Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aiken, SC and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,393 in Aiken, SC, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Aiken, SC
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Aiken, SC Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Aiken, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,393

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aiken, SC 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 Aiken, SC and in Monterrey actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,393 in Aiken, SC versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Aiken, SC $2,393
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,338 in Aiken, SC versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Aiken, SC $3,338
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,282 in Aiken, SC versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Aiken, SC $4,282
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Aiken, SC is roughly 46% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Aiken, SC 77% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.88 $14.88

$13.37 MX$250

11.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.2 $59.2

$47.95 MX$897

23.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.96 $10.96

$10.79 MX$202

1.58%

Cappuccino

$3.70 $3.70

$3.77 MX$70.4

-1.86%

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

$2.29 $2.29

$1.51 MX$28.26

51.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.03 MX$19.25

90.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.93 $5.93

$2.48 MX$46.41

139.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.39 $8.39

$4.36 MX$81.5

92.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.89 MX$35.43

-48.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.85 MX$53.3

-1.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.86 MX$34.71

23.66%

Eggs

$3.50 $3.50

$2.47 MX$46.12

41.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.34 $14.34

$11.81 MX$221

21.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.04 $6.04

$8.97 MX$168

-32.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.34 $18.34

$12.57 MX$235

45.90%

Apples (1kg)

$9.60 $9.60

$3.20 MX$59.8

200.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.50 MX$28.12

50.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.12 MX$39.74

32.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$2.33 MX$43.64

68.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 $1.91

$2.22 MX$41.58

-13.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.58 MX$48.34

10.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.45 MX$27.04

28.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.22 MX$22.85

61.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.19 $7.19

$4.80 MX$89.7

49.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.76 $13.76

$13.30 MX$249

3.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.93 MX$36.14

5.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.86 MX$53.4

3.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.94

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 $3.30

$1.83 MX$34.28

80.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.06 MX$19.78

55.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.50 $24.50

$10.82 MX$202

126.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 $0.72

$1.47 MX$27.54

-51.02%

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

$28.4K $28.4K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

17.90%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

14.28%

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

$234 $234

$115 MX$2,144

104.55%

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

$66.6 $66.6

$26.37 MX$493

152.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.5 $82.5

$25.70 MX$481

221.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 $58.1

$30.53 MX$571

90.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$398

Cinema Ticket

$14.92 $14.92

$4.96 MX$92.8

200.81%

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

$942 $942

$679 MX$12.7K

38.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K $18.6K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

30.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.93 $46.93

$72.2 MX$1,350

-35.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.22 $44.22

$41.94 MX$784

5.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$107 MX$2,011

9.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.6 $64.6

$119 MX$2,219

-45.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 $1,346

$1,018 MX$19.0K

32.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,159 $1,159

$722 MX$13.5K

60.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,721 $1,721

$1,966 MX$36.8K

-12.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 $1,691

$1,416 MX$26.5K

19.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,656 $1,656

$4,203 MX$78.6K

-60.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,362 $1,362

$2,782 MX$52.0K

-51.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

11.79

-44.27%

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

Last update for Aiken, SC: October 31, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aiken, SC

$1.2K 48.5%

Monterrey

$722 44% 37.8% $438

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aiken, SC

$384 16%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 56.5% $217

Groceries & Markets

Aiken, SC

$368 15.4%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 17.9% $66

Eating Out

Aiken, SC

$260 10.9%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 16.9% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Aiken, SC

$123 5.1%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 24.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Aiken, SC

$88 3.7%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 54% $47

Getting Around

Aiken, SC

$12 * 0.5%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 257% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,346 in Aiken, SC and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $59 in Aiken, SC vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $368 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Aiken, SC

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

13:55 1:55 PM

12:55 12:55 PM

1 h behind Aiken, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,829

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Aiken, SC Monterrey 2,000 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Aiken, SC
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

Aiken, SC vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Aiken, SC. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Monterrey the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,589 in Aiken, SC and $2,461 in Monterrey to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,346 in Aiken, SC versus $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $942 in Aiken, SC versus $679 in Monterrey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $48 versus $59 in Aiken, SC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Monterrey gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.