Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Atlanta, GA and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,968 in Atlanta, GA, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

141

Cost of Living Index in Atlanta, GA
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Atlanta, GA Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Atlanta, GA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,968

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,968 per month in Atlanta, GA vs $1,641 in Monterrey, rent included.

Atlanta, GA $2,968
Monterrey $1,641

A couple spends around $4,287 per month in Atlanta, GA vs $2,573 in Monterrey, rent included.

Atlanta, GA $4,287
Monterrey $2,573

A family of three spends $5,606 per month in Atlanta, GA vs $3,504 in Monterrey, rent included.

Atlanta, GA $5,606
Monterrey $3,504

Atlanta, GA costs about 81% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Atlanta, GA and Monterrey sit above the global median – Atlanta, GA by 120%, Monterrey by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.06 $30.06

$13.37 MX$250

124.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$109 $109

$47.95 MX$897

127.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.84 $11.84

$10.79 MX$202

9.73%

Cappuccino

$5.66 $5.66

$3.77 MX$70.4

50.13%

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

$3.00 $3.00

$1.51 MX$28.26

98.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.03 MX$19.25

113.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.69 $6.69

$2.48 MX$46.41

169.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.08 $8.08

$4.36 MX$81.5

85.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.89 MX$35.43

-50.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 $3.52

$2.85 MX$53.3

23.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.04 $4.04

$1.86 MX$34.71

117.20%

Eggs

$4.35 $4.35

$2.47 MX$46.12

76.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.85 $13.85

$11.81 MX$221

17.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.28 $14.28

$8.97 MX$168

59.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.19 $20.19

$12.57 MX$235

60.62%

Apples (1kg)

$5.92 $5.92

$3.20 MX$59.8

85.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.50 MX$28.12

2.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.71 $5.71

$2.12 MX$39.74

169.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$2.33 MX$43.64

125.32%

Potato (1kg)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.22 MX$41.58

54.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 $2.56

$2.58 MX$48.34

-0.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.45 MX$27.04

49.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.22 MX$22.85

95.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.72 $8.72

$4.80 MX$89.7

81.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.99 $14.99

$13.30 MX$249

12.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 $3.90

$1.93 MX$36.14

102.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 $4.76

$2.86 MX$53.4

66.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 $2.53

$0.80 MX$14.94

216.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.6 $93.6

$30.94 MX$579

202.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.83 MX$34.28

90.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.06 MX$19.78

44.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.92 $23.92

$10.82 MX$202

121.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.47 MX$27.54

-29.93%

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

$37.3K $37.3K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

54.90%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

13.66%

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

$216 $216

$115 MX$2,144

88.76%

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

$72.6 $72.6

$26.37 MX$493

175.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.8 $81.8

$25.70 MX$481

218.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.27 $32.27

$30.53 MX$571

5.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.77 $17.77

$21.27 MX$398

-16.46%

Cinema Ticket

$17.21 $17.21

$4.96 MX$92.8

246.98%

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

$1,778 $1,778

$679 MX$12.7K

161.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.7K $34.7K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

144.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.4 $52.4

$72.2 MX$1,350

-27.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.87 $44.87

$41.94 MX$784

6.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.6 $96.6

$107 MX$2,011

-10.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$119 MX$2,219

-11.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,918 $1,918

$1,018 MX$19.0K

88.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,415 $1,415

$722 MX$13.5K

96.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,209 $3,209

$1,966 MX$36.8K

63.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,049 $2,049

$1,416 MX$26.5K

44.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,591 $3,591

$4,203 MX$78.6K

-14.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,455 $2,455

$2,782 MX$52.0K

-11.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,246 $5,246

$1,096 MX$20.5K

378.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

11.79

-43.43%

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

Last update for Atlanta, GA: 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

Atlanta, GA

$1.4K 47.7%

Monterrey

$722 44% 49% $694

Groceries & Markets

Atlanta, GA

$451 15.2%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 33.1% $149

Eating Out

Atlanta, GA

$414 14%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 47.9% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Atlanta, GA

$371 12.5%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 55% $204

Clothing & Footwear

Atlanta, GA

$135 4.5%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 13.7% $18

Getting Around

Atlanta, GA

$115 3.9%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 64.1% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Atlanta, GA

$67 2.3%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 39.4% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,918 in Atlanta, GA versus $1,018 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 in Atlanta, GA are about 4.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $109 in Atlanta, GA versus $48 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $451 vs $302 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Atlanta, GA

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

16:53 4:53 PM

15:53 3:53 PM

1 h behind Atlanta, GA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

510,823

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Atlanta, GA Monterrey 1,820 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Atlanta, GA
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

Atlanta, GA vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Atlanta, GA is pricier by about 81%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,452 per month in Atlanta, GA and $2,461 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,018 there versus $1,918 in Atlanta, GA.

Groceries cost about 49% more in Atlanta, GA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $109 in Atlanta, GA and $48 in Monterrey. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

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.

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