 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | Moderate |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +6 °C | — |
| July avg | +25 °C | — |
| Sunny days / year | 250 | — |
| Rainfall / year | 420 mm | — |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | — |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Spain vs Mexico. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (OECD (PPP), Eurostat 2026, World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Madrid vs Monterrey — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Madrid
Spain's sunny, sociable capital — great transit and food, affordable by Western-European standards.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- Spanish
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 62/100
- Climate
- ❄ 6°C · ☀ 25°C · 250 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Malasaña · Chamberí · La Latina
Good to know before you move to Monterrey
- Currency
- Mexican peso ($ MXN)
- Languages
- Spanish
- Power
- A/B · 127V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
Plan your move to Madrid
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Airport transferWelcome Pickups
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
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Plan your move to Monterrey
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Madrid to Monterrey: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Madrid to Monterrey, your cost of living will be roughly 40% cheaper. Monterrey’s cost-of-living index is 62 versus 103 for Madrid (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Madrid cheaper than Monterrey?
Monterrey is about 40% cheaper than Madrid overall — its cost-of-living index is 62 versus 103 for Madrid.
Which is more expensive, Madrid or Monterrey?
Madrid is more expensive than Monterrey. Its cost-of-living index is 103 vs 62 (US = 100) — about 66% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Madrid or Monterrey?
Rent is cheaper in Monterrey — about $650/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $1,300 in Madrid.
How much do you need to earn in Monterrey to live like in Madrid?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Madrid is worth about $44,869 in Monterrey. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Madrid or Monterrey?
Mexico has the lower top income-tax rate — 35% versus 47% in Spain.
◷ More comparisons from Madrid
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.