Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Astoria, NY and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $3,329 in Astoria, NY, rent and utilities included – about $20,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

159

Cost of Living Index in Astoria, NY
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Astoria, NY Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Astoria, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$3,329

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,329 in Astoria, NY versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Astoria, NY $3,329
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,650 in Astoria, NY versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Astoria, NY $4,650
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,971 in Astoria, NY versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Astoria, NY $5,971
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Astoria, NY is roughly 103% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Astoria, NY 146% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.17 $19.17

$13.37 MX$250

43.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.7 $79.7

$47.95 MX$897

66.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.86 $9.86

$10.79 MX$202

-8.62%

Cappuccino

$4.40 $4.40

$3.77 MX$70.4

16.71%

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

$1.65 $1.65

$1.51 MX$28.26

9.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.03 MX$19.25

76.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 $4.95

$2.48 MX$46.41

99.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.15 $8.15

$4.36 MX$81.5

86.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.89 MX$35.43

-37.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.73 $3.73

$2.85 MX$53.3

30.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.81 $3.81

$1.86 MX$34.71

104.84%

Eggs

$3.49 $3.49

$2.47 MX$46.12

41.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.86 $16.86

$11.81 MX$221

42.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.70 $8.70

$8.97 MX$168

-3.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.97 $12.97

$12.57 MX$235

3.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$3.20 MX$59.8

29.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.50 MX$28.12

24.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.12 MX$39.74

18.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.87 $3.87

$2.33 MX$43.64

66.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.42 $2.42

$2.22 MX$41.58

9.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.58 MX$48.34

-5.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.45 MX$27.04

41.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.22 MX$22.85

109.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.55 $14.55

$4.80 MX$89.7

203.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.69 $19.69

$13.30 MX$249

48.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.93 MX$36.14

-7.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 $3.34

$2.86 MX$53.4

16.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 $2.99

$0.80 MX$14.94

273.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$144 $144

$30.94 MX$579

366.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.83 MX$34.28

59.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.06 MX$19.78

106.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.63 $41.63

$10.82 MX$202

284.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.47 MX$27.54

-36.73%

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

$30.6K $30.6K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

27.22%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

10.21%

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

$112 $112

$115 MX$2,144

-2.62%

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

$55.9 $55.9

$26.37 MX$493

111.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.6 $50.6

$25.70 MX$481

97.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.53 $44.53

$30.53 MX$571

45.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$398

Cinema Ticket

$19.60 $19.60

$4.96 MX$92.8

295.16%

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

$3,114 $3,114

$679 MX$12.7K

358.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$52.4K $52.4K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

269.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.97 $24.97

$72.2 MX$1,350

-65.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.13 $20.13

$41.94 MX$784

-52.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$30.02 $30.02

$107 MX$2,011

-72.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.2 $50.2

$119 MX$2,219

-57.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,300 $2,300

$1,018 MX$19.0K

126.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,131 $2,131

$722 MX$13.5K

195.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,806 $3,806

$1,966 MX$36.8K

93.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,217 $3,217

$1,416 MX$26.5K

127.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$52.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

11.79

-45.29%

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

Last update for Astoria, NY: 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

Astoria, NY

$2.1K 64%

Monterrey

$722 44% 66.1% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Astoria, NY

$379 11.4%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 20.2% $77

Eating Out

Astoria, NY

$291 8.7%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 25.7% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Astoria, NY

$218 6.6%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 23.6% $51

Getting Around

Astoria, NY

$170 5.1%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 75.8% $129

Sport & Entertainment

Astoria, NY

$84 2.5%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 51.7% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Astoria, NY

$56 1.7%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 172% $97

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,300 in Astoria, NY and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $80 in Astoria, NY vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Astoria, NY

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

12:30 12:30 PM

11:30 11:30 AM

1 h behind Astoria, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

150,165

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

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Highest

Between locations

Astoria, NY Monterrey 2,950 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Astoria, NY
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

Astoria, NY vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,329 in Astoria, NY and $1,641 in Monterrey, so Monterrey is about 51% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,993 in Astoria, NY and $2,461 in Monterrey to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,300 in Astoria, NY versus $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $3,329 per month in Astoria, NY versus $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey is about 51% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Monterrey runs roughly 79% less than in Astoria, NY. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,641 in Monterrey versus $3,329 in Astoria, NY, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Astoria, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 51% less than in Astoria, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.