Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alpena, MI and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $1,977 in Alpena, MI, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Alpena, MI
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Alpena, MI Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Alpena, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$1,977

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,977 per month in Alpena, MI vs $1,641 in Monterrey, rent included.

Alpena, MI $1,977
Monterrey $1,641

A couple spends around $2,869 per month in Alpena, MI vs $2,573 in Monterrey, rent included.

Alpena, MI $2,869
Monterrey $2,573

A family of three spends $3,761 per month in Alpena, MI vs $3,504 in Monterrey, rent included.

Alpena, MI $3,761
Monterrey $3,504

Alpena, MI costs about 20% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Alpena, MI and Monterrey sit above the global median – Alpena, MI by 46%, Monterrey by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.24 $21.24

$13.37 MX$250

58.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.7 $75.7

$47.95 MX$897

57.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.31 $10.31

$10.79 MX$202

-4.45%

Cappuccino

$5.26 $5.26

$3.77 MX$70.4

39.52%

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

$1.89 $1.89

$1.51 MX$28.26

25.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.03 MX$19.25

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.60 $5.60

$2.48 MX$46.41

125.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.23 $7.23

$4.36 MX$81.5

65.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.89 MX$35.43

-53.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.85 MX$53.3

-9.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$1.86 MX$34.71

161.29%

Eggs

$3.90 $3.90

$2.47 MX$46.12

57.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.39 $11.39

$11.81 MX$221

-3.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.06 $12.06

$8.97 MX$168

34.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.71 $9.71

$12.57 MX$235

-22.75%

Apples (1kg)

$5.60 $5.60

$3.20 MX$59.8

75.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.50 MX$28.12

6.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$2.12 MX$39.74

131.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$2.33 MX$43.64

103.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.22 MX$41.58

34.68%

Onion (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$2.58 MX$48.34

31.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.45 MX$27.04

13.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.22 MX$22.85

82.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.79 $8.79

$4.80 MX$89.7

83.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.59 $14.59

$13.30 MX$249

9.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.93 MX$36.14

1.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 $3.45

$2.86 MX$53.4

20.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.80 MX$14.94

146.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.7 $62.7

$30.94 MX$579

102.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.83 MX$34.28

60.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.06 MX$19.78

58.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.50 $26.50

$10.82 MX$202

144.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.47 MX$27.54

-31.97%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

10.95%

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

$22.8K $22.8K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

-3.31%

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

$199 $199

$115 MX$2,144

73.75%

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

$40.69 $40.69

$26.37 MX$493

54.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.41 $44.41

$25.70 MX$481

72.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.04 $45.04

$30.53 MX$571

47.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$398

Cinema Ticket

$14.12 $14.12

$4.96 MX$92.8

184.68%

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

$1,423 $1,423

$679 MX$12.7K

109.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K $18.9K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

33.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.40 $42.40

$72.2 MX$1,350

-41.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.56 $30.56

$41.94 MX$784

-27.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.7 $88.7

$107 MX$2,011

-17.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.0 $55.0

$119 MX$2,219

-53.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$972 $972

$1,018 MX$19.0K

-4.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$753 $753

$722 MX$13.5K

4.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,730 $1,730

$1,966 MX$36.8K

-12.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 $1,035

$1,416 MX$26.5K

-26.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,749 $2,749

$4,203 MX$78.6K

-34.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,061 $2,061

$2,782 MX$52.0K

-25.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.35

11.79

-46.14%

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

Last update for Alpena, MI: November 1, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alpena, MI

$753 38.1%

Monterrey

$722 44% 4.2% $32

Groceries & Markets

Alpena, MI

$369 18.7%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 18.2% $67

Eating Out

Alpena, MI

$318 16.1%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 32.2% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alpena, MI

$284 14.4%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 41.4% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Alpena, MI

$97 4.9%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 57.1% $56

Getting Around

Alpena, MI

$82 4.1%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 49.6% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Alpena, MI

$73 3.7%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 44.8% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $972 in Alpena, MI 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Alpena, MI versus $48 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $369 vs $302 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Alpena, MI

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

15:59 3:59 PM

14:59 2:59 PM

1 h behind Alpena, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,637

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 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 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

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Between locations

Alpena, MI Monterrey 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Alpena, MI
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

Alpena, MI vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,977 in Alpena, MI, $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey comes out roughly 17% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,966 per month in Alpena, MI and $2,461 in Monterrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $972 in Alpena, MI and $1,018 in Monterrey. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $1,423 per month in Alpena, MI and $679 in Monterrey. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Alpena, MI, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,977 in Alpena, MI and $1,641 in Monterrey, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Monterrey has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,641 in Monterrey to $1,977 in Alpena, MI. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.