Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Acton, MA and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $3,200 in Acton, MA, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

153

Cost of Living Index in Acton, MA
Learn more

Acton, MA Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index

Jump to prices

Acton, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,200

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Acton, MA and in Monterrey

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Acton, MA and in Monterrey actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,200 per month in Acton, MA vs $1,641 in Monterrey, rent included.

Acton, MA $3,200
Monterrey $1,641

A couple spends around $4,824 per month in Acton, MA vs $2,573 in Monterrey, rent included.

Acton, MA $4,824
Monterrey $2,573

A family of three spends $6,449 per month in Acton, MA vs $3,504 in Monterrey, rent included.

Acton, MA $6,449
Monterrey $3,504

Acton, MA costs about 95% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Acton, MA and Monterrey sit above the global median – Acton, MA by 137%, Monterrey by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.77 $16.77

$13.37 MX$250

25.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.9 $92.9

$47.95 MX$897

93.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.08 $15.08

$10.79 MX$202

39.76%

Cappuccino

$5.52 $5.52

$3.77 MX$70.4

46.42%

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

$2.83 $2.83

$1.51 MX$28.26

87.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.03 MX$19.25

160.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.05 $5.05

$2.48 MX$46.41

103.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.89 $7.89

$4.36 MX$81.5

80.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.89 MX$35.43

-49.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 $2.38

$2.85 MX$53.3

-16.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.34 $5.34

$1.86 MX$34.71

187.10%

Eggs

$4.68 $4.68

$2.47 MX$46.12

89.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.44 $11.44

$11.81 MX$221

-3.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.57 $14.57

$8.97 MX$168

62.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.32 $17.32

$12.57 MX$235

37.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.25 $4.25

$3.20 MX$59.8

32.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.50 MX$28.12

15.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.12 MX$39.74

38.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$2.33 MX$43.64

65.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 $2.00

$2.22 MX$41.58

-9.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.71 $2.71

$2.58 MX$48.34

5.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.45 MX$27.04

28.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.22 MX$22.85

-17.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.47 $13.47

$4.80 MX$89.7

180.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.94 $8.94

$13.30 MX$249

-32.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.93 MX$36.14

6.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 $3.99

$2.86 MX$53.4

39.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.94

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.03 $4.03

$1.83 MX$34.28

120.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.06 MX$19.78

129.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.42 $40.42

$10.82 MX$202

273.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.47 MX$27.54

-38.78%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

12.37%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

11.21%

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

$316 $316

$115 MX$2,144

176.05%

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

$60.5 $60.5

$26.37 MX$493

129.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.9 $72.9

$25.70 MX$481

183.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.20 $25.20

$30.53 MX$571

-17.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$398

Cinema Ticket

$13.13 $13.13

$4.96 MX$92.8

164.72%

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

$1,824 $1,824

$679 MX$12.7K

168.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$44.0K $44.0K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

210.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 $55.6

$72.2 MX$1,350

-22.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.85 $38.85

$41.94 MX$784

-7.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.5 $80.5

$107 MX$2,011

-25.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$119 MX$2,219

-14.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,682 $2,682

$1,018 MX$19.0K

163.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 $1,887

$722 MX$13.5K

161.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,957 $2,957

$1,966 MX$36.8K

50.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,602 $3,602

$1,416 MX$26.5K

154.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$52.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,156 $9,156

$1,096 MX$20.5K

735.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

11.79

-43.68%

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

Last update for Acton, MA: November 3, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Acton, MA

$1.9K 59%

Monterrey

$722 44% 61.8% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Acton, MA

$450 14.1%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 62.9% $283

Groceries & Markets

Acton, MA

$362 11.3%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 16.6% $60

Eating Out

Acton, MA

$309 9.7%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 30.1% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Acton, MA

$125 3.9%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 23% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Acton, MA

$51 1.6%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 21.4% $11

Getting Around

Acton, MA

$16 * 0.5%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 155% $25

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,682 in Acton, MA versus $1,018 in Monterrey. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Acton, MA are about 8.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $93 in Acton, MA versus $48 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $362 vs $302 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Acton, MA

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

21:58 9:58 PM

20:58 8:58 PM

1 h behind Acton, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,596

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Acton, MA Monterrey 3,220 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Acton, MA
Monterrey

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Acton, MA vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Acton, MA costs about 95% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,800 per month in Acton, MA and $2,461 in Monterrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Monterrey, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,018 there versus $2,682 in Acton, MA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,200 in Acton, MA and $1,641 in Monterrey. That makes Monterrey about 49% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,824 per month in Acton, MA and $679 in Monterrey. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,641, than in Acton, MA at $3,200. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Acton, MA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Monterrey – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Monterrey. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Acton, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.