Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ann Arbor, MI and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,835 in Ann Arbor, MI, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Ann Arbor, MI
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Ann Arbor, MI Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Ann Arbor, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,835

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,835 in Ann Arbor, MI versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Ann Arbor, MI $2,835
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,204 in Ann Arbor, MI versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Ann Arbor, MI $4,204
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,573 in Ann Arbor, MI versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Ann Arbor, MI $5,573
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Ann Arbor, MI is roughly 73% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ann Arbor, MI 110% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.53 $18.53

$13.37 MX$250

38.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.4 $60.4

$47.95 MX$897

25.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$10.79 MX$202

11.86%

Cappuccino

$5.01 $5.01

$3.77 MX$70.4

32.89%

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

$3.00 $3.00

$1.51 MX$28.26

98.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.03 MX$19.25

103.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.47 $6.47

$2.48 MX$46.41

160.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.92 $7.92

$4.36 MX$81.5

81.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.89 MX$35.43

-47.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.92 $3.92

$2.85 MX$53.3

37.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.88 $4.88

$1.86 MX$34.71

162.37%

Eggs

$3.77 $3.77

$2.47 MX$46.12

52.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.77 $19.77

$11.81 MX$221

67.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.04 $13.04

$8.97 MX$168

45.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.43 $14.43

$12.57 MX$235

14.80%

Apples (1kg)

$6.85 $6.85

$3.20 MX$59.8

114.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.50 MX$28.12

28.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.65 $3.65

$2.12 MX$39.74

72.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.33 MX$43.64

94.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.42 $2.42

$2.22 MX$41.58

9.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.58 MX$48.34

14.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.45 MX$27.04

70.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.22 MX$22.85

61.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.28 $10.28

$4.80 MX$89.7

114.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.28 $15.28

$13.30 MX$249

14.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.93 MX$36.14

7.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 $3.82

$2.86 MX$53.4

33.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 $1.51

$0.80 MX$14.94

88.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.78 $45.78

$30.94 MX$579

47.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.83 MX$34.28

68.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.06 MX$19.78

42.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.76 $26.76

$10.82 MX$202

147.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.47 MX$27.54

-20.41%

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

$29.9K $29.9K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

24.08%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

10.44%

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

$198 $198

$115 MX$2,144

73.14%

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

$58.4 $58.4

$26.37 MX$493

121.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.4 $73.4

$25.70 MX$481

185.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.60 $49.60

$30.53 MX$571

62.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.59 $19.59

$21.27 MX$398

-7.90%

Cinema Ticket

$12.90 $12.90

$4.96 MX$92.8

160.08%

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

$2,061 $2,061

$679 MX$12.7K

203.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K $19.6K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

38.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 $55.0

$72.2 MX$1,350

-23.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.95 $43.95

$41.94 MX$784

4.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 $111

$107 MX$2,011

3.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$119 MX$2,219

-11.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,164 $2,164

$1,018 MX$19.0K

112.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,482 $1,482

$722 MX$13.5K

105.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,034 $4,034

$1,966 MX$36.8K

105.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,658 $2,658

$1,416 MX$26.5K

87.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,556 $5,556

$4,203 MX$78.6K

32.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,592 $2,592

$2,782 MX$52.0K

-6.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,874 $4,874

$1,096 MX$20.5K

344.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

11.79

-44.02%

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

Last update for Ann Arbor, 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

Ann Arbor, MI

$1.5K 52.3%

Monterrey

$722 44% 51.3% $760

Groceries & Markets

Ann Arbor, MI

$430 15.2%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 29.7% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ann Arbor, MI

$330 11.7%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 49.5% $163

Eating Out

Ann Arbor, MI

$313 11.1%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 31.1% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Ann Arbor, MI

$142 5%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 8.2% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Ann Arbor, MI

$75 2.7%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 46.4% $35

Getting Around

Ann Arbor, MI

$62 2.2%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 34% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,164 in Ann Arbor, MI and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ann Arbor, MI pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $60 in Ann Arbor, MI vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $430 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ann Arbor, MI

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

16:02 4:02 PM

15:02 3:02 PM

1 h behind Ann Arbor, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,851

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 →

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Ann Arbor, MI Monterrey 2,390 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ann Arbor, 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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,835 in Ann Arbor, MI and $1,641 in Monterrey, so Monterrey is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Ann Arbor, MI is about 4.4 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: $2,164 in Ann Arbor, MI 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 $60 in Ann Arbor, MI. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,835 per month in Ann Arbor, MI versus $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Ann Arbor, MI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.