Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Appleton, WI and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $2,097 in Appleton, WI, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Appleton, WI
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Appleton, WI Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Appleton, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,097

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,097 per month in Appleton, WI vs $1,607 in Monterrey, rent included.

Appleton, WI $2,097
Monterrey $1,607

A couple spends around $3,238 per month in Appleton, WI vs $2,512 in Monterrey, rent included.

Appleton, WI $3,238
Monterrey $2,512

A family of three spends $4,380 per month in Appleton, WI vs $3,417 in Monterrey, rent included.

Appleton, WI $4,380
Monterrey $3,417

Appleton, WI costs about 30% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Appleton, WI and Monterrey sit above the global median – Appleton, WI by 56%, Monterrey by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.91 $17.91

$13.75 MX$252

30.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.1 $66.1

$50.2 MX$921

31.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.11 $11.11

$11.13 MX$204

-0.18%

Cappuccino

$5.23 $5.23

$4.04 MX$74.2

29.46%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$1.70 MX$31.29

54.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.99 MX$18.17

129.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 $4.61

$2.41 MX$44.21

91.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.20 $6.20

$4.48 MX$82.3

38.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.92 MX$35.31

-48.96%

White Bread (500g)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.89 MX$53.1

3.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$1.94 MX$35.67

165.46%

Eggs

$4.71 $4.71

$2.50 MX$45.90

88.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.34 $14.34

$12.30 MX$226

16.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.43 $8.43

$9.33 MX$171

-9.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.31 $15.31

$13.07 MX$240

17.14%

Apples (1kg)

$5.02 $5.02

$3.38 MX$62.1

48.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.58 MX$29.02

-16.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.20 MX$40.45

40.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$2.45 MX$44.89

76.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.26 MX$41.47

-8.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.74 MX$50.4

1.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.53 MX$28.09

42.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 $3.13

$1.26 MX$23.16

148.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.86 $10.86

$4.84 MX$88.9

124.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.14 $15.14

$13.59 MX$249

11.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.91 MX$35.01

-12.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.06 MX$56.3

13.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.60

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.77 MX$583

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 $3.29

$1.62 MX$29.78

103.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.10 MX$20.17

29.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.47 $24.47

$10.97 MX$201

123.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.52 MX$27.93

-32.89%

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

$36.3K $36.3K

$21.4K MX$392.4K

69.85%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$25.5K MX$467.6K

-2.98%

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

$176 $176

$120 MX$2,198

47.24%

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

$44.67 $44.67

$27.08 MX$497

64.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 $60.6

$26.70 MX$490

126.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.78 $23.78

$31.15 MX$572

-23.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.09 $41.09

$21.95 MX$403

87.20%

Cinema Ticket

$14.48 $14.48

$5.14 MX$94.4

181.71%

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

$1,512 $1,512

$688 MX$12.6K

119.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.2K $31.2K

$11.4K MX$209.8K

172.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.33 $39.33

$71.9 MX$1,321

-45.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.09 $25.09

$43.30 MX$795

-42.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.9 $50.9

$112 MX$2,059

-54.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$122 MX$2,236

-10.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,501 $1,501

$957 MX$17.6K

56.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,017 $1,017

$670 MX$12.3K

51.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,804 $1,804

$1,887 MX$34.7K

-4.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,910 $1,910

$1,305 MX$24.0K

46.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,320 $2,320

$4,159 MX$76.4K

-44.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,268 $2,268

$2,437 MX$44.7K

-6.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,011 $4,011

$1,133 MX$20.8K

254.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

11.79

-45.97%

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

Last update for Appleton, WI: October 4, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Appleton, WI

$1K 47.6%

Monterrey

$670 41.4% 34.1% $346

Groceries & Markets

Appleton, WI

$381 17.8%

Monterrey

$312 19.3% 18% $69

Eating Out

Appleton, WI

$294 13.8%

Monterrey

$224 13.8% 24% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Appleton, WI

$282 13.2%

Monterrey

$174 10.7% 38.4% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Appleton, WI

$101 4.7%

Monterrey

$157 9.7% 56% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Appleton, WI

$53 2.5%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 21.4% $11

Getting Around

Appleton, WI

$10 * 0.5%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 304% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,501 in Appleton, WI versus $957 in Monterrey. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 254% higher in Appleton, WI, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Appleton, WI versus $50.0 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $381 vs $312 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Appleton, WI

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

00:24 12:24 AM

23:24 11:24 PM

1 h behind Appleton, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,139

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Appleton, WI Monterrey 2,320 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Appleton, WI
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

Appleton, WI vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Appleton, WI is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,145 per month in Appleton, WI and $2,411 in Monterrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Monterrey, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Appleton, WI and $50.0 in Monterrey. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Appleton, WI, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,607, than in Appleton, WI at $2,097. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Appleton, WI it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Monterrey – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Monterrey. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Appleton, WI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.