Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Amherst, MA and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,774 in Amherst, MA, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Amherst, MA
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Amherst, MA Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Amherst, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,774

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,774 in Amherst, MA versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Amherst, MA $2,774
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,272 in Amherst, MA versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Amherst, MA $4,272
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,770 in Amherst, MA versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Amherst, MA $5,770
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Amherst, MA is roughly 69% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Amherst, MA 105% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.29 $20.29

$13.37 MX$251

51.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 $69.2

$47.95 MX$900

44.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.04 $9.04

$10.79 MX$203

-16.22%

Cappuccino

$4.79 $4.79

$3.77 MX$70.7

27.06%

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

$2.58 $2.58

$1.51 MX$28.37

70.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.03 MX$19.33

92.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.10 $6.10

$2.48 MX$46.60

145.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.51 $8.51

$4.36 MX$81.8

95.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.89 MX$35.58

-43.92%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.85 MX$53.5

14.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.91 $6.91

$1.86 MX$34.86

271.51%

Eggs

$4.57 $4.57

$2.47 MX$46.31

85.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.51 $16.51

$11.81 MX$222

39.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.09 $16.09

$8.97 MX$168

79.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.56 $18.56

$12.57 MX$236

47.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$3.20 MX$60.0

51.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.50 MX$28.23

-4.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.12 MX$39.90

53.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.60 $4.60

$2.33 MX$43.82

97.42%

Potato (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.22 MX$41.75

46.85%

Onion (1kg)

$3.58 $3.58

$2.58 MX$48.54

38.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.45 MX$27.15

57.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.22 MX$22.94

67.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.52 $10.52

$4.80 MX$90.1

119.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.96 $11.96

$13.30 MX$250

-10.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.93 MX$36.28

2.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 $3.83

$2.86 MX$53.6

33.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 $1.28

$0.80 MX$15.00

60.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.45 $27.45

$30.94 MX$581

-11.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 $3.53

$1.83 MX$34.42

92.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.06 MX$19.86

33.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 $29.72

$10.82 MX$203

174.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.47 MX$27.65

-32.65%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$24.1K MX$452.3K

17.14%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$23.5K MX$442.0K

13.60%

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

$213 $213

$115 MX$2,152

85.88%

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

$57.5 $57.5

$26.37 MX$495

117.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.4 $89.4

$25.70 MX$483

247.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$119 $119

$30.53 MX$573

289.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.88 $6.88

$21.27 MX$400

-67.65%

Cinema Ticket

$10.56 $10.56

$4.96 MX$93.1

112.90%

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

$1,496 $1,496

$679 MX$12.7K

120.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K $16.9K

$14.2K MX$266.4K

18.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.03 $45.03

$72.2 MX$1,356

-37.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.00 $39.00

$41.94 MX$788

-7.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.4 $89.4

$107 MX$2,019

-16.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$119 MX$2,228

-8.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,860 $1,860

$1,018 MX$19.1K

82.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,356 $1,356

$722 MX$13.6K

87.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,914 $3,914

$1,966 MX$36.9K

99.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,708 $2,708

$1,416 MX$26.6K

91.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,091 $4,091

$4,203 MX$78.9K

-2.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,999 $3,999

$2,782 MX$52.2K

43.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,739 $4,739

$1,096 MX$20.6K

332.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.1

11.79

-48.26%

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

Last update for Amherst, MA: November 2, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Amherst, MA

$1.4K 48.9%

Monterrey

$722 44% 46.8% $634

Groceries & Markets

Amherst, MA

$436 15.7%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 30.6% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amherst, MA

$360 13%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 53.7% $193

Eating Out

Amherst, MA

$313 11.3%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 31% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Amherst, MA

$140 5.1%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 71.1% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Amherst, MA

$127 4.6%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 20.5% $26

Getting Around

Amherst, MA

$43 1.6%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 4.5% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,860 in Amherst, MA and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Amherst, MA pays about 4.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $69 in Amherst, MA vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $436 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Amherst, MA

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

01:30 1:30 AM

00:30 12:30 AM

1 h behind Amherst, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,819

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 = 0.891 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.08 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Amherst, MA Monterrey 3,140 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Amherst, 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

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

Monterrey is about 41% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Amherst, MA is about 4.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,860 in Amherst, MA versus $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,496 in Amherst, MA versus $679 in Monterrey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Amherst, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Monterrey wins on affordability, Amherst, MA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.