Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Anchorage, AK and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $3,231 in Anchorage, AK, rent and utilities included – about $19,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Anchorage, AK
Learn more

Anchorage, AK Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index

Jump to prices

Anchorage, AK

🇺🇸 United States

$3,231

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,231 in Anchorage, AK versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Anchorage, AK $3,231
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,772 in Anchorage, AK versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Anchorage, AK $4,772
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,314 in Anchorage, AK versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Anchorage, AK $6,314
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Anchorage, AK is roughly 97% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Anchorage, AK 139% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.20 $25.20

$13.37 MX$250

88.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

$47.95 MX$897

109.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.83 $16.83

$10.79 MX$202

55.98%

Cappuccino

$7.07 $7.07

$3.77 MX$70.4

87.53%

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

$3.24 $3.24

$1.51 MX$28.26

114.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.03 MX$19.25

156.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.88 $7.88

$2.48 MX$46.41

217.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.28 $9.28

$4.36 MX$81.5

112.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.89 MX$35.43

-33.86%

White Bread (500g)

$4.99 $4.99

$2.85 MX$53.3

75.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.29 $6.29

$1.86 MX$34.71

238.17%

Eggs

$4.24 $4.24

$2.47 MX$46.12

71.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.56 $13.56

$11.81 MX$221

14.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.49 $12.49

$8.97 MX$168

39.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.58 $23.58

$12.57 MX$235

87.59%

Apples (1kg)

$7.99 $7.99

$3.20 MX$59.8

149.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.50 MX$28.12

58.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.56 $5.56

$2.12 MX$39.74

162.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.07 $6.07

$2.33 MX$43.64

160.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$2.22 MX$41.58

33.78%

Onion (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$2.58 MX$48.34

20.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.45 MX$27.04

82.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.22 MX$22.85

92.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.15 $13.15

$4.80 MX$89.7

173.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.99 $18.99

$13.30 MX$249

42.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.93 MX$36.14

-12.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 $3.49

$2.86 MX$53.4

22.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.80 MX$14.94

153.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.5 $60.5

$30.94 MX$579

95.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.12 $6.12

$1.83 MX$34.28

234.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.70 $3.70

$1.06 MX$19.78

249.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.11 $42.11

$10.82 MX$202

289.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.47 MX$27.54

-11.56%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

6.77%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

7.09%

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

$383 $383

$115 MX$2,144

234.18%

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

$87.8 $87.8

$26.37 MX$493

233.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$137 $137

$25.70 MX$481

431.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.6 $83.6

$30.53 MX$571

173.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.70 $39.70

$21.27 MX$398

86.65%

Cinema Ticket

$14.52 $14.52

$4.96 MX$92.8

192.74%

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

$1,292 $1,292

$679 MX$12.7K

90.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K $15.6K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

10.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 $53.2

$72.2 MX$1,350

-26.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.41 $45.41

$41.94 MX$784

8.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

$107 MX$2,011

11.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$119 MX$2,219

0.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,644 $1,644

$1,018 MX$19.0K

61.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 $1,354

$722 MX$13.5K

87.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 $2,576

$1,966 MX$36.8K

31.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,347 $2,347

$1,416 MX$26.5K

65.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,217 $4,217

$4,203 MX$78.6K

0.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,818 $2,818

$2,782 MX$52.0K

1.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,887 $4,887

$1,096 MX$20.5K

346.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

11.79

-44.95%

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

Last update for Anchorage, AK: 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

Anchorage, AK

$1.4K 41.9%

Monterrey

$722 44% 46.7% $633

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Anchorage, AK

$607 18.8%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 72.6% $441

Groceries & Markets

Anchorage, AK

$492 15.2%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 38.6% $190

Eating Out

Anchorage, AK

$418 13%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 48.4% $203

Clothing & Footwear

Anchorage, AK

$152 4.7%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 0.7% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Anchorage, AK

$113 3.5%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 64.1% $72

Getting Around

Anchorage, AK

$93 2.9%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 55.8% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,644 in Anchorage, AK and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Anchorage, AK pays about 4.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $100 in Anchorage, AK vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $492 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Anchorage, AK

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

09:55 9:55 AM

12:55 12:55 PM

3 h ahead of Anchorage, AK

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

289,600

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

Anchorage, AK Monterrey 5,400 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Anchorage, AK
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

Anchorage, AK vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Anchorage, AK. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Monterrey the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Anchorage, AK is about 4.5 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: $1,644 in Anchorage, AK versus $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $48 versus $100 in Anchorage, AK. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $3,231 per month in Anchorage, AK versus $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey is about 49% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,641 in Monterrey versus $3,231 in Anchorage, AK, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Anchorage, AK. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Monterrey delivers better value at $1,641 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Monterrey hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Anchorage, AK. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.