Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bel Air, MD and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,452 in Bel Air, MD, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Bel Air, MD
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Bel Air, MD Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Bel Air, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,452

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,452 per month in Bel Air, MD vs $1,641 in Monterrey, rent included.

Bel Air, MD $2,452
Monterrey $1,641

A couple spends around $3,688 per month in Bel Air, MD vs $2,573 in Monterrey, rent included.

Bel Air, MD $3,688
Monterrey $2,573

A family of three spends $4,925 per month in Bel Air, MD vs $3,504 in Monterrey, rent included.

Bel Air, MD $4,925
Monterrey $3,504

Bel Air, MD costs about 49% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bel Air, MD and Monterrey sit above the global median – Bel Air, MD by 81%, Monterrey by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.99 $15.99

$13.37 MX$250

19.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.3 $67.3

$47.95 MX$897

40.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.85 $9.85

$10.79 MX$202

-8.71%

Cappuccino

$5.16 $5.16

$3.77 MX$70.4

36.87%

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

$1.71 $1.71

$1.51 MX$28.26

13.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.03 MX$19.25

67.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.49 $6.49

$2.48 MX$46.41

161.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.36 $6.36

$4.36 MX$81.5

45.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.89 MX$35.43

-46.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 $3.62

$2.85 MX$53.3

27.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.86 MX$34.71

133.33%

Eggs

$4.11 $4.11

$2.47 MX$46.12

66.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 $12.56

$11.81 MX$221

6.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.66 $11.66

$8.97 MX$168

29.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.35 $17.35

$12.57 MX$235

38.03%

Apples (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$3.20 MX$59.8

59.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.50 MX$28.12

7.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.42 $4.42

$2.12 MX$39.74

108.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$2.33 MX$43.64

99.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.22 MX$41.58

31.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.58 MX$48.34

15.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.45 MX$27.04

48.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.22 MX$22.85

81.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.01 $10.01

$4.80 MX$89.7

108.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.98 $14.98

$13.30 MX$249

12.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.93 MX$36.14

2.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.86 MX$53.4

22.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.86 $1.86

$0.80 MX$14.94

132.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.5 $60.5

$30.94 MX$579

95.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.83 MX$34.28

89.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.06 MX$19.78

60.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.96 $29.96

$10.82 MX$202

176.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.47 MX$27.54

-31.29%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

16.78%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

12.74%

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

$199 $199

$115 MX$2,144

73.25%

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

$58.1 $58.1

$26.37 MX$493

120.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.3 $71.3

$25.70 MX$481

177.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.18 $43.18

$30.53 MX$571

41.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.38 $38.38

$21.27 MX$398

80.44%

Cinema Ticket

$15.94 $15.94

$4.96 MX$92.8

221.37%

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

$1,361 $1,361

$679 MX$12.7K

100.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K $18.0K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

27.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.54 $47.54

$72.2 MX$1,350

-34.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.57 $39.57

$41.94 MX$784

-5.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.7 $80.7

$107 MX$2,011

-24.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$119 MX$2,219

2.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,562 $1,562

$1,018 MX$19.0K

53.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,160 $1,160

$722 MX$13.5K

60.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,866 $2,866

$1,966 MX$36.8K

45.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,082 $2,082

$1,416 MX$26.5K

47.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,966 $2,966

$4,203 MX$78.6K

-29.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,469 $2,469

$2,782 MX$52.0K

-11.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,229 $5,229

$1,096 MX$20.5K

377.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

11.79

-44.11%

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

Last update for Bel Air, MD: November 2, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bel Air, MD

$1.2K 47.3%

Monterrey

$722 44% 37.8% $438

Groceries & Markets

Bel Air, MD

$401 16.4%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 24.7% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bel Air, MD

$328 13.4%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 49.2% $161

Eating Out

Bel Air, MD

$278 11.4%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 22.5% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Bel Air, MD

$130 5.3%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 17.6% $23

Getting Around

Bel Air, MD

$80 3.3%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 48.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Bel Air, MD

$75 3.1%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 46.1% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,562 in Bel Air, MD 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 Bel Air, MD are about 4.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Bel Air, MD versus $48 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $401 vs $302 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bel Air, MD

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

13:13 1:13 PM

12:13 12:13 PM

1 h behind Bel Air, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,253

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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Between locations

Bel Air, MD Monterrey 2,710 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Bel Air, MD
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

Bel Air, MD vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,452 in Bel Air, MD, $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey comes out roughly 33% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,678 per month in Bel Air, MD 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 $1,562 in Bel Air, MD.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,452 in Bel Air, MD and $1,641 in Monterrey. That makes Monterrey about 33% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 49% less in Monterrey. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,452 in Bel Air, MD and $1,641 in Monterrey, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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, Bel Air, MD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.